Mentorships and co-op placements as a means of heightening the need for a secondary school diploma to the education of at-risk students.--

Both educators and politicians appear to be quite concerned about a dropout rate in Ontario's public schools of some 30 percent. With the basic understanding that a high dropout rate is costly both in economic terms and in human terms, something quite obviously needs to be done to reduce the dropout rate in Ontario schools and, in doing so, ensuring Ontario and its graduates an active role in a growing global economy. This study is an exploratory pilot study in that it examined mentoring and the role that mentoring can play in assisting a student in staying in school and graduating from secondary school. Also incorporated in this is co-operative education and the role it can play, through mentoring, in making students aware of lifestyle level of employment, and of the skills necessary to obtain gainful, meaningful employment. In order to gain information on student attitudes, needs and expectations of a mentoring situation, a series of three questionnaires was used. Also, a questionnaire was distributed to the various co-operative education employers. The intent of this questionnaire was to probe the attitudes, needs and expectations of a mentoring situation from the perspective of an employer. The findings of this study indicated that co-operative education and mentoring are a very valuable and useful component in education. There exist certain factors in a co-operative education setting that serve to enhance and to augment the traditional or "theoretical" setting of the classroom. In addition, a mentoring situation tends to add a sense of relevance to education that students seem to require. Also, an opportunity is offered that allows a student to practice and further refine the skills that have been taught over the course of the student's academic life. Results from this study suggested that a mentoring situation, occurring through a co-operative education situation, adds relevance and a sense of "application" to the traditional or classroom schooling situation. The whole idea of mentoring bodes well for the future of education and of the student. Many advantages are identified in a mentoring situation. One of the advantages is that the schools are able to work quite closely with the community and business in order to stay current and informed on the needs and expected needs of the business community. Co-operative education has now gone beyond being an "experimental" mode of education. All students can benefit from being involved in the program. Certainly at-risk students are aided with staying in school. Those students who are said to be not at-risk can also benefit from being enrolled in the program by gaining hands-on work experience and some of the necessary skills to ensure a place in a growing world economy.

Using Just-in-Time Data to Intervene with At-Risk Students

With increasing state and federal policy pressure to increase retention and graduation rates, academic affairs leaders seek metrics to track that predict student success. This report analyzes behavioral, academic, and financial indicators of student risk and suggests actions administrators can take to intervene with students who cross risk thresholds.

Using Just in Time Data to Intervene with At-Risk Students

With increasing state and federal policy pressure to increase retention and graduation rates, academic affairs leaders seek metrics to track that predict student success. This report analyzes behavioral, academic, and financial indicators of student risk and suggests actions administrators can take to intervene with students who cross risk thresholds.

The Caring Teacher: A Multiple Case Study That Looks at What Teachers Do and Believe about Their Work With At-Risk Students

Caring teachers have been identified as a critical component of successful interventions with at-risk students, however just what constitutes a caring teacher is less well understood. Specifically, what are the behaviors, characteristics, and beliefs of caring teachers, and how are they impacted by the contexts within which they work? The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand more about caring teachers who work with at-risk students in secondary schools located in a Midwestern city and thereby to add complexity to the literature. Two middle school teachers and two high school teachers were recruited to participate. They were observed on multiple occasions and interviewed twice. The data from these observations and interviews were initially analyzed case by case; the cross case analysis based on the results from the individual case resulted in 6 themes that were present across the four cases. The following themes were identified: the role of relationships, perspective on at-risk students, providing opportunities for students to develop a positive sense of themselves, the value of a positive classroom experience for both students and teacher, negotiating power, and flexibility. Implications of this research for psychologists, educators, and policy makers, as well as future research are also discussed.

Toward Resiliency, At-Risk Students who Make it to College, May 1998

Mode of access: Internet.

