Risk For School Failure Research Articles

Experienced teachers talking about their mathematics teaching with linguistically disadvantaged learners

Learners of mathematics who are linguistically disadvantaged for a variety of reasons, including impoverished socioeconomic status, continue to be educationally disadvantaged and at considerable risk of school failure and early dropout. This is the case in many parts of the world. While much has been researched on linguistically disadvantaged learners in the fields of sociology and general pedagogy, little is known about the classroom teaching of mathematical content in language-responsive ways for all learners in school. Experienced mathematics teachers draw on a wealth of knowledge of content teaching in language-responsive ways developed through their practices working with linguistically disadvantaged learners in their classrooms. In this paper we report on interviews with some of these experienced mathematics teachers from seven educational contexts focusing on teaching probability in language-responsive ways. We focus on what we can learn from these teachers that could inform our practice as mathematics teacher educators and our research. We identify three challenges and three practices that add nuance and depth to theoretical research findings and recommendations on language in mathematics teaching, which can potentially develop these findings in more practical and accurate ways.

Taking the LEAP: a district-university partnership to address shortages in special education

PurposeDistrict-university partners increasingly rely on “grow-your-own” licensure programs to address teacher shortages. Because vacancies in special education represent a chronic issue, our district-university partnership developed LEAP – the Licensed Educators’ Accelerated Pathway, successfully preparing 26 paraprofessionals as special education teachers (SEs). We describe a model university-district partnership in which we collaborated to design and implement paraprofessionals’ SE licensure program.Design/methodology/approachIn this general review, we describe a district-university partnership collaboration that resolved barriers experienced by paraprofessionals working toward licensure in special education (Essential #4, Reflection and Innovation). The specialized design and partnership solutions were grounded in SE preparation research literature.Findings25 (28 entered the program and 25 completed) paraprofessionals from one large urban and several regional districts completed special education licensure through LEAP. Slightly more than half of LEAP participants were Black or Hispanic (see Table 1), contributing to the diversification of SE workforce. University-district partnership was successful in designing and delivering a program that allowed participants: a) to remain employed, b) attend evening classes in their geographic region or online, c) complete all field experiences in sponsoring districts (Essential #2) and d) receive concierge advising from a “completion coach.” We describe solutions to barriers experienced by paraprofessionals and advocate for district-university collaboration to address chronic teacher shortages.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include lack of data on success of program completers during their first year of teaching as they began this work in Fall 2023. Further, because the participating district was large and urban, generalization of program details for small and rural districts is difficult.Practical implicationsPractical tips for developing grow-your-own special education licensure programs are providing. Detailed descriptions of barriers candidates experienced and ways the district-university partners resolved these issues are included. Programs like the one described has the potential to positively impact teacher pipeline issues.Social implicationsThe program described provided highly-trained teachers to fill chronic vacancies in special education in three participating districts/agencies. Because students receiving special education services are at risk for school failure and are disproportionately impacted by teacher turnover, addressing this area through grow-your-own licensure programs represents a diversity, equity and inclusion initiative. Further, upskilling diverse paraprofessionals to licensed teacher roles represent an economic boost, which they might not otherwise have achieved.Originality/valueAvailable research literature signals alarm over persistent teacher shortages in hard-to-staff districts and lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, but few published accounts describe successful programs. Partner collaboration fostered a re-imagining of course formatting and delivery to accommodate adult learners, avoiding problems often reported with alternative programs.

Waiting for Discovery and Support?

