Risk For School Failure Research Articles

Intercultural Transitions in Human Development and Education

Intercultural transitions are alterations that occur in individuals and in their environments as a consequence of contact between cultures. This paper focuses on the life events that children (and the adults in their lives) may face in bridging cultures, the options they are given, the choices they make (or that adults make for them), the circumstances and experiences that accompany these choices, and their consequences. The paper identifies and discusses issues in need of research concerning ways to foster scholastic success and socioemotional well-being in populations that contemporary policies and practices may be putting at risk for school failure and for other forms of marginality. A better understanding of these issues can contribute to the improvement of intergroup relations, and it can be used to enhance the educational development and life chances of individuals from all ethnocultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Early Intervention Needs of Children At Risk Due to Prenatal Drug Exposure: A Survey of Early Childhood Educators

Educating children who are at risk for school failure due to prenatal drug exposure poses significant challenges to educators. The purpose of this study was to examine preschool educators' perceptions of learning and behavioral problems of children who were prenatally exposed to drugs, as well as to examine intervention strategies and other related issues in educating these children. A survey was completed by 85 preschool educators living in a mid-sized metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest. The respondents had generally positive attitudes about working with children with prenatal drug exposure. Many respondents reported that they were using effective intervention strategies, and that parents of these children were generally helpful and concerned about their children's education.

Social and behavioral differences among a predominantly African American preschool sample

This study investigated the relationship between problem behaviors, including those associated with hyperactivity, and social skill deficits in a predominantly African American sample of preschool children. Specifically, 96 children, ages 3 through 5, were evaluated by their teachers using the Conners' Teacher Rating Scales-28 (CTRS-28), the ADHD Rating Scale, and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS). Three cluster groups were identified based upon ratings on the CTRS-28. Differences in specific SSRS Social Skill and Problem Behavior items among the three groups were identified. In addition, differential and concurrent validity for the AD/HD Rating Scale for the preschool age group was established. Implications of results regarding children at risk for school failure and drop-out were discussed. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Double Jeopardy: Work Ethic Differences in Youth at Risk of School Failure

The purpose of this study was to determine if work ethic differed for a sample of 152 selected 9th‐grade students categorized by risk of school failure and by gender. Work ethic attributes were measured using the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (Petty, 1993). Results of a two‐way multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant work ethic differences in main effects of at‐risk classification and gender for dependent variables of interpersonal skills, initiative, and being dependable. Interaction effects were not significant. Underlying constructs indicated that adolescents with greater degrees of risk were less dependable and that girls in the study were more dependable than boys.

Transforming School Counseling to Serve the Mental Health Needs of At‐Risk Youth

School counselors have an important part to play in helping schools respond to the increasing number of students whose mental health needs place them at risk for school failure. This article identifies the shortcomings of the current developmental guidance and counseling service delivery model as it relates to work with at‐risk youth. In addition, a transformed model is proposed, with suggestions for changes in program organization and planning, school counselor role and function, and skills and expertise. Potential barriers to change are also identified.

A Study of Preservice Teachers' Attitudes toward Inclusion

We must not ignore the call to reform teacher-preparation programs to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population (Levine 1992) . Few teachers are unaware of the challenge they face in creating positive learning communities that meet the academic and social needs of students with specific learning disabilities, withemotional or behavior disorders, who are gifted and talented, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and/or at risk for school failure due to a lack of motivation to learn. Clearly, academic diversity prevails among these students who may be performing in the high-, average-, or belowaverage ranges as measured by teacher, school district, state, or national standards. Both preservice and in-service programs must rethink their current configuration of teacher preparation to help teachers modify curricula, deliver effective instruction, and employ alternativeassessment strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners (Lara 1994) . The movement to restructure teacherpreparation programs is occurring simultaneously with the reorganization of special education into a more unified system of service delivery. Thus, exceptional students are being included for longer periods of time in regular classrooms as opposed to receiving a larger part of their instruction in support settings (Yell 1995). Inclusive education signals a philosophical change that demands attention from pedagogical institutions. General education teachers at the preservice level must receive opportunities to develop adequate knowledge, teaching skills, and positive attitudes concerning special education students. Also, we must not exclude special education from reform initiatives that will ultimately affect services for special education students and those adults who teach them (Kysilko 1992). One growing national response to the restructuring of teacher-preparation programs has been the establishment of Professional DevelopmentSchools (PDS). Ina PDS, the university and the public school form a collaborative partnership for the purpose of improving teaching and learning for all students (Meyen 1988;Schlechty1990; Zimpher 1990). Participation by university and public school special educators as integral components ofPDS learning activities may offer one way to improve instructional practices of future and experienced regular classroom teachers.

