Like millions of others, I experienced poverty as a child. I distinctly remember the first time I became aware we were poor was when someone told me. That moment and every detail is seared into my consciousness. Up until then, being poor was just normal. My world would never be the same again because growing up in poverty is not something you ever truly escape from.

I remember in first grade wondering why others had “store bought” toys, and I had handmade toys. I have no recollection of holding a children’s book. Since I did not attend either pre-school or kindergarten, I was always behind the other children. They came to first grade knowing their letters and numbers, and I knew neither. Then class awareness started even in the early elementary grades as popular and unpopular kids got sorted into peer groups…but why was it that the more “popular” kids also mostly had wealthier parents?

If your parents did not know how to advocate for you or join the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), your needs were not attended to the same as those who did. These are the skills that more advantaged households just do for their children and less advantaged households often do not know to do. They often just trust the school to do the right thing for their children. Think about it: Who hires tutors for their children to get even better grades, so they go to the best colleges and universities? Advantaged parents or those experiencing poverty? 

In my life there were reoccurring bouts with poverty including a period of homelessness that was one of the most traumatizing experiences I have endured. I find it difficult to talk about even to this day. Breaking this cycle requires the development of independent critical reasoning and reflection skills. Metacognition – thinking about your own thinking – is one of the more powerful skills students need to change their trajectory in school and life.

Eventually, my family prospered and moved from a trailer to a house and joined the lower middle class. I was instilled with a work ethic that drives me to this day, as it does many that escape poverty. However, working hard alone does not give you the skills for upward mobility. Working smart does. These are the things Malcolm Gladwell eloquently explains in his book, Outliers: The Story of Success. When you come from poverty, everything is just harder. You must work harder, be smarter, and get breaks because you do not have the societal networks and advantage wealthier parents impart to their children. And it is even harder for children of color who are experiencing the effects of poverty and have to deal with race and culture barriers in addition to class barriers.

Students who have experienced poverty often don’t know how to effectively advocate for themselves and how to access and enter the societal networks and circles of wealth. We don’t learn how to seek the mentors who open the doors for upward mobility and introduce us to their networks. We don’t go to the expensive, elite schools. We cannot afford them. If we are lucky enough, we go to community or state colleges and universities. That means we are locked out of the more elite circles of mentors and alumni networks that help each other succeed. And the separation of class privilege continues. Although people escape poverty every day and enjoy successful careers and lives, it is much too rare and much too difficult. It does not need to be this way. Schools can be the change – the great equalizer children need them to be that develops both academics and student agency.

This is why our social mission is to transform classroom core instruction to develop both the agency and academics within students to break generational poverty. The agency students need is not the basic social and emotional learning schools are doing but rather transcendent agency. It is the higher agency skills for upward mobility that empowers students to transcend barriers to achieve their hopes and dreams.

I hope you will join me to fulfill our social mission for all children. Thank you for exploring our website and learning more about Instructional Empowerment.

Founder and CEO of Instructional Empowerment | Multi-Award-Winning Education Author | Thought Leader | Speaker | Executive Coach to Superintendents and District Cabinets

Michael D. Toth is founder and CEO of Instructional Empowerment and leads IE’s Applied Research Center. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning book The Power of Student Teams with David Sousa; author of Who Moved My Standards; and co-author with Robert Marzano of The Essentials of a Standards-Driven Classroom, School Leadership for Results, and Teacher Evaluation that Makes a Difference. Most recently, he co-authored peer-reviewed research articles published in academic journals in collaboration with researchers Dr. Basileo, Dr. Lyons, Dr. Otto, and Dr. Vannini.

Michael is a keynote speaker at conferences and coaches and mentors superintendents on creating a bold instructional vision, designing and launching a high-functioning cabinet team, transforming Tier 1 core instruction, and leading systems-based school advancement.

Before Michael became the founder and CEO of Instructional Empowerment, he was the founder and CEO of another education services company, Learning Sciences International (LSI), for 20 years. He left LSI to create a new company that better aligns with his and his team’s social mission of ending generational poverty and eliminating racial achievement gaps by transforming core instruction. Throughout Michael’s career, he has been privileged to collaborate with some of the top researchers and thinkers in education.

Years in education: 25+

Past key roles: President of the National Center for the Profession of Teaching, University Faculty Grant Director for research and development grants, and CEO.

The Power of Student Teams

Who Moved My Standards

The Essentials for Standards-Driven Classrooms

Michael D. Toth is a keynote speaker at conferences. He has also served on education panels in person and virtually. As a thought leader, Michael has moderated high-level events such as roundtable discussions between some of the nation’s top superintendents and researchers on topics like preparing for a return to the classroom after the COVID pandemic and reimagining assessment systems and schools of the future.

Michael’s presentation topics include:

Speaking Engagement Highlights