PURPOSE: In this paper, we explore and contrast the Swedish state and NGO arguments for initiating two changes in national educational degree objectives in Swedish teacher education: one regarding sex and cohabitation education, and the other regarding support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ such as autism and ADHD (here referred to as neurodivergent pupils). APPROACH: Using critical policy analysis, we compare the arguments from the government as well as responding bodies for introducing the two objectives, with a focus on neurodivergent pupils. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that discourses concerning sex and cohabitation education for all pupils and support for pupils with ʻneuropsychiatric difficultiesʼ respectively derive from different educational ideologies and reproduce different ideas about pupils as active citizens versus passive objects of interventions. The objective of sex and cohabitation education is framed within a norm critical discourse putting forward reflexivity and identity, and where pupils are active subjects to be involved in the process. In contrast, neurodivergence is framed within a deficit approach as neurobiological, individual impairment, and a special educational problem that should be managed by professionals. It is seen as a risk for school failure, where neurodivergent pupils are passive objects of professional discovery and support. CONCLUSION: In a Swedish educational policy landscape, stressing the importance of educating pupils in line with ideas of children as right-bearers, our exploration illustrates how ʻall pupilsʼ versus neurodivergent pupils, within teacher education, are positioned as belonging to different categories of citizens: as active subjects of rights, versus passive subjects of care. This perception of neurodivergence, we argue, hampers progress towards embracing neurodivergence as a social category, and neurodivergent pupils as political subjects.

Prevalence and factors associated with school failure in children with type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is ahealth problem that can be difficult for young people to accept. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and characteristics of school failure in children with T1DM and to identify the associated factors. This is aretrospective study conducted in the endocrinology department of the Farhat Hached Hospital in Sousse, regarding T1DM patients, by analysing their school and career paths according to their clinicobiological and social data. School failure was defined in our study by the presence of at least one year's repetition and/or exclusion from school. Our study included 70 patients. School failure was recorded in 71.4% of cases. School drop-out was observed in 47.1% of patients. The reasons for school drop-out were iterative hospitalizations in 31.4% of cases and glycaemic instability with hyper/hypoglycaemic fluctuations in 17.1%. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors significantly associated with school failure were, respectively, number of hospitalizations for ketosis ≥ 5 (p=0.037) and higher mean HbA1c at the last consultations (p=0.001). Use of functional insulin therapy (p=0.031) and use of insulin analogue (p=0.004) were significantly protective factors. The risk of school failure in T1DM is real and should not be underestimated. Socioeconomic factors such as lack of financial resources, limited family support, and an unfavourable social environment can contribute to school avoidance.

Co-teaching for students with learning disabilities: One middle school’s journey

Co-teaching is a popular service delivery option for students with learning disabilities (LD), yet its overall efficacy is questionable. Variance in teachers, students, quality of instruction, and types of co-teaching make it challenging to meet criteria for quality group experimental study. Schools must determine the effectiveness of their co-teaching programs based on their goals and students. The purpose of this article is to describe one middle school’s journey to determine if co-teaching would be an effective service delivery model for students with LD at risk for school failure. A school-university team implemented a pilot study, followed by a two-year period assessing student achievement data. Results indicated that co-teaching narrowed the achievement gap between students with and without LD. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed.

Teachers’ Experiences with Occupational Therapy Multi-Tiered Systems Support: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT School-based occupational therapy practitioners participate in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for all students, including general education students who may be at risk for school failure. However, there is little information in the literature on how school-based therapists achieve this and the perceptions of teachers who engage with occupational therapy practitioners providing service within the MTSS framework. This study aimed to understand the experiences of elementary public-school teachers working with occupational therapy practitioners who provided services within an MTSS framework. A qualitative study with a quantitative component was employed to answer the research question. Teachers (n = 13) from four different regions of the United States participated. Data sources included verbatim transcribed interviews, surveys, and documents. Data analysis revealed several constructive themes, including teachers’ learning from occupational therapists, frequent and efficient utilization, students’ progress, and teachers’ positive feelings toward occupational therapy practitioners participating in MTSS. Teachers understood occupational therapists’ workloads, respected occupational therapy practitioners, and expressed a need for more occupational therapy services in MTSS. However, the teachers did not have documentation to verify the occupational therapists’ service within the MTSS framework, which could be a stumbling block for future school-based occupational therapy practitioners’ involvement in MTSS.

