Achievement for All: Keys to Educating Middle Grades Students in Poverty

Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D., is founder of aha! Process and an author, speaker, publisher, and career educator. She is an expert on the mindsets of economic class and on crossing socioeconomic lines in education and work. Recognized internationally for her foundational book, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, (now in its 5th edition), Dr. Payne has helped students and adults of all economic backgrounds achieve academic, professional, and personal success. Dr. Payne’s expertise stems from more than 30 years of experience in public schools. Dr. Payne has presented her work throughout North America, and in Europe, Australia, China, and India. Dr. Payne has written or co-authored more than a dozen books. Her career-long goal of successfully raising student achievement and overcoming economic class barriers has become a cornerstone for efforts for school improvement efforts. In 2011 two of her publications were recognized with awards: Removing the Mask: Identifying Giftedness in Poverty received a Gold Medal from Independent Publishes for Education, and Boys in Poverty: Understanding DropOut (Solution Tree Press) received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Association of Educational Publishers for Professional Development. Both were co-authored with the late Dr. Paul Slocumb.