At-risk Student Population Research Articles

Testing the Effectiveness of Computerized Cognitive Training on an At-Risk Student Population.

Core constructs such as working memory, task switching, and processing speed in cognitive psychology research have prominent predictive roles in K12 students' academic performance. Specifically, considerable empirical work shows that variability in such capabilities is linked to differences in numerous academic outcomes. Moreover, there is an increasing awareness and acceptance of the malleability of cognitive abilities. Thus, an emerging strand of research focuses on the use of computerized cognitive training to improve cognitive skills. This project addresses this issue with high-risk students attending community day schools. An in-school cognitive training program implemented (for 30 min per day) at each school site resulted in improvements for working memory, task switching, and processing speed after six total hours of participation. The current results provide evidence for the changeability of what were once thought to be static skills. Equally important, this study highlights the effectiveness of computerized cognitive training and critically extends intervention-based work to a student group that has received little attention. Implications of this work for cognitive research and educational support programs are discussed.

What medical students want from Mental Health Self-Help Resources: A focus group study

BackgroundMedical students frequently report higher levels of psychological distress than the general population, and emotional regulation skills learnt during their time of study underpin future psychological self-management. There have been few self-help mental health resources designed for this population, and it remains unclear what formats medical students prefer these resources to take on. Therefore, this study sought to understand what medical students want from self-help mental health resources. MethodsOtago Medical School students in their second, third, or Honors research years of study participated in focus groups where questions were posed to them about their preferences about format, perceived benefits, and interactions with self-help mental health resources. The data was recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed to identify relevant themes. ResultsThirty-four participants took part in six focus groups which lasted an average of 34 min each. Themes emerged around format, usefulness, and engagement. Formats included passively used resources like podcasts, actively used like reflective journals and social group-based resources to strengthen communities. Useful resources included novel, targeted approaches that would assist with navigating specific struggles as opposed to previously taught academic content. Recommendations included advertising through trusted student bodies and providing short, gamified resources. ConclusionParticipants reported a strong preference for brief, visually appealing, and gamified resources. It is recommended that universities provide a diverse collection of these self-help mental health resources tailored specifically to at-risk student populations like medical students to increase their uptake and, in doing so, provide them with more effective mental health support.

From High Discipline Referrals to High-Engagement Classrooms: A Design-Based Approach to Creating a Campus-Wide Culture of Positive Learning Support for At-Risk Student Populations through Transforming Educators’ Instructional Teaming Practices

Instructional leaders in many school districts throughout the United States are increasingly confronted with spiraling numbers of discipline referrals from teachers who are unable to manage the off-task behaviors and discipline infractions of the growing percentages of diverse, academically at-risk students populating their classrooms. Many of these at-risk students, who come from families that are economically disadvantaged and have culturally rich and linguistically diverse backgrounds, have become stigmatized and minoritized by an education system whose curricula are often woefully inadequate in being able to meet the unique social and academic support needs of these diverse learners. This article profiles how one high school principal and his instructional turnaround leadership task force colleagues working in a high diversity urban school district utilized multi-leveled data analysis investigative thinking and innovative professional learning program design strategies derived from the education improvement science literature to implement a comprehensive intervention program for ninth through twelfth grade teams of core content teachers and their instructional supervisors. The specific goals of the intervention program were to: 1) change educators’ entrenched pedagogical thinking and instructional planning mindsets regarding the motivation levels and learning capabilities of the high discipline referral students who regularly engage in off-task disruptive behaviors in their classrooms; and 2) transform teachers’ instructional data teaming practices to better serve the academic learning support needs of the campus’s minoritized students. The design-based approach to instructional improvement employed in the high school case study leveraged the use of multiple cycles of new knowledge and skills acquisition, critical self-reflection, and immersive professional learning to assist educators in exploring how to engage together in authentic data teaming and data analysis–informed differentiated instructional planning to craft high-engagement classroom learning environments and interactive instructional units to effectively address the academic development and support needs of the campus’s diverse, at-risk learners.