The effects of an individualized clinical reading program on kindergarten and beginning grade one at -risk students: A longitudinal study

This was a longitudinal study that investigated the effects of an early intervention program which was implemented at the beginning of formal reading instruction and used individual clinical instruction with at-risk students. A total of 37 private school students were divided into three cognitive ability groups and evaluated over a three year period using the reading comprehension and study skills sections of the Stanford Achievement Tests (1982) administered annually. At-risk students were matched with a normal peer group for gender, cognitive ability, and time at school. Results showed there were no significant differences in the reading comprehension scores for program and non-program students. However, the at-risk group showed significantly lower scores on the study skills section at the end of grade three. These results indicate that early reading intervention for at-risk students promotes compensation and helps develop processes for adequate reading comprehension but these students continue to have weaker linguistic abilities. ^

An evaluation of an intervention strategy for retention and determination of predictors of success for high -risk students in an associate degree nursing program

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to evaluate the effect of a specific instructional Intervention, a Nursing Theory Laboratory, on increasing the retention of high risk students in the associate degree nursing program at Miami-Dade Community College in Miami, Florida; and (2) to identify predictors of success of high risk nursing students in this associate degree nursing program.^ Data were collected from the 195 nursing students enrolled in Nursing Fundamentals during the 1985-1987 academic years, and identified as high risk students. Control and experimental groups were selected based on enrollment in the Nursing Theory Laboratory.^ Results were determined by analyzing several cross-tabulations of selected variables and yielding chi square values, t-tests, and two discriminant analyses. There was no significant relationship between age or ethnic background and enrollment in the Nursing Theory Laboratory. There was no significant relationship between enrollment in the Nursing Theory Laboratory and success in Nursing 1 (Nursing Fundamentals). There was a significant relationship between enrollment in the Nursing Theory Laboratory and success in Nursing 3 (Medical-Surgical Nursing). Writing assessment test scores in two entrance tests and high risk categories, based on the number of enrollments in required science courses, were identified as predictors of success in this program.^ The conclusion was that the Nursing Theory Laboratory does not significantly improve retention of high risk associate degree nursing students if they are enrolled in this intervention at the same time they are enrolled in Nursing Fundamentals. Since those students who were enrolled in the Nursing Theory Laboratory had a significantly higher success rate in Nursing 3, than those students who were not enrolled in the Nursing Theory Laboratory, a recommendation of this study was to offer the Nursing Theory Laboratory to high risk students prior to the beginning of nursing courses. Another recommendation was that students deficient in reading and writing skills should be required to enroll in developmental courses prior to enrollment in the nursing course. ^

The use of the Dade County student assistance profile in the identification of at -risk students at a minority senior high school

Current high school completion rates in Dade County and across the nation are considered to be unacceptable. This has led to the development of student assistance profiles to aid in the early identification of students considered to be at risk to allow for some form of intervention. The purpose of this research was to examine the current Dade County Public Schools profile as applied to one specific high school in which most of the students are Hispanic (mostly of Mexican descent) and Black (African-Americans, as well as recent Haitian immigrants). Additionally, the effectiveness of the alternative intervention program provided at this high school--a school within a school--were evaluated. School records of the 1992 in-coming ninth grade class became the initial data base. The individual student records of this cohort were then examined over a four-year period until their expected date or graduation. The DCPS profile used to identify potential dropouts from this group was evaluated, using chi-square and multivariate analysis, to determine its overall effectiveness, as well as the effectiveness of the individual indicators which comprise the profile. The Student Assistance Profile was found to an effective predictor, but it over-identified students from this cohort, particularly minorities, to the extent that it became largely ineffective, especially considering the limited resources available for intervention. The intervention program was found to be ineffective in reducing the dropout rate. Further analysis of the individual indicators used in the DCPS profile as they applied to this school population resulted in the development of an improved profile. By reducing the number of indicators to those found to be most highly associated with failure to graduate--academic performance and absences--a simpler student assistance profile was developed which appears to be better suited to high schools with similar demographics and budget restraints. ^

A meta -analysis of empirical research studies on resilience among students at -risk for school failure