School Failure in the Region of Madrid (Spain): An Approximation through Diagnostic Assessment in 2019

Education is considered to be one of the main factors of development, economic growth and social progress. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital. In Spain, school failure represents one of the main problems in the educational system, with potentially dramatic consequences for the basic competences required in the labour market and job instability, with the risk of economic and social exclusion. In this paper, we aim to identify the factors that define the risk of school failure in Madrid (Spain) by applying logit models. In this process we use a definition of school failure risk which relates to the probability of scoring below level 2 in the evaluation of competences (diagnostic assessment), and we use grade retention as a proxy of school failure. The variables included in the model cover several areas, such as personal, family and school characteristics. The results show that it is important that the policies to strengthen the educational system begin with early childhood education, as educational delay symptoms are detected, and it is necessary to intensify efforts towards personalized assistance to help identify potential learning problems, especially in those groups in the worst socioeconomic situations, which are most at risk of school failure.

What are the factors influencing the school functioning of children in residential care: A systematic review

Abstract This systematic review focuses on the education of children in residential care, the in-care population subgroup at greater risk of school failure and dropout, with the aim of gathering evidence for associations between different variables and their impact on school functioning. It seeks to give an answer to what the factors influencing the educational pathways of school age children in residential care are. We identified 1,663 studies through the searches and 26 were earmarked for inclusion following the PRIMSA guidelines. Over 60 factors involved in the educational pathways of children in residential care were identified concerning children and their families, care and school contexts, and structural-level factors. A discussion on the findings has been provided, the strengths and limitations of the review have been identified, and the implications for policy, practice and research have been discussed.

Efficacy Validation of the Revised First Step Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Disruptive behavior problems frequently emerge in the preschool years and are associated with numerous, long-term negative outcomes, including comorbid disorders. First Step is a psychosocial early intervention with substantial empirical evidence supporting its efficacy among young children. The present study reports on a validation study of the revised and updated First Step early intervention, called First Step Next, conducted within four preschool settings. One hundred sixty students at risk for school failure, and their teachers, were randomized to intervention and control conditions. Results indicated coach and teacher adherence to implementing the core components of the program was excellent. Teachers and parents had high satisfaction ratings. For the three First Step Next prosocial domains, Hedges’ g effect sizes (ESs) ranged from 0.34 to 0.91. For the problem behavior domain, children who received the First Step Next intervention had significant reductions in teacher- and parent-reported problem behavior as compared to children randomized to the control condition. For the problem behavior domain, Hedges’ g ESs ranged from 0.33 to 0.63, again favoring the intervention condition. All of the domains were statistically significant. This study builds on the evidence base supporting the First Step intervention in preschool settings.

Distorsion des consensus scientifiques dans les thèses de médecine dédiées à l’hyperactivité/TDAH en France

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder has first been defined in the third version of the DSM published in 1980. Though it still lacks a consensual biological etiology, ADHD is the most common mental disorder among school-age children nowadays. Several recent studies have however highlighted considerable distorsions between international scientific consensus and information provided to the general public. Those distorsions always favor biomedical approaches of ADHD and support the use of psychostimulant medication. They hence overshadow the psychosocial factors contributing to the disorder and leave no room for other therapeutic approaches like psychodynamic psychotherapies. We therefore deemed it necessary to investigate the content of medical theses focusing on this particular disorder. In this article, we examine the representations of hyperactivity in medical theses dedicated to ADHD in France, based on the systematic analysis of a corpus of 45 theses defended between 1990 and 2018. Our corpus was analyzed using the following questions: 1) does the thesis support a biomedical or psychoanalytical approach to ADHD? We used the term “combined approach” when both points of view were argued; 2) for each thesis, is the biological etiology of ADHD – genetic, neurological or neurodevelopmental – mentioned and discussed?; 3) are the environmental and social factors of hyperactivity also discussed?; 4) do medical theses present the risks associated with ADHD: academic failure, delinquency, substance abuse?; 5) what treatment do medical theses recommend in the care and support of children diagnosed with hyperactivity: drug treatment, psychotherapy or a combination of both?; 6) does the use of a psychostimulant treatment protect against the risk of school failure: yes/no/both opinions?; 7) is it possible to diagnose ADHD hyperactivity by brain imaging?; 8) finally, we sought references to scientific work or experts involved in conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical industry – references in the text body or bibliography. We also looked for critical indications for the risks of over-medication of ADHD. The results we obtained indicate major distortions (94.5 %) in scientific knowledge concerning the etiology of ADHD, the approved methods for diagnosis or the benefits of psychostimulant medication on academic performances. Indeed, though hundreds of studies using MRI imaging have failed to show any neurological lesion associated with ADHD, 91 % of our corpus supported a neurological etiology of this disorder. Similarly, 87 % of our corpus wrongly described ADHD as a genetic disorder, and more than 50 % still affirmed MRI could be used to diagnose ADHD, despite the scientific consensus claiming the opposite. Psychostimulant medication was also the most mentioned form of treatment, despite it theoretically being a « last resort » treatment. Our results suggest there might be a biomedical ideology determining physicians’ representations of ADHD. This ideology could have an impact on physicians’ care pratices with children suffering from ADHD and their families, thus possibly increasing the risk of over-medication. It could also lead future practitioners to underestimate the importance of their diagnostic skills and the therapeutic work they engage into.