Reaching at-Risk Student Populations During a Pandemic: The Impacts of Covid-19 on Prison Education

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education programs in prisons have suffered due to continued overcrowding, modified schedules, limited access to facilities, 21,183 documented COVID-19 positive cases in the United States Correctional Facilities, an over 11 million documented COVID-19 positive cases in Correctional Facilities across the globe and seemingly uncontrollable outbreaks. Existing challenges for prison education programs have been substantially exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing a need to reinvigorate correspondence instruction modalities of teaching so that effective instruction in prison systems can continue. This study analyzes the current situation, strengths, weakness and opportunities available for best communication practices within the established instructional modality in prison and correspondence education during the current pandemic.

The Benefits of Academically Oriented Peer Mentoring for At-Risk Student Populations

This article examines an academically oriented peer-mentoring program at St. John’s University. The program targeted at-risk first-year students who were having difficulty making the transition to college and matched them with trained student mentors within their major discipline. In addition to meeting with one another bi-weekly, all of the students came together for a series of organized events over the course of the academic year. The goals of the program were that mentees would (1) feel an increased sense of belonging at the university, (2) raise their GPAs, and (3) show improved retention to the second year. After examining how successful the program was relative to these goals, the authors recommend some best practices for peer-mentoring programs. These recommendations are based on both features of the program in the study that contributed to its success and areas where the program could have been improved based on the results.

Effects of course modality in summer session: Enrollment patterns and student performance in face-to-face and online classes

Online summer courses offer opportunities to catch-up or stay on-track with course credits for students who cannot otherwise attend face-to-face summer courses. While online courses may have certain advantages, participation patterns and student success in summer terms are not yet well understood. This quantitative study analyzed four years of institutional data cumulating in 72,441 course enrollments of 23,610 students in 433 courses during summer terms at a large public research university. Multi-level logistic regression models indicated that characteristics including gender, in-state residency, admission test scores, previous online course enrollment, and course size, among others, can influence student enrollment by course modality. Multi-way fixed effects linear regression models indicated that student grades were slightly lower in online courses compared to face-to-face courses. However, at-risk college student populations (low-income students, first-generation students, low-performing students) were not found to suffer additional course performance penalties of online course participation.

3.45 EXAMINING BURNOUT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

Burnout affects the health and wellness of those in human service professions, as well as the quality, efficiency, and sustainability of the provided service. Burnout in educators may negatively affect the academic and emotional well-being of students, including at-risk student populations. Few domestic studies have examined the prevalence of burnout among educators, particularly those working with students with special needs. This study examines the incidence of burnout among educators in a special education school, analyzes the impact of demographics and behavior on burnout, and identifies correlations between perceptions of behavior and burnout.

Associations among eating disorder symptoms and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in college students.

To identify associations between eating disorder (ED) attitudes and behaviors and scores on the MMPI-2-RF in college students. The study included 425 undergraduate students (38.5% males and 61.5% females) with a mean age of 19.13 (SD = 1.77). Measures included the MMPI-2-RF and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Correlations and relative risk ratios were computed between MMPI-2-RF scores and ED variables. Scores on several MMPI-2-RF Scales were associated with the presence of subthreshold ED symptoms. Manifestations of emotional/internalizing dysfunction were associated with all ED symptom presentations. The results of this study identified narrowly defined personality and psychopathology constructs relevant to, and found across college students experiencing various subthreshold ED symptoms. Considering this additional information in ED screening or treatment planning could reduce the likelihood of subthreshold symptoms worsening and increase the effectiveness of ED interventions with at-risk college student populations. Level III, evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Early childhood education for all: a mixed-methods study of the global policy agenda in Tanzania

ABSTRACT This study considers the extent to which access to basic education and student learning outcomes have become more equalized or more disparate in Tanzania following the implementation of the international Education for All (EFA) initiative, and whether early childhood education access and performance follow similar patterns. To answer these questions, we apply a mixed-methods research design, which includes a longitudinal analysis of changes in educational opportunity and a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of key education policy documents in Tanzania. Findings from our quantitative analysis suggest that social inequality is persistent across time and consistent across access and learning outcomes at the early childhood and basic education levels. The implication is that, to date, the EFA agenda has only served to reproduce social inequalities in Tanzania, with the exception of increased opportunity for girls. These results align with CDA findings assessing the global and national policy discourse, which find educational inequalities to be prioritized in language but not adequately in final targets and strategies. Given the resiliency of such education inequalities, it would appear that policy capable of removing social barriers to educational opportunity requires more attention to specific at-risk student populations.

