Framing my Argument and Word Choice

I am a big believer in the ideas George Lakoff has espoused concerning the abilities word choice creates for people to impact the way we perceive an issue. He had written a lot on how the Republican party has put significant effort into word choice to manipulate the way Americans think of and construct political issues. As I was writing I realized that this is something I also need to consider. It is common to refer to high poverty and minority students as, "at-risk" or requiring, "tolerance" but these terms imply that high poverty students are somehow deficient. Right now I am trying to get all my ideas out, but as I go back and critique what I have written it will be important to make sure my word choice and that of quoted academics reflects the appreciation for difference that I am trying to encourage in my argument.