Specific Learning Disorder in School: Clinical View of Parental Support on Student Reading Disabilities

It is known that the specific learning disorder is linked to risk of school failure and emotional disturbance. The aim of this study is to grasp the clinical view of specific learning disorder and the incidence of parental support on the reading disabilities of students. Using the qualitative study approach, four school children (age included between 10 to 12) were selected in Government Bilingual Primary School (GBPS) at Kumba I council (Cameroon) base on eligibility criteria. The students have participated in this study with their parents. The semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data which were analyzed through the thematic content analysis. The result shows that the lack of parental support impacts on student’s level of reading disabilities. This situation negatively affects the cognitive development of a student because, the construction of knowledge inevitably involves reading and writing. The significant link between parent-child’s quality relationship and student’s reading disability shows that peculiar importance should be given to family factors in such a context. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of parental support of students and show how it can reduces difficulties in their academic performance. It can also reduce their psychological difficulties as anxiety, low self-esteem and other behavioral difficulties. There is a need of parental training session with collaboration of school community in such a context, to help parents identify the learning difficulties of their children and to be more psychologically supportive with their children.

The Effects of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters Program on Latino Parenting Using Propensity Score Analysis

Propensity score matching reduced selection bias in a comparison between families who received services from the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program and families from a similar background who did not have access to HIPPY. HIPPY is a home visiting program aimed at preparing children for school who are at risk for school failure. A final sample, created by propensity score analysis, consisted of mostly Latino mothers (n = 242) of 3–4-year-old children from an inner-city community. The purpose of the study was to determine relationships between participation in HIPPY and mothers’ cognitive and socioemotional parenting skills, as well as parenting self-efficacy. Mothers filled out several self-report measures during school meetings. Regressions and mediation tests looked at program effects, using a quasi-experimental design. Home visiting participation predicted higher parenting self-efficacy and more school readiness activities in the home. As an indirect benefit, parents who participated in HIPPY learning activities with their child reported closer parent–child relationships than non-participants. Parenting self-efficacy mediated the relationship between HIPPY participation and school readiness activities in the home, supporting a theoretical model of change that shows that changing beliefs about parenting through a home visiting intervention results in change in parenting behavior. HIPPY home visiting appears to be successful in improving parenting self-efficacy, parent–child closeness, and parent engagement in education in a mostly Latino, inner-city population. Future work should look at actual prevention of outcomes such as foster care or family violence through home visiting. Additionally, propensity score analysis can be used in future studies when families cannot be assigned to conditions.

Reading skills in children with mild to borderline intellectual disability: a cross-sectional study on second to eighth graders.