Cost calculator for mass vaccination response to a US college campus outbreak of serogroup B meningococcal disease

ABSTRACT Serogroup B (MenB) is the leading cause of meningococcal disease among 16- to 23-year-olds in the United States and has been responsible for all 10 college outbreaks between 2011 and 2017. Outbreak-associated costs levy a substantial and unforeseen burden on colleges/universities and surrounding communities, in part because they involve collaboration with local and state health departments to develop points-of-dispensing (PODs) outbreak response plans and rapid mass vaccination of a large at-risk student population. The MenB outbreak at Providence College in 2015 was used as a case study to develop an Excel-based Meningococcal Outbreak Cost Calculator that uses target populations for mass vaccination to estimate the costs and resources associated with a meningococcal disease outbreak response. Resources include labor, medical supply, and other nonlabor costs (eg, vaccine-related adverse event costs) over an 18-month period following the outbreak declaration. Based on the actual Providence College population partially or fully vaccinated with MenB-FHbp (Trumenba®, Bivalent rLP2086) (3-dose schedule), the calculator estimated aggregate direct costs of $1,350,963 over 18 months post-outbreak for 4,418 individuals. For planned full vaccination of the enrolled undergraduate population (4,795 individuals), the tool estimated total costs of $1,798,399. In both cases, the majority of costs were for medical supplies (88%–89%) and contract services (7%–9%). This calculator can help to plan a mass vaccination campaign for MenB outbreak control, and underscores the need to vaccinate pre-emptively against diverse disease-causing strains before an outbreak occurs.

Identifying High School Freshmen with Signs of Emotional or Academic Risk: Screening Methods Appropriate for Students in Accelerated Courses

High school freshmen in accelerated courses have known risk and resiliency factors that should be considered within systematic efforts to monitor and promote student academic and emotional well-being. This study created and evaluated a multi-method approach to identify students in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses with signs of risk mid-year in terms of stress, affective engagement, and academic performance. A total of 304 ninth grade students enrolled in AP/IB coursework and five AP/IB teachers at two public high schools in a southeastern state took part in the screening. Using the researcher-developed screening approach, a total of 117 students (38.5%) met criteria for risk in at least one academic or emotional area. These results were compared to those obtained using a teacher nomination form, which had been developed collaboratively by the teachers and researchers, that specified signs of emotional and academic risk. The teacher nomination procedure resulted in the identification of 39.3% of the at-risk student population (average sensitivity rate = 35.7% across teachers). Sensitivity of teacher nominations was higher when identifying academic risk (average = 59.9%) as compared to emotional risk (average = 27.9% and 39.6% of students with low school satisfaction and high stress, respectively). Findings support the collection of data from students (surveys of stress and school satisfaction) and school records (course grades) when identifying AP/IB students to consider for targeted services within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports.

Engaging Academically At-Risk Student Populations in Research: Initial Assessment of an Undergraduate Research Certificate Program

Engaging Academically At-Risk Student Populations in Research: Initial Assessment of an Undergraduate Research Certificate Program

Unauthorized immigrant students in the United States: The current state of affairs and the role of public education

The number of unauthorized children and families in the U.S. is approaching a record high. Current estimates indicate that over five million youth in the U.S. are unauthorized immigrants or live in unauthorized families. These youth are at-risk to lose a parent or primary guardian to deportation as well as to experience serious disruptions in their academic and psychosocial functioning because of current U.S. immigration policies and practices. However, as institutions with a prerogative to provide all students with a free and appropriate education, public K-12 schools can provide necessary academic and behavioral supports to unauthorized students and families. With the goal of assisting this at-risk student population, this review addresses the current state of affairs faced by unauthorized U.S. students and families as well as public education's role in addressing the needs of these students.

Influenza vaccination challenges in an at-risk student population: considerations for health services.

The American College Health Association's, National College Health Assessment (ACHA's NCHA) estimates 46.1% of college students reported being vaccinated in the last year. 1) To understand the college student's knowledge, attitude, and beliefs in regards to influenza vaccination; 2) To establish recommendations in a population where high risk transmission does not consistently translate into high vaccination rates. Utilizing the health belief model (HBM), a cross-sectional study of college student perspectives of influenza vaccination was conducted. Student beliefs regarding vaccination-associated illness and the importance of vaccination did influence vaccination behavior. However, student perceptions of being at risk for the flu and the lack of barriers to vaccination were not found to be significant indicators of vaccination behavior. For this particular population, vaccination promotion efforts may be most effectively targeted in the sophomore and junior years. Findings of this study inform efforts among University Health Services regarding seasonal flu prevention and vaccination on the college campus.

