Succeeding with At Risk
and Disadvantaged Youth
Howard Johnston, Professor
University of South Florida
and
Heath Burns, Superintendent
Angleton ISD
30 Kids Born In the USA
Today
• About 10 minutes worth.
• An American born every 19 seconds.
• Based on projections from the US
Census Bureau
• Not counting immigrants…one of
whom arrives every 31 seconds.
What Does it Mean to Be
AT RISK?
At Risk of What?
Out of those 30 children…
19 are minority
11 are poor
11 were born out of wedlock
15 were born to parents who will
divorce or separate
What Does it Mean to Be
AT RISK?
4 were born into families earning
$60,000 a year.
13 will live on public assistance
14 will have no health care
9 will drop out of school
So…who’s special? Whom to “include?”
What Does it Mean to Be
AT RISK?
8 were born after prenatal exposure to
drugs
19 after prenatal exposure to alcohol
28 will try alcohol; 5-6 will be addicted
19 will try drugs; 2-3 will be addicted
12 were born into families earning less
than $14,000 a year
The Grim Status of
Children in the USA
They are the poorest Americans.
They have the worst health care.
They are the most likely victims of
violence.
They believe they face a bleak
economic future.
The Grim Status of
Children in the USA
The are the most pessimistic
about their own futures than
any generation since the
Great Depression of the
1930s.
So What Can We Do?
I.
Challenge the Regularities
of Schooling!
School Adjustment Fears:
High Achievers
•
•
•
•
•
•
Public Performance (academic)
Mastering physical space.
Difficulty of academic program.
P.E. Dressing & Showers
Failure
Grade retention
School Adjustment Fears:
Low Achievers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grade retention
Public performance (academic)
Punishment
Unkind adults
Being ridiculed
Harassment
Difficulty of academic program
School Adjustment Fears:
Alternative School
•
•
•
•
•
•
Keeping up with work
Public performance
Difficulty of academic program
P.E. Dressing and Showers
Failure
Punishment
DIFFICULTY…or they just
can’t do the work. Really?
Given Achievement
Scores,
Attendance, Prior
Failure,
Suspensions,
Ethnicity, Sex,
SES, Self
Reported
Attitudes…
Analysis placed 97%
accurately in
“passing” group…
BUT…
Predicted that 83%
of failing kids
should have
passed, too.
Homework…or school
work carried home.
• 49% of marking period failures were
for “no homework.”
• 21% of grade level failure for “no
homework”
But who does homework in the first
place?
Predictors of who will do
homework at all…
•
•
•
•
Family income
Education level of the mother
Adult supervision outside of school
Teacher follow up
Preponderance of LectureRecitation-Seatwork Model
Field Independent
Learners
Setting: Cooperative,
Loose, Informal.
Focus: Concepts &
General Principles
Field Dependent
Learners
Setting: Formal,
Structured,
Individualized.
Focus: Information &
Details.
Preponderance of LectureRecitation-Seatwork Model
Field Dependent
Social Context: Work
together to
benefit the group.
Reward: For effort,
group contribution,
common good.
Field Independent
Social Context: Work
alone; everyone for
him or herself.
Reward: For
outcome, quality of
product on
predetermined
standard.
What is Success?
Field Dependent
Field Independent
Helping the group;
getting group
approval.
Meeting the
standard;
getting approval
of authority.
Lack of Direct Instruction
in Intellectual Strategies
•
•
39 “best” reading and social studies
teachers observed teaching 17,997
minutes of reading instruction in 5
days.
45 minutes (.25%) devoted to
direct instruction on comprehension
skills.
17.7% of time spent assessing
comprehension.
ISOLATION…out of the
mainstream of school life
• Low levels of adult-student
interaction outside of class -- about
1/10 as much as other students.
• Status and friendship groups older
and out of school
– No pass no play effects
– Status earned at job, in gang, in
family
Isolation, con’t.
Low reward status in School
–
–
–
–
27% academic
45% athletic
18% artistic
10% other
Isolation, con’t.
Anonymity
– 71% of 9th Grade Sample
– 48% of 6th Grade Sample
Never called by name…
SO, WHAT CAN WE DO?
II.
Build Strong Social
Relationships and
Networks.
But We Only Have Them
for 6 Hours a Day!
•
•
•
•
•
•
6.5-7.5 hours in school.
4.0-6.0 involved with media.
1.0-2.0 with peers and playmates.
7.0-9.0 sleeping
20.5-23.5 accounted for
0.5-3.5 with “others,” including
parents
And They Still Don’t
Know Us
• Are your Teachers
happy?
– Yes = 16
– No = 12
– DNK = 72
• Do Your Teachers
like to spend time
with you?
