This course satisfies the Safety, Support & Wellness requirement for the School Culture Advocate Certification. Learn more at www.safeschoolsacademy.org/csca.

Course description: As educators, it is our primarily goal to provide safe and supportive learning environments for all students, regardless of their backgrounds or identities. As of 2018, 11.8% of the population is living below the poverty line. While great strides and improvements are happening to decrease that percentage, time and attention needs to be spent understanding the effects of poverty on our students, schools, and communities. The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an understanding of poverty in their schools and communities. Participants will learn what income inequality is, the causes of it, and how it manifests differently in different communities. Participants will learn about the impact on social mobility and how poverty affects overall academic achievement. Considerable attention will be given to the intersections between income inequality and various identities, including race, immigration status, incarceration, LGBTQ identity, surviving a natural disaster, and gender inequality. Participants will then spend time learning about the overall effects of poverty, including childhood trauma, overall academic achievement, admittance and completion of a postsecondary educational program, and attaining a future career. Participants will then learn about the best practices for assisting economically disadvantaged students, and they will develop a implementation plan to take back to their schools and communities.

Click here to access the course syllabus.

This is a 3-credit course.*

Upcoming sections:
December 7, 2025 - February 7, 2026
May 31, 2026 - August 1, 2026

Course Fees (🎻🎹🎶 Classically Trained to Save: $30 OFF License Renewal now through 9/16/25! Prices automatically applied—NO CODE REQUIRED! 🎻🎹🎶):

License Renewal - $285 $180
Para credit - $285 $180
Audit - $105

If you have questions, check out our FAQ page! You can also email academy@iowasafeschools.org or call 515.381.0588 if you’d prefer to pay by check.

Cancellation/Refund Policy
Please review our Terms & Conditions for more information on our refund and transfer policy.

Minimum Registration Limit
Beginning 8/1/2021, the minimum registration limit for a class will be three (3) registrants. If your registered class does not meet the minimum registration limit one week prior to your course start date, our Registrar will contact you about future transfer options.

Transcripts
Please allow up to two weeks for transcripts to be processed following a course end date. Request your transcripts by going to http://www.safeschoolsacademy.org/transcripts.