On the Horizon: Implications for Nursing Education

Each year, the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative work together generate the Horizon Report, a projection of technology trends, challenges, and emerging technologies. A distinguished panel of experts, from 17 countries and 6 continents, was involved in the generation of the 2015 report. Once the panel identified topics for each section, a modified Delphi process was used, with an extensive literature review. (To examine the iterations that occurred throughout the process, see the wiki at http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org.) Each section of the final report focuses on how trends, challenges, and emerging technologies will inform and impact practice, leadership, and policy. TRENDS The 2015 report (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2015) provides six key trends that are projected accelerate the adoption of technologies within higher education. In three time periods, they are: * Short-term (1-2 years): increased use of blended and the redesign of spaces. * Mid-term (3-4 years): growing focus on measurement of and proliferation of open educational resources. * Long-term: advancing cultures of change and innovation and greater cross-institutional collaboration. Short-Term The increased use of blended is driven by the shift in student and educator perceptions of the value of online learning. The National Center for Education Statistics Distance Education (US Department of Education, 2014) noted that, according 2012 data, 1 in 10 students were enrolled exclusively in online courses. In contrast, 2013 data revealed that 1 in 8 students took all their courses online (Poulin & Straut, 2015). Allen and Seaman (2015) reported that 7.1 million students in the United States are engaged in online learning. A growing body of research supports the efficacy and effectiveness of online and the benefits of blending learning. The redesign of spaces accommodate the growing use of technologies is not a new concept. In 2006, I wrote an article on think spots that highlighted the need break out of the mold of traditional classrooms (Skiba, 2006). Now, with the emergence of mobile and smart technologies as well as an emphasis on active and collaborative strategies, there is renewed interest in creating new spaces for the transformation of higher education. Two resources that may be helpful find best practices in active design are FLEXspace (https://flexspaceannouncements.wordpress. com) and Learning Space Collaboratory (www.pkallsc.org). Mid-Term Data science, analytics, and big data are all driving forces behind the measurement of learning. As in business and health care, the harvesting of data predict, market, and manage are standard operating procedures. The goals, according the report (Johnson et al., 2015, p. 12), are to build better pedagogies, empower students take an active part in their learning, target at-risk student populations, and assess factors affecting completion and student success. The report states that for learners, educators, and researchers, learning analytics [are] already starting provide crucial insights into student progress and interaction with online texts, courseware, and environments used deliver instruction. We now see examples of how students use dashboards improve their learning. Administrators also use them, direct strategic planning, and educators use them, manage advisees and analyze the impact of their teaching on learning. It was noted that the measurement of has the greatest impact on policy. Long-Term The idea that innovations in education can scale better when shared across institutions is the basis for the long-term trend of cross-institutional collaboration. Universities are aligning with others share resources for teaching, research, and technology infrastructure. …

