At-Risk Education

Reviews

From At Risk Students

(WikEd)

• Descriptions, Definitions, Synonyms, Organizer Terms, Types of
• Definition
  • Students who have a higher than normal probability of making bad choices that will profoundly affect their future
• Possible Factors
  • Single parent home
  • at or below the poverty line
  • higher crime neighborhoods
  • unemployment
  • poor performance at school
  • emotionally or physically abused
  • few support systems
  • neglect or abandonment
  • negative contact with police agencies
• Issues dealing with Terminology
  • What does it mean to be 'at risk'? How at 'risk'?
  • Difficult to come into consensus on what is the cause and hence remedial action
• Application and Research based on US Examples
  • Policy Influences: 'No Child Left Behind' and Budget Cuts
  • Measuring School Success: Quantifiable Index involving Functions of Grade Reports, Positive Self-Esteem and Low levels of Violence (Lane, K.L., and Menzies, H.M., 2003, p431)
  • Factors that offset negative attributes: Race, exposure to violence, socioeconomic status and availability of positive role model (O’Keefe, 2004 p.368,McPartland, James and Nettles, Saundra Murray, 1991, p 4,Tapia, 2004, 419)

5 Strategies to Help Students Succeed

From Beyond Social Promotion and Retention (Article) - Article from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (Illinois, US)

• Intensify Learning
  • Rigorous Standards
  • Rich Curriculum
  • Effective Teachers
  • Meaningful Learning
• Provide Professional Development to Ensure Skilled Teachers
  • High Quality Professional Development
  • Professional Collaboration on integrating standards and revising curriculum
  • Finding Time for Activities
• Expand Learning Options
  • Block Scheduling
  • Year-round Schooling
  • Student Achievement
  • Differentiating Instruction (Tomlinson 1999)
    • Differentiation must occur with high-quality curriculum and instruction
    • Assessment and instruction are inseparable
    • All students participate in respectful work
    • Teacher understands, appreciates and builds upon student differences
  • Reorganizing class groupings
  • Sustained caring relationships
• Assess to Inform Teachers
  • Performance Assessments and Informal Assessment Tools
  • Ensure Equity with Assessment
  • Continuous Alternative, Performance Based Assessment
• Intervene Early and Often
  • Identify Children early who need extra help.
    • Offered early
    • Tied to work students do as part of school routine
    • Offered on regular and frequent basis
    • Supplement classroom instruction, not just repeat it
    • Multifaceted and based on individual needs
    • Provided by someone who understands content and students' problems
    • Paced to accelerate pace of learning
    • Set up with strong quality controls and monitoring to ensure extra help and time are working.