– Yes = 17
– No = 17
– DNK = 66
And They Still Don’t
Know Us
• Most Teachers
Like Kids.
– Yes = 20
– No = 15
– DNK = 65
• My teachers like to
talk with kids
informally.
– Yes = 11
– No = 25
– DNK = 64
And They Still Don’t
Know Us
My Teachers like to play and have fun.
Yes = 8
No = 11
DNK = 81
Promote Social Bonding
School Success = Social Bonding
Social Bonding =
Attachment + Commitment +
Involvement + Belief
Attachment
• Familiarity
• Attractiveness
• Social-emotional bonds
Commitment
• Clear and obvious benefit
• Rational assessment of group assets
Involvement
• Amount and nature of participation
• Attractiveness of participation
Belief
• Faith in legitimacy of group
• Confidence in group’s power
• Conviction that “this group is for
people like me.”
SO, WHAT CAN WE
DO?
III.
Close the Opportunity Gap.
3-9 P.M. Activity Pattern
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Play outside, eat, homework,
clean/chores, play bed.
Homework, clean kitchen, play, eat
dinner, help clean up, TV, bed.
Eat, homework, play, TV, bed.
Play on own, TV, begin homework, dinner,
TV, bed.
Chores, homework, read or play, TV, bed.
3-9 P.M. Activity Pattern
For Low Achievers, age 10
1. Play outside, eat, homework,
clean/chores, play bed.
2. Homework, clean kitchen, play, eat
dinner, help clean up, TV, bed.
3. Eat, homework, play, TV, bed.
4. Play on own, TV, begin homework,
dinner, TV, bed.
5. Chores, homework, read or play, TV,
bed.
Achieving 10 year olds
• Snack, homework, play or TV, help
parent with dinner & clean up, hobby
or TV, reading, bed.
• Music lessons, dinner, homework,
visit grandpa, errands, TV, game or
read, bed.
• Visit aunt, swim, help fix dinner,
homework, TV, bed.
Achieving 10 year olds
• Chores, play, read, homework, sign
language class, dinner, TV, bed.
• Homework, snack, baseball practice,
dinner, clean up, TV, read, bed.
High Achievers…
Spend more time in conversation with
adults.
Receive explicit achievement training.
Have a regular pattern of behavior.
Engage in anticipatory behavior.
Achievers…
Engage in activities extending the
opportunity to read and write.
Engage in constructive learning besides
homework (hobbies, games).
Participate in little unsupervised,
passive recreation (e.g., TV, hanging
out).
Achievers…
Do something important or
special that establishes them
as an important “player” in
the school, family, or
community.
Sphere I: School Culture
High Impact
Average Impact
• Prep kids for life
beyond HS.
• Policy focuses on
achievement
• Teach/admin
consistent about
achievement goals.
• Teachers embrace
external standards &
assess.
• Prepare kids for
graduation.
• Policy focuses on rules
• Teach/admin less
consistent about
achievement goals
• Teachers tolerate
external standards &
assess.
Sphere II: Academic
Core
High-impact
• Students encouraged
to take on academic
challenges.
• Assessment data is
used for future
planning, e.g.,
curriculum
improvements,
teacher assignments.
Average Impact
• Hurdles to access the
most challenging
courses.
• Use data primarily to
measure past student
performance
Sphere IV: Teachers
High Impact
• Teacher placement
driven by student
needs and teacher
expertise.
• Support for new
teach focused on
curric & instr.
Average Impact
• Teacher placement
driven by teacher
preference &
seniority.
• Support for new
teach more
personal and social
Sphere III: Student
Support
High Impact
• Help in ways that
keep kids on track
for college prep.
• Faculty assume
responsibility to
offer extra help
Average Impact
• Help in ways that
delay entry to
college prep.
• Extra help
available, but
optional
Sphere III: Student
Support (con’t)
High Impact
• Early warning
systems ID kids
needing help
• Counselors actively
monitor kids
• Use partnerships
for post-sec
opportunities
Average Impact
• Help offered after
kid fails or falters
• Counselors work
thru referrals
• Use partnerships
for drop out &
drug prevention.
Sphere IV: Teachers (con’t)
High Impact
• Admin create small
classes for
struggling students
• Principals have
more control over
who joins faculty
Average Impact
• Class size
relatively equal
• Principals tend to
accept teachers
sent by district
office.
Sphere V: Organization
High Impact
Time use determined
by academics
9th graders get more
reading instruction
Most time spent in
academic or grade
level courses
Average Impact
Time determined by
multiple factors.
9th graders receive
little reading
High proportion of
time in remedial or
basic classes
Sphere V: Organization
(con’t)
High Impact
Strict in protecting
academic time
Senior year
relatively low
academic
challenges
Average Impact
Flexible time use
policies
Senior year
relatively low
academic
challenges