Who Are At-Risk Students and How Do We Assist Them in Succeeding?

1. Who Are At-Risk Students and How Do We Assist Them in Succeeding? by Dr. Sandra “Sam” Fortner

2. Your thoughts? What do you think of when you think about students as being at-risk?

3. At-Risk History Relatively new term in history A Nation At Risk [1983] This publication brought it to the attention of the United States.

4. Slavin Referred to academically at-risk students Defines them as, “students who, on the basis of several risk factors, are unlikely to graduate from high school.” [Manning & Baruth, p.6]

5. Signs of Being At-Risk At-riskness is most frequently manifested by poor academic and social skills that promote a general disconnection with the school culture [McDonald, 2002].

6. At-Risk Resulting From • Situational – Something happens that places the student in a new situation or circumstance. • Generational – A student is born into a circumstance that repeats for numerous generations formulating a pattern of behaviors with hidden rules.

7. Who is at-risk?

8. Students are at-risk if: • They are gifted and not being challenged.

9. Students are at-risk if: • They read way below grade level.

10. Students are at-risk if: • They are from one-parent or extended families.

11. SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS [SES]

12. -inadequate nutrition, dental care, safe and secure environment, access to early childhood learning opportunities in the home -more likely to be hungry -likely to fall behind in school -poor teenagers, regardless of race, are nearly 3x more likely to drop out of school than non-poor teenagers -teenage girls with below average basic skills, regardless of race, are 5.5x more likely to have children than non-poor teenage girls with average of better basic skills [Manning & Baruth, 1999, p. 19]

13. HEALTH PROBLEMS

14. DISABILITIES

15. English as a Second Language • Students who have another language as their primary language and are learning English may be at-risk!

16. You may not know who is at risk!!! The students may appear to be happy and productive!

17. Even those who would not be categorized at-risk become at-risk When they are in class with at-risk students!

18. AND MORE!

19. At any given time in a student's life he/she can become "at-risk." One must look at a variety of situations and life factors to determine at-riskness.Not all students who are identified as being at- risk dropout and so it is important to realize that this is a multidimensional concept that has no set rules. [National Dropout Prevention Center, 2010]

20. What can be done to gear the at-risk student’s energy in the right direction?

21. Imagine what these two would be up to otherwise?

22. Build Relationships “The driving force for decision making are survival, relationships, and entertainment,” as opposed to, “The driving force for decision making are work and achievement.” Ruby Payne Understanding and Working with Students and Adults from Poverty

23. Understand the Hidden Rules The goal of education is to produce citizens who will be contributing members in society. • How is this accomplished? • What norms do we use to prepare students as such?

24. Hidden Rules Generational Poverty Norms Driving forces for decision making are survival, relationships, and entertainment. People are possessions. A relationship is valued over achievement. Too much education is feared because the person might leave. The ‘world’ is defined in local terms Physical fighting is how conflict is resolved. Respect is accorded to those who can physically defend themselves. Food is valued for its quantity. You laugh when you are disciplined; it is a way to save face. Your mother is the most important person in your life. She is usually the matriarch of the family. Noise level is higher; nonverbal information is more important than the verbal; emotions are openly displayed, and the value of your personality to the group is your ability to entertain. Destiny and fate govern. The notion of having choices is foreign. Discipline is about penance and forgiveness, not change. Payne, R. [2002]

25. Hidden RulesMiddle Class Norms Formal register is always used in an interview and is often a part of social interaction. Work is a daily part of life. Discipline is about changing behavior. To stay in the middle class, one must be self-governing and self-supporting. A reprimand is taken seriously without smiling and with some deference to authority. Choice is a key concept in the lifestyle. The future is very important. Formal education is seen as crucial for future success. The driving forces for decision making are work and achievement. Things are possessions. If material security is threatened, often the relationship is broken. The ‘world’ is defined in national terms. The national news is watched; travel tends to be in the nation. Fighting is done verbally. Physical fighting is viewed with distaste. Food is valued for its quality. Payne, R. [2002]

26. Hidden RulesWealthy Norms The artistic and aesthetic are key to the lifestyle and include clothing, art, interior design, seasonal decorating, food, music, and social activities. For reasons of security and safety, virtually all contacts are dependent upon introductions [connections]. Education is for the purpose of social, financial, and political connections, as well as to enhance the artistic and aesthetic. One of the key differences between the well-to-do and the wealthy is that the wealthy almost always are patrons to the arts and often have an individual artist to whom they are patrons, as well. The driving forces for decision making are social, financial, and political connections. Legacies, one-of-a-kind objects, and pedigrees are possessions. The ‘world’ is defined in international terms. Fighting is done through social inclusion or exclusion and through lawyers. Food is valued for its presentation. Payne, R. [2002]

27. Implications for Teaching: • We must understand the hidden rules of all our students to know where they are coming from in their behavior. • We must not overreact. However, in order for our students to be successful, we must strive to teach them middle class norms. • Doing so will help them step out of the circle of poverty!

