interventions for students who are at risk

Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together for “At Risk”

Students:Unlocking successful interventions.

By

Kim Dorsey and Matt Woods

Increasing academic achievement and decreasing

dropout rates for “at risk” students.

Unlocking successful interventions.The “At Risk” Student:

“Only seven in 10 ninth graders complete high school on time with a regular diploma, and among African-American and Latino students, the rate is closer to one half.” (Jerald, 2006)

Unlocking successful interventions.The “At Risk” Student:

In 2004, high school dropouts earned an average annual income of $19,169. College graduates earned an average of $51,554. Those with graduate degrees had an average salary of $78,093. Lower wages mean less money paid in payroll taxes, and a greater strain on safety nets such as Medicare and Social Security. But the problem isn't confined to any one group. According to many estimates, today's teenagers are dropping out of school at an alarming rate -- about 30 percent across the board, a statistic that is close to what it was in the 1970s. African-Americans and Latinos drop out at rates around 50 percent. Still, this is an American phenomenon that is surfacing everywhere -- big city and small town, urban and rural district, all races and backgrounds. (Navarrette Jr., 2006)

CNN.com article

Unlocking successful interventions.

How can we help “At Risk” students?

•Attack Outside Forces

•More Supportive

•More Intensive and Increased Instructional Time

•Early Intervention

•Family involvement

•Teamwork

•Communication

Attack outside forces!

We can help provide for these children at school, but can we really expect them to get homework done? Can we expect them to be at school every day at their best? Would you be getting the homework done if you were in the same circumstances? Would you be at your best? Don’t be angry with the children and families be angry about the circumstances and work towards changing the circumstances. How can we help?

Attack outside forces!

Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy?


More Intensive and Increased Instructional Time:

Many educators believe that only by lowering academic standards can educators ever hope to raise graduation rates. However, Lee’s research shows that, things being equal, high schools that offer a “constrained curriculum” with more—and more challenging—academic courses and fewer general-track, remedial, and elective courses have lower dropout rates (Jerald, 2006).


More Instructional Time :

“The American Federation of Teachers has declared “one of the most effective, standards-aligned intervention methods is to increase the instructional time for struggling students” (Woelfel, 2005).


More Supportive:

Every student needs someone who cares about them.

Research indicates that smaller more supportive schools are more successful at decreasing dropout rates.


Early Intervention

Teachers should be looking for behaviors such as peer rejection, antisocial behavior, and aggressive behaviors addressed toward teachers and peers as well as educational disengagement.

Partner with businesses and community organizations.


Early Interventions

Certain behaviors and negative experiences that students encounter cause adolescents to be more likely to dropout of high school, and to be less successful in school. These behaviors and experiences can be diagnosed and interventions can be put in to place early in a child’s life in order to decreased or eliminated the student’s risk.

Behaviors to look for:

•Peer Rejection

•Antisocial Behavior

•Aggressive Behavior

•Educational Disengagement


Early Interventions

One school in Cincinnati, Ohio is using career exploration as an intervention to reach at risk students in their community.

Students begin in the program as early as 1st grade.

This program is successful because it helps students with “developing decision-making and team building skills, encouraging self-esteem, reducing bias, and acquiring the behaviors that enable a young person to become a productive member of society”(Jordan, 2006).

Unlocking successful interventions.Family Involvement:

Reach out to help get the family involved!Go visit the family in the home.

Keep the family informed.

Discontinuity between home and school


Everyone involved in the child’s life needs to work together on the team.


Don’t look at what caused the child to be at risk, but instead look at ways to overcome the at risk situation. This perspective is much more productive and avoids accusing families of causing problems for their children.


IVHS online classes news report

Offer students choices.

Illinois Virtual High School course offerings

15 strategies to prevent drop out -- video


National Drop Out Prevention Centers 15 strategies

Systemic Renewal

School-Community Collaboration

Safe Learning Environments Family Engagement

Early Childhood Education

Early Literacy Development Mentoring/Tutoring

Service-Learning

Alternative Schooling

After-School Opportunities Professional Development

Active Learning

Educational Technology

Individualized Instruction Career and Technology Education


Participants, apparatus, and results of our survey.

0

20

40

60

80

100 Family Involvement

Referral

Extra Help

Detention

Referral to Outside

Tutors

Other

None

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80 Parent Contact

Referral

Extra Help

Detention

Outside Agency

Tutors

Other

none

Interventions that teachers felt were effective

Interventions that teachers have attempted



Other areas teachers surveyed teach besides their primary academic area.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90Character

Study Skills

Reading

Test Taking Stratgies

Organization

Work Ethic

Social Skills

Ethics

Morals

Writing

Communication

Research Tactics



http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=335144144506

http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=322628970890

To view survey’s go to:



References

Amatea, E. S., Smith-Adcock, S., Villares, E. (2006). From family deficit to family

strength: viewing families’ learning from a family resilience perspective. Professional School Counseling, Feb. 2006, 177-189

Brooks-McNamara, V., Pedersen, L. (2006). Practitioner inquiry: a method to advocate

for systemic change. Professional School Counseling, Feb. 2006, 257-260

Bush, L., (2005). Reclaiming Children &Youth. PRO-ED Journals, 14(2), 69-70

Flores, R. J. (2003). Child delinquency. U.S. Department of Justice. March. 3-16

Hardy, L. (2007). Children at risk. American School Board Journal, Feb. 2007, 21-25

Jerald, C. D., (2006). Droppint out is hard to do. (Issue Brief) The Center For

Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. Washington, DC

Jordan, A. (2006). Career exploration for at-risk students. Techniques, 81(3) 20-21


References

National Dropout Prevention Center (2004, 3 3) School-Community

Collaboration, Retrieved April 10, 2007, from NDPC/N web site:

http://www.dropoutprevention.org/effstrat/school_community_collab/overview.h

tm

Navarrette Jr., Ruben (2006, 12 4). Commentary: No simple reason for alarming dropout rate. Retrieved April 6, 2007, from CNN.com Web site: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/04/navarrette/index.htmlSenge, P. (2000).

Schools that learn. New York: Doubleday.

Witt, J., Beck, R. (1999). One-Minute Academic Functional Assessment and

Interventions: “Can’t” Do It…or “Won’t” Do It? Longmont, Colorado, SoprisWest

Woelfel, K. (2005). Successful intervention: it takes time. Principal,

November/December 2005, 18-20

Wright, J. (2005). Intervention ideas that really work. Principal, November/December

2005, 12-16

Economy & Finance

interventions for students who are at risk