On the Horizon: Implications for Nursing Education

Each year, the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative work together to generate the Horizon Report, a projection of technology trends, challenges, and emerging technologies. A distinguished panel of experts, from 17 countries and 6 continents, was involved in the generation of the 2015 report. Once the panel identified topics for each section, a modified Delphi process was used, with an extensive literature review. (To examine the iterations that occurred throughout the process, see the wiki at http://horizon.wiki.nmc.org.) Each section of the final report focuses on how trends, challenges, and emerging technologies will inform and impact practice, leadership, and policy. TRENDS The 2015 report (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2015) provides six key trends that are projected to accelerate the adoption of technologies within higher education. In three time periods, they are: * Short-term (1-2 years): increased use of blended learning and the redesign of learning spaces. * Mid-term (3-4 years): growing focus on measurement of learning and proliferation of open educational resources. * Long-term: advancing cultures of change and innovation and greater cross-institutional collaboration. Short-Term The increased use of blended learning is driven by the shift in student and educator perceptions of the value of online learning. The National Center for Education Statistics Distance Education (US Department of Education, 2014) noted that, according to 2012 data, 1 in 10 students were enrolled exclusively in online courses. In contrast, 2013 data revealed that 1 in 8 students took all their courses online (Poulin & Straut, 2015). Allen and Seaman (2015) reported that 7.1 million students in the United States are engaged in online learning. A growing body of research supports the efficacy and effectiveness of online learning and the benefits of blending learning. The redesign of learning spaces to accommodate the growing use of technologies is not a new concept. In 2006, I wrote an article on "think spots" that highlighted the need to break out of the mold of traditional classrooms (Skiba, 2006). Now, with the emergence of mobile and smart technologies as well as an emphasis on active and collaborative learning strategies, there is renewed interest in creating new learning spaces for the transformation of higher education. Two resources that may be helpful to find best practices in active learning design are FLEXspace (https://flexspaceannouncements.wordpress. com) and Learning Space Collaboratory (www.pkallsc.org). Mid-Term Data science, learning analytics, and big data are all driving forces behind the measurement of learning. As in business and health care, the harvesting of data to predict, market, and manage are standard operating procedures. The goals, according the report (Johnson et al., 2015, p. 12), are "to build better pedagogies, empower students to take an active part in their learning, target at-risk student populations, and assess factors affecting completion and student success." The report states that for learners, educators, and researchers, "learning analytics [are] already starting to provide crucial insights into student progress and interaction with online texts, courseware, and learning environments used to deliver instruction." We now see examples of how students use dashboards to improve their learning. Administrators also use them, to direct strategic planning, and educators use them, to manage advisees and analyze the impact of their teaching on learning. It was noted that the measurement of learning has the greatest impact on policy. Long-Term The idea that innovations in education can scale better when shared across institutions is the basis for the long-term trend of cross-institutional collaboration. Universities are aligning with others to share resources for teaching, research, and technology infrastructure. …

Service Learning for At-Risk Student Populations: The Contextual Dynamism of Implementation

Abstract The central purpose of this article is to explore research, issues, and perspectives on the implementation of service learning programs to improve student achievement in at-risk student populations. The implementation of service learning programs takes place within multiple contexts and across several terrains. The complexities of implementing service learning are captured in a framework of “contextual dynamism” which consists of six interrelated terrains: the political, the economic, the accountability, the financial, the demographic, and the staffing. In this article, the authors explore each of the terrains, ending with recommendations for policymakers and practitioners.

Musings From a Year of STE[a]M...How It Looks Walking Down the Path

This is a follow up article to one in the inaugural issue which describes the beginnings of implementing a STE[a]M curriculum in a school with a high at-risk student population. This article discusses the outcomes and the future after a year of STE[a]M.

WISEngineering: Supporting precollege engineering design and mathematical understanding

Introducing engineering into precollege classroom settings has the potential to facilitate learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts and to increase interest in STEM careers. Successful engineering design projects in secondary schools require extensive support for both teachers and students. Computer-based learning environments can support both teachers and students to implement and learn from engineering design projects. However, there is a dearth of empirical research on how engineering approaches can augment learning in authentic K-12 settings. This paper presents research on the development and pilot testing of WISEngineering, a new web-based engineering design learning environment. Three middle school units were developed using a knowledge integration learning perspective and a scaffolded, informed engineering approach with the goal of improving understanding of standards-based mathematical concepts and engineering ideas. Seventh grade math students from two teachers in a socioeconomically diverse and low-performing district participated in three WISEngineering units over the course of a semester. Students significantly improved their mathematical scores from pretest to posttest for all three projects and on state standardized tests. Student, teacher, and administrator interviews reveal that WISEngineering projects promoted collaboration, tolerance, and development of pro-social skills among at-risk youth. Results demonstrate that informed engineering design projects facilitated through the WISEngineering computer-based environment can help students learn Common Core mathematical concepts and principles. Additionally, results suggest that WISEngineering projects can be particularly beneficial for at-risk and diverse student populations.

Ohio's At-Risk Student Population: A Decade of Rising Risk

Educators face increasing demands to raise student achievement, to improve classroom instruction, and to demonstrate accountability in an environment of high stakes testing. However, meeting these demands is challenging in the face of numerous risk factors that jeopardize the academic success of elementary and secondary students.