LEWIS COUNTY SCHOOLS AT-RISK YOUTH PROGRAM PRESENTATION

Why Be Concerned? Young lives Economy/Marketplace Your Future Assessment Growing Numbers

Who?/Why? Huge percentage of your students Kids from broken homes Kids from Poverty (No. 1) Kids doing poorly in school Cigarette smokers Drug and alcohol users Sexually or physically abused Homeless Special needs (Counseling, Special Ed., etc.) Children of poorly educated parents

Risky Behaviors for 9-12 Graders 50% drank alcohol during the past month 17% drove after drinking 26% used marijuana in past month 48% have had sexual intercourse 6.5% pregnant or caused a pregnancy 8 percent attempted suicide in previous year 37% in a fight in the last month 27% feel overweight 71% poor nutritional habits

Long-Term Predictions 40% of adjudicated juveniles have reading problems If people do not achieve the following there is a 79% chance they will live in poverty: –Graduate from high school –Not having children before age 20 –Not having a child outside of marriage

Income Projections A high school dropout will make $13,961 per year (male) to $7,674 (female) Graduate range is $20,870 to $13,075 Some college equals $23,435 to $17,157 Four or more years of college equals $32,708 to $26,043.

Teacher Relationships Positive relationships with teachers protect students from risky behavior Positive relationships with teachers have more protective influence than small class sizes or teacher training

Parental Involvement Parent involvement is a huge key to protecting kids from at-risk behaviors Only one in three kids reports having daily conversations with their parents One-third of students say their parents have no idea how they are doing in school Peers thus have a larger influence than do parents

Bullying Bullying adversely affects the bully and the victim. Bullies disrupt school and have higher rates of criminal activities and convictions as teens and adults. Twenty-five percent of bullying victims develop criminal records by age thirty.

Characteristics of Successful Youth Social competency Problem-solving skills Autonomy Willing Learners (not resistant learners) Sense of Purpose and Future –Goal-directed

Myths Concerning At-Risk Students At-risk youth need slow learning At-risk youth should be retained (blind or parent death) Some students cannot learn Class sizes must be reduced At-risk youth need special education referrals At-risk students should be tracked

Effective Programs Curriculums designed around standards Increased instructional time for reading and math Teacher development Parental involvement Principal and teacher accountability High expectations Provide a safe learning environment

Successful Elementary Programs Family planning and health services Understand that IQ not fixed at birth Positive emotional support Proper nutrition Stimulates all senses Parent education Stress reading!!!! Offer family support High expectations Utilize and emphasize problem solving

Successful Middle School Programs Create small communities for learning Teach a core academic program with high expectations Stress mentoring, cooperative learning and a technical education Teach students to think critically about ethics, healthy lifestyle, and citizenship Eliminate tracking Promote positive interaction with peers and adults Stress involvement in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities Stress parental involvement

Successful High School Programs High Schools That Work –High expectations –Rigorous vocational courses –More required academic courses –Real-world learning –Collaboration between high school and vocational teachers

High School Programs Continued High academic standards Strong mentoring Caring teachers Administrators and teachers that know each student Parent/school partnerships High attendance rates Teaching and learning that is personalized School within a school organizational structure Provide a safe learning environment

Effective Programs for Low SES Students Pre-school/All Day Kindergarten Basic skills with emphasis on literacy and math Individualized/Computer-assisted instruction Cooperative Learning Before, after and summer school programs Service Learning

Effective Programs for Low SES Students (cont.) Cross-age tutoring Career practice/themes Choice Alternative school Mentoring/Peer Mentoring

Unfortunate Truth #1 Studies have found that many classroom teachers do not work hard to teach at-risk youth; they do not question them, they do not call on them in class or demand quality work.

Unfortunate Truth #2 During the past decade and a half the number of children classified as learning disabled for placement in special education has doubled. Special education programs have dramatically increased the number of learning disabled students and consequently resources for the rest of the school population often decrease.

Unfortunate Truth #3 If some schools and communities are providing effective education for ALL students in significant restructured settings, then it is an indictment of all the rest.

Unfortunate Truth #4 The only possible answer to the problems and the needs of the contemporary market place is better education for all and education that provides for meaningful employment. The local school is perhaps the only hope for so many of our nation’s children.

Unfortunate Truth #5 What you see is what you get. -Flip Wilson (ca. 1970)

Unfortunate Truth #6 These are but a few of many more unfortunate truths.

Significant Fact The very act of teaching is the single most effective way of incurring long-term learning. A 92% retention rate is found a month later when the act of teaching the material is employed.

Work Cited Barr, R. & Parrett, W. (2001). Hope Fulfilled for At-Risk and Violent Youth, Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.