Children benefit from educational settings with a knowledgeable, caring team providing educational experiences. This mixed-method study aimed to gain insight into the perceptions of school employees who work with students who live in poverty. This study examined school staff's knowledge, perceptions, and experiences to foster student development and provide students with experiences and access that improve behaviors leading to student success. This study closely examined the relationship between environment, behaviors, motivation, and cognition, which had yet to be closely studied in the context of the larger unit of elementary staff, on student educational outcomes. The methodology used included collecting information through surveys and interviews. The school staff survey provided qualitative and quantitative information about staff knowledge, actions, and perceived impact on students. Surveys featuring Likert scale items and open-ended questions, alongside interviews utilizing open-ended inquiries, were utilized. Interviews allowed for more in-depth responses to the research questions. These methods aimed to comprehensively capture the perspectives of educational staff, fostering a deeper comprehension of the research inquiry: Do the perceptions of educational staff produce barriers or opportunities for economically disadvantaged students? Survey and interview results from convenience sampling were reviewed using categorization for emerging trends. The results of this study identified significant insights into the need for inclusive training opportunities for non-teaching staff, the need to adapt training components to include prior knowledge inventories and the inclusion of application of concepts, the impact of lived experience in decision-making practices, and the need to ensure that all staff have the knowledge to work with students living in poverty and to make trauma-informed responses. The implications of these results provided districts with the knowledge and strategies to develop employees and practices to become more effective in their actions to decrease the achievement gap. This study is intended to provide data and insights for district leaders on the importance of all staff employees' impact on student achievement and whether their perceptions of poverty affect their actions. By gaining these insights, district leaders can begin to reflect on current agendas and take steps to counter the ever-evident achievement gap. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]