Being at-risk is a growing problem in the U.S. because of disturbing societal trends such as unemployment, divorce, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and the new threat of terrorist violence. Resilience characterizes individuals who rebound from or adapt to adversities such as these, and academic resilience distinguishes at-risk students who succeed in school despite hardships. ^ The purpose of this research was to perform a meta-analysis to examine the power of resilience and to suggest ways educators might improve academic resilience, which was operationalized by satisfactory test scores and grades. In order to find all studies that were relevant to academic resilience in at-risk kindergarten through 12th-grade students, extensive electronic and hardcopy searches were conducted, and these resulted in a database of 421 articles. Two hundred eighty seven of these were rejected quickly, because they were not empirical research. Upon further examination, another 106 were rejected for not meeting study protocol criteria. Ultimately, 28 studies were coded for study level descriptors and effect size variables. ^ Protective factors for resilience were found to originate in physical, psychological, and behavioral domains on proximal/intraindividual, transitional/intrafamilial, or distal/extrafamilial levels. Effect sizes (ESs) for these were weighted and the means for each level or category were interpreted by commonly accepted benchmarks. Mean effect sizes for proximal (M = .27) and for transitional (M = .15) were small but significant. The mean effect size for the distal level was insignificant. This supported the hypotheses that the proximal level was the source of most protective factors for academic resilience in at-risk students followed by the transitional level. The distal effect size warranted further research particularly in light of the small number of studies (n = 11) contributing effect sizes to that category. A homogeneity test indicated a search for moderators, i.e., study variables affecting outcomes, was justified. “Category” was the largest moderator. Graphs of weighted mean effect sizes in the physical, psychological, and behavioral domains were plotted for each level to better illustrate the findings of the meta-analysis. Suggestions were made for combining resilience development with aspects of positive psychology to promote resilience in the schools. ^

Strategies for Supporting Students on Academic Probation

Students who are placed on academic probation often require institutional support to correct unproductive study habits and return to good academic standing. This report reviews academic probation policies and academic recovery plans at four small, private colleges. It includes a discussion of the importance of interventions for at-risk students prior to their placement on academic probation, and concludes with a review of outcomes for students on probation.

The Pre-entry Program at UTMSH: Effect on Academic Performance of First-Year Medical Students

Introduction: The Pre-Entry Program at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston is presented to assist entering students who are judged to be at risk for academic difficulty. It requires a significant commitment of time on the part of faculty, staff and students. The effectiveness of this program needs to be evaluated. [See PDF for complete abstract]

Resilience through Adversity: A narrative case study of students' experiences of expulsion from school

Expulsion from school is life changing. This single event can alter the trajectory of a student's life--for better or for worse. How life changes is unique for each individual student. Risk and protective factors that impact an individual student's resilience determine the level of positive or negative outcomes experienced as a result of expulsion. Educators have the opportunity to take advantage of this disruption in students' education to improve the trajectory of students' lives. However, without thoughtful intervention from caring educators, this interruption in students' education may have an irreparable destructive impact on students' future. The purpose of this study was to understand the expulsion experience from the point of view of the student in order to represent this critical stakeholder group in future policy and program development, implementation, and decision-making. Students' narratives are a means for members of the educational community to access students' experiences and perceptions in order to understand the impact of expulsion on students' lives. Students' perspectives are presented through thick description in this narrative case study. The experience of these eight students is evidence that expulsion can change students' lives in a positive way. Knowing this, responsible educators must develop interventions for expelled students that channel the positive life-changing potential of this experience. Educators must develop interventions focused on bringing forth protective factors that are documented to increase resilience and to make students less susceptible to the risks inherent in removing them from school. Recommendations for educators and policy-makers are presented to assist educators in preventing expulsion and improving educational and socio-emotional outcomes for expelled students.