Students with intellectual disabilities (IDs) have various learning difficulties and are at risk for school failure. Large inter-individual differences are described for reading, but it is unclear how these vary as a function of grade. The aim of this study was to examine various reading fluency, accuracy and comprehension parameters in second-to-eighth-grade Italian children with either borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) or mild ID (MID). We examined 106 children with BIF (67 M and 39 F) and 168 children with MID (107 M and 61 F). The children were in the second to eighth grade and were comparable for chronological age (7 to 14years). They were administered a battery of tests that assessed fluency and accuracy of word, pseudo-word and text reading, as well as text comprehension. Standardised scores allowed us to compare the performance of the two groups with normative values. Children with ID obtained generally low scores compared with normative values. Those with MID had greater difficulty than those with BIF. Furthermore, difficulty was greater for speed than for accuracy measures and for words than for pseudo-words. Difficulty (particularly in the case of reading speed) tended to be pronounced at later grades. Marked individual differences were present independently of MID-BIF subgrouping, as well as stimulus category and reading parameter. As a group, children with ID showed difficulty in reading acquisition; the effect was greater for children with more severe ID, but large individual differences were observed in children with both BIF and MID. Relatively spared pseudo-word reading skills indicate efficient use of the grapheme-to-phoneme conversion routine. This processing mode may prove more ineffective at higher levels of schooling when even in regular orthographies such as Italian typically developing children rely on lexical activation.

Exploring Changes in Student Engagement through the RULER Approach: An Examination of Students at Risk of Academic Failure

The present paper examines if developmental pathways for students at risk for academic failure can be improved through social and emotional learning (SEL). Specifically, we test this hypothesis by accounting for shifts in student engagement, a highly studied and malleable construct often inclusive of SEL interventions, as the pathway by which to impact student achievement outcomes. Using longitudinal data from a randomized control trial, we identified students at risk for school failure (n = 318) within a larger sample of fifth graders (N = 1,352). Multigroup path model revealed that participation in RULER significantly impacted the relationship between student engagement and conduct behaviors for at risk students: students who experienced RULER demonstrated increased engagement a year later (at sixth grade) and improved conduct the following year (in seventh grade). The potential for and limitations of SEL programs on developmental trajectories for students at risk for school failure are discussed.

Parental Involvement and Risk for School Failure

Since a significant percentage of students facing the risk of school failure, educational systems struggle to improve equity in education. Researchers argue that the missing link in establishing educational equity is parental involvement (PI). Τhis study examines three dimensions of PI (home-based, school-based, parental dispositions) as to effects on risk for school failure across two competencies (language and mathematics), while controlling for other variables, e.g. prior achievement and demographic factors. Data is drawn from the national ‘Program for Functional Literacy’ involving 6865 Year 6 students from 226 Cyprus public primary schools. Logistic multilevel modeling analyses, with students nested within schools, lead to interesting findings. Parental dispositions appear to relate significantly to the risk for failure in language and mathematics, confirming that this dimension holds the strongest impact. In addition, from the home-based PI dimension, the availability and number of books at home have statistically consistent effects on the risk across both competencies. Other dimensions or components of these dimensions relate significantly to risk for one competency only. These findings are further discussed in the context of future policy and research directions.

Student-Teacher Relationships As a Protective Factor for School Adjustment during the Transition from Middle to High School.

A robust body of research has identified school transitions during adolescence, and in particular the transition from middle to high school, as one of the riskiest phases for school failure, being characterized by significant social, emotional and behavioral changes. This transition is critical even with respect to academic achievement: in Italy, the highest frequency of school dropout can be observed in the 9th and 10th grades, partly as a consequence of poor adjustment to the new school context. The impact of students' relationships with their teachers may be particularly relevant during critical developmental periods. Indeed, student-teacher relationships have been widely recognized as protective factors in school adjustment and, in case of negative relationships, also as a factor that increases the risk of maladjustment. Positive and affective student-teacher relationships may play an important role in students' adaptation to the school environment, favoring both academic achievement and adaptive behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the quality of teacher-student relationships, as perceived by pupils, on academic achievement, and problem and prosocial behaviors during the relevant school transition. The sample consisted of 122 students (55% female). We employed a self-report questionnaire to collect information on: demographic characteristics, quality of the relationship with teachers, problem and prosocial behaviors, and academic achievement. Students filled in the questionnaires twice: once during the 8th grade and 1 year later, during their first year of high school (9th grade). Regression analyses indicated that both average and varying levels of closeness with teachers significantly predicted changes in academic achievement: A perceived increase in closeness in 9th grade, as well as a higher mean closeness level, was associated with an increase in academic achievement. In turn, an increase in the level of perceived conflict with teachers significantly predicted an increase in conduct problems and hyperactive behaviors. This study supports the significance of student-teacher relationships as a protective factor during students' transition to high-school. Our findings also highlight the importance of relationship quality in preventing students' risk of school failure.

