(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.