Predictors of first semester attrition and their relation to retention of generic associate degree nursing students

In community college nursing programs the high rate of attrition was a major concern to faculty and administrators. Since first semester attrition could lead to permanent loss of students and low retention in nursing programs, it was important to identify at-risk students early and develop proactive approaches to assist them to be successful. The goal of nursing programs was to graduate students who were eligible to take the national council licensing examination (RN). This was especially important during a time of critical shortage in the nursing workforce. ^ This study took place at a large, multi-campus community college, and used Tinto's (1975) Student Integration Model of persistence as the framework. A correlational study was conducted to determine whether the independent variables, past academic achievement, English proficiency, achievement tendency, weekly hours of employment and financial resources, could discriminate between the two grade groups, pass and not pass. Establishing the relationship between the selected variables and successful course completion might be used to reduce attrition and improve retention. Three research instruments were used to collect data. A Demographic Information form developed by the researcher was used to obtain academic data, the research questionnaire Measure of Achieving Tendency measured achievement motivation, and the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE), Form 8, Level A, Tests 1, 4, and 5 measured the level of English proficiency. The Department of Nursing academic policy, requiring a minimum course grade of “C” or better was used to determine the final course outcome. A stepwise discriminant analysis procedure indicated that college language level and pre-semester grade point average were significant predictors of final course outcome. ^ Based on the findings of the study recommendations focused on assessing students' English proficiency prior to admission into the nursing program, an intensive remediation plan in language comprehension for at-risk students, and the selection of alternate textbooks and readings that more closely matched the English proficiency level of the students. A pilot study should be conducted to investigate the benefit of raising the admission grade point average. ^

Culturally Appropriate Authentic Assessments: Exploring the Use of Authentic Assessments for African American Children at Risk for Special Education in Urban Settings

Authentic assessments provide an alternative to informal and formal assessments which may reduce the number of African Americans in special education programs. This literature review will explore the use of authentic assessment for at risk students in special education programs in urban settings.

It takes an institution's village to retain a student: A comprehensive look at two early warning system undergraduate retention programs and administrators' perceptions of students' experiences and the retention services they provide students in the early warning system retention programs

Institutions have implemented many campus interventions to address student persistence/retention, one of which is Early Warning Systems (EWS). However, few research studies show evidence of interventions that incorporate noncognitive factors/skills, and psychotherapy/psycho-educational processes in the EWS. A qualitative study (phenomenological interview and document analysis) of EWS at both a public and private 4-year Florida university was conducted to explore EWS through the eyes of the administrators of the ways administrators make sense of students' experiences and the services they provide and do not provide to assist students. Administrators' understanding of noncognitive factors and the executive skills subset and their contribution to retention and the executive skills development of at-risk students were also explored. Hossler and Bean's multiple retention lenses theory/paradigms and Perez's retention strategies were used to guide the study. Six administrators from each institution who oversee and/or assist with EWS for first time in college undergraduate students considered academically at-risk for attrition were interviewed. Among numerous findings, at Institution X: EWS was infrequently identified as a service, EWS training was not conducted, numerous cognitive and noncognitive issues/deficits were identified for students, and services/critical departments such as EWS did not work together to share students' information to benefit students. Assessment measures were used to identify students' issues/deficits; however, they were not used to assess, track, and monitor students' issues/deficits. Additionally, the institution's EWS did address students' executive skills function beyond time management and organizational skills, but did not address students' psychotherapy/psycho-educational processes. Among numerous findings, at Institution Y: EWS was frequently identified as a service, EWS training was not conducted, numerous cognitive and noncognitive issues/deficits were identified for students, and services/critical departments such as EWS worked together to share students' information to benefit students. Assessment measures were used to identify, track, and monitor students' issues/deficits; however, they were not used to assess students' issues/deficits. Additionally, the institution's EWS addressed students' executive skills function beyond time management and organizational skills, and psychotherapy/psycho-educational processes. Based on the findings, Perez's retention strategies were not utilized in EWS at Institution X, yet were collectively utilized in EWS at Institution Y, to achieve Hossler and Bean's retention paradigms. Future research could be designed to test the link between engaging in the specific promising activities identified in this research (one-to-one coaching, participation in student success workshops, academic contracts, and tutoring) and student success (e.g., higher GPA, retention). Further, because this research uncovered some concern with how to best handle students with physical and psychological disabilities, future research could link these same promising strategies for improving student performance for example among ADHD students or those with clinical depression.