Taking Responsibility: Supporting Schools to Support Children in Foster Care and State Custody

For public schools that serve large percentages of young people who are at risk for school failure, the ability to fully engage families is widely considered a best practice. Recent research in the area of family-school partnerships indicates that increased family engagement has been associated with improvements in school outcomes such as academic performance. Although the term family is conceptually universal, its concise definition can be elusive because of the many meanings the word can connote. This paper examines conceptions of family for children who are in foster care. Additionally, suggestions are provided for community agencies and schools to work together to better support this population of young people. For a variety of reasons, children may be living away from their biological parents, in short or long-term living arrangements. During a given school year, children may live in one or more foster homes or residential facilities. The ability of schools to adequately support these students appears to be associated with educators’ willingness to work closely with both children who are in foster care and their service teams. We argue that comprehensive approaches for supporting these young people to succeed educationally requires effective interagency collaboration among schools and the community-based agencies that serve children and families. Partnerships such as those found in Full Service Community Schools and systems of care are described as possible methods for implementing interagency collaboration in schools.

Extracurricular activity participation of Hispanic students: Implications for social capital outcomes

The authors investigated whether participation in school-based extracurricular activities would predict social and behavioral outcomes (school membership, peer prosocial orientation, and prosocial behavior) associated with school social capital in a group of Hispanic middle school students from the United States of America. Results of hierarchical linear regressions based on longitudinal data indicated that participation in sports-related activities was associated with increased feelings of school membership and peer prosocial orientation. Results are especially significant as Hispanic youth are at an increased risk for school failure and are less likely to have access to social capital in the home and community settings.

School Health Services for Children With Special Health Care Needs in California.

Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) are at risk for school failure when their health needs are not met. Current studies have identified a strong connection between school success and health. This study attempted to determine (a) how schools meet the direct service health needs of children and (b) who provides those services. The study used the following two methods: (a) analysis of administrative data from the California Basic Educational Data System and (b) a cross-sectional online survey of 446 practicing California school nurses. Only 43% of California's school districts employ school nurses. Unlicensed school personnel with a variety of unregulated training provide school health services. There is a lack of identification of CSHCN, and communication barriers impair the ability to deliver care. Study results indicate that California invests minimally in school health services.

Multiple aspects of self-regulation uniquely predict mathematics but not letter-word knowledge in the early elementary grades.

The relation of self-regulation measured prior to school entry to developing math and reading ability in prekindergarten through the second grade was examined in a prospective longitudinal sample of 1,292 children and families in predominantly rural and low-income communities in 2 regions of high poverty in the United States. Direct assessments of executive function, effortful control, and stress response physiology (indexed by resting levels of cortisol and alpha amylase obtained from saliva) were measured at child age 48 months and parents and teachers reported on children's effortful control using temperament rating scales at child age approximately 60 months. Math and reading ability, as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson III applied problems and letter-word subtests, respectively, were measured at prekindergarten through the second grade. Effects for self-regulation measures were seen primarily for initial level and to some extent growth in both mathematics and reading, even when controlling for family demographic characteristics that represent relevant selection factors into higher levels of both self-regulation and academic achievement. These effects persisted for mathematics but not for reading with the inclusion of child cognitive abilities, vocabulary, and speed of processing measured in prekindergarten, concurrent with the first time point for the academic measures. Results are interpreted as indicating a role for self-regulation in learning ability generally, likely through support for attention and reasoning abilities that are most specific to the assessment of mathematics in this analysis. Implications for instruction and for assessment and the best ways to support the development of early math and reading ability for children at risk for school failure are discussed.