28. Help students identify socially inappropriate behaviors and practice appropriate substitutes. In-School Practices • PBIS[Positive Behavioral and Support Intervention] • MANDT [Goal: to teach how to effectively manage a potentially negative or dangerous situation by first calming your emotional response and managing your own behavior so you can interact with other people in a positive manner.] • Social Skills Classes

29. Help students identify socially inappropriate behaviors and practice appropriate substitutes. In-School Practices In-School Support Teams • Y-Capp • Compasion • VABODE [Y-CAPP and Compasion actually have offices in the schools, visit classrooms, and mentor students on-campus.]

30. Practices for Educators to Differentiate and Meet the Needs of the At-Risk Students

31. Tell stories about yourself √Students get to know you. √Students make connections and activate prior knowledge. √Students feel a calm, positive tone in the classroom. √Students look forward to your class.

32. Have routines and give jobs! “The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline: it is the lack or procedures and routines.” Harry Wong The First Days of Schools (2005)

33. Language Teach all students to speak proper English. He be fine. Leave the bee in the field. He is fine. Is am are was were … be being been!

34. Critical Thinking Ask questions above comprehension in relation to Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy.

35. YOU must be a part of the solution and make the difference!

36. Instructional Practices

37. Marzano’s Nine Instructional StrategiesMarzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001 • Identifying similarities and differences • Summarizing and note-taking • Reinforcing effort and providing recognition • Homework and practice • Non-linguistic representations • Cooperative learning • Setting objectives and providing feedback • Generating and testing hypothesis • Cues, questions, and advance organizers

38. Instructional Practices 23. Hands-On 24. Heterogeneous Grouping 25. [Purposeful] Heterogeneous Grouping 26. Homogeneous Grouping 27. Humor 28. Inside-Outside Circles 29. Interactive Bulletin Boards 30. Interactive Notebooks 31. Jigsaw I and II 32. Journal Writing 33. Justification of Answers 34. Hot Seat 35. KWL 36. Learning Centers 37. Learning Logs 10. Activating Prior Knowledge 11. Anticipation Guide 12. Clock Buddies 13. Concept Development Maps 14. Concept Circles 15. Debate 16. Discussion 17. Drawing 18. Field Trips 19. Figurative Language [analogy, metaphor, simile] 20. Four Corners 21. Games 22. Graphic Organizers

39. Instructional Practices 52. Scavenger Hunt 53. Shared Inquiry 54. Simulations 55. Socratic Method 56. Story Telling 57. Student-Choice 58. Technology 59. Think Aloud 60. Think-Pair-Share 61. Visual Representations 62. Web-based Remediation 63. Web Quests 64. Word Walls 65. Work Study [on-the-job training] 66. Writing 38. Literature Circles 39. Manipulatives 40. Metacognition 41. Mneumonic Devices 42. Movement-Kinesthetic 43. Music-Applicable 44. Numbered Heads 45. Problem-Based Learning 46. Project-Based Instruction 47. Questioning 48. Readers’ Theatre 49. Reciprocal Teaching 50. Role Playing 51. Rubrics Compiled by Dr. S. Fortner 2010

40. Global and Analytic Thinkers • Research shows that most at-risk youth tend to be global. • NOTE: Not all global thinkers are at-risk.

41. Anticipatory Set First part of the formal lesson Include all 3 components and say/ask them directly to the students. • Motivator-get their attention • Connector-relay the objective and connect to prior learning • Relevancy-identify the significance of the learning in direct relation to the students’ lives Global learners want to know what they are going to do and why they should do it right up front.

42. Actively engage students!

43. Retention During a Learning Episode In Minutes D E G R E E O F R E T E N T I O N 1st- Prime-Time 1 2nd- Prime-Time 2 3rd- Down-Time T I M E I N M I N U T E S Sousa, How the Brain Learns, 2006, p. 90

44. Differentiate • Ability • Interests • Modalities • Multiple Intelligences • Student-choice • Flexible Grouping • Diagnostic-Prescriptive Approach

45. Assessment Pre-assess! Formally and Informally

46. Assessment Pair each unit of study with both traditional and alternative assessments.

47. Activity • Think of a unit of study. • Create an anticipatory set and direct instruction for a lesson plan that would address the attention of an at-risk student. • Select an instructional strategy for the guided practice part of the same lesson plan. • Write this up and bring to class.

48. Closure What new insights have you gained about at-risk students and what you can do to differentiate and assist them in being successful?

49. References Fortner, S. (2010). Handout of instructional strategies that work. Norfolk, VA: Norfolk Public Schools. Manning, M. & Baruth, L. (1999). Students at-risk. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Marzano R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-Based strategies for increasing student achievement, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. McDonald, A. (2002). Best practices for at-risk students. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://www.sanmarcos.net/ana/bestpractices.html.

50. References National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. Retrieved February 25, 2012 from http://www.dropoutprevention.org/statistics. Payne, R. (2008, April). Nine strategies help raise the achievement of students living in poverty. Educational Leadership, pp. 48-52. Payne, R. (2002). Understanding and Working with Students and Adults from Poverty, Retrieved November 11, 2011 fromhttp://homepages.wmich.edu/~ljohnson/Payne.pdf. Rutherford, P. [2008]. Instruction for all students, 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: Just Ask Publications. Sousa, D. [2006]. How the brain learns, 3rd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.