Students enrolled in school come from all types of backgrounds and raised in different types of family structures. Many people believe that students raised by non-traditional families are less likely to become successful during their school years and throughout the rest of their lives. A traditional family structure in the U.S is considered as a family support system involving two married heterosexual individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring. (Edwards, H.N. 1987) It has been proven that non-traditional students are able to be successful by investigation low-income African American homes, families that are mother-headed, and peer as well as community involvement.
Students across the United States live in low-income communities and face dire circumstances, such as poverty and hunger on a daily basis. However, numerous students are able to overcome these situations and perform highly in their academic performance. They defy the stereotype that poverty prevents academic success, and that being from a household with low-income has a correlation with the academic success of the student. Students that are able to overcome even the most difficult circumstances and achieve highly in school are often referred to as educationally resilient. Unfortunately, these students often go unnoticed until they are no longer producing high achieving or satisfactory progress. .
Previous research has often shown that children living in urban areas are much more likely to face financial as well as other barriers that place them at risk for failure within school when compared to their peers who are faced with these barriers. However, it has been proven that many students are able to overcome these obstacles and continue to succeed. It is important to understand the factors that can help a student achieve despite the barriers they are faced with so that parents and teacher can give their students the best opportunity.