INTERCULTURAL TRANSITIONS IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

ABSTRACTIntercultural transitions are alterations that occur in individuals and in their environments as a consequence of contact between cultures. This paper focuses on the life events that children (and the adults in their lives) may face in bridging cultures, the options they are given, the choices they make‐or that adults make for them‐the circumstances and experiences that accompany these choices, and their consequences. The paper identifies and discusses issues in need of research concerning ways to foster scholastic success and socioemotional well‐being in populations that contemporary policies and practices may be putting at risk for school failure and for other forms of marginality. A better understanding of these issues can contribute to the improvement of intergroup relations, and it can be used to enhance the educational development and life chances of individuals from all ethnocultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Relative Differences in Academic Self-Concept and Peer Acceptance Among Students in Inclusive Classrooms

This study provides data on the social and affective functioning of 2,011 students in second to eighth grade who were receiving instruction in inclusive general education classrooms. Students were identified as being at risk for school failure, having a disability, using English as a second language, or non-categorized. The academic self-concept and social integration of the students were assessed using two instruments: The Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS) and the Perception of Social Closeness Scale (PSCS). On the PASS, the noncategorized group scored significantly higher than each of the three identified groups, but the means of the three categorized groups did not differ significantly. Peer acceptance was again significantly higher for the noncategorized children than it was for each of the three identified groups. However, the group of students with disabilities differed significantly from the group who were at risk, with those children scoring lowest on this measure. Relative differences between academic self-concept and social integration were explored in a series of convergent analyses. Children with disabilities and children who were at risk displayed particularly large (but opposite) discrepancies: Those who were at risk were relatively accepted by their peers but had low perceptions of their own academic abilities. The children with disabilities, however, rated relatively higher in academic self-concept than in social closeness. These relative discrepancies have implications for practice.

Using Protective Factors to Enhance Resilience and School Success for At-Risk Students

Children are at risk for school failure as a result of such factors as low academic achievement, poor school attendance, low self-esteem, and abuse and neglect. Child welfare and substance abuse professionals have incorporated the concepts of resilience and protective factors into their work with children and their families. Knowledge of the characteristics of resilience and the protective factors schools can use to increase the success of at-risk students enable school personnel to meet the needs of these students more effectively. In this article we discuss examples of protective factors in the school and classroom.

Promising Programs for Elementary and Middle Schools: Evidence of Effectiveness and Replicability

This is a time of great opportunity, but also of great danger in the education of students placed at risk for school failure. Students may be placed at risk for many reasons, among which are low socioeconomic status (SES), minority status, and limited English proficiency, if they attend schools that are not prepared to build on their strengths. Although individual low-income and minority students may excel, and individual schools may have great success with high-poverty students, on average such students perform significantly worse in school than do advantaged students in well-funded schools (Knapp & Woolverton, 1995; National Center for Education Statistics, 1993, 1994). In particular, African American and Latino students have, as a group, performed significantly lower than other groups. Although the gap between these groups and White students on the National Assessment of Educational Process (NAEP) and other tests has gradually diminished since the early 1970s, the gap remains substantial, and in the most recent NAEP assessments the White-minority gap actually increased slightly for the first time since the NAEP has been given (National Center for Education Statistics, 1994).

Academic success among students at risk for school failure.

A sample of 1,803 minority students from low-income homes was classified into 3 groups on the basis of grades, test scores, and persistence from grade 8 through Grade 12; the classifications were academically successfully school completers ("resilient" students), school completers with poorer academic performance (nonresilient completers), and noncompleters (dropouts). Groups were compared in terms of psychological characteristics and measures of "school engagement." Large, significant differences were found among groups on engagement behaviors, even after background and psychological characteristics were controlled statistically. The findings support the hypothesis that student engagement is an important component of academic resilience. Furthermore, they provide information for designing interventions to improve the educational prognoses of students at risk.

Supporting Achievement Beliefs Among Ethnic Minority Adolescents: Two Case Examples

We investigated a group counseling class and a remedial math class in a junior high school. Measures of adolescents' (N = 47) perceived competence and intrinsic motivation combined with teacher interviews comprised the data sources. Using a social-cognitive framework, the analyses identified program characteristics and teacher beliefs and practices in each classroom that supported perceived competence and intrinsic motivation among adolescents. Differences in levels of intrinsic motivation and competence beliefs among adolescents in the 2 classrooms were accompanied by differences in teachers' instructional and disciplinary strategies and their underlying beliefs. Program characteristics also differed. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive mediators of motivation, tracking effects, and the unique educational needs of adolescent learners who are at risk for school failure.

Academic success among students at risk for school failure.

Academic success among students at risk for school failure.

Effects of teacher assistance teams on special education referrals in elementary schools.

School-based problem-solving teams recently have received much attention as a possible support for children who are at risk for school failure and for over-referral to special education. However, no controlled studies of the effects of such teams on numbers of referrals for special education or for proportion of appropriate referrals for special education have been conducted. The lack of adequate research concerning school-based problem-solving teams, coupled with the widespread promotion of their use, suggests that further study of such teams is important. In this study, we investigated the effect of one team model, Teacher Assistance Teams, on special education referrals in elementary schools of a large urban district. To address limitations of previous research, schools with such teams were compared with those without across several years of implementation. Analysis yielded a significant decrease in referrals in both groups of schools but no significant differences between groups. These findings may be explained by the context in which both groups of schools functioned.

The impact of relatedness with mother on school functioning in maltreated children

In this prospective investigation, the role of children's relationships with their mothers in affecting school adaptation is examined in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Hypotheses that a secure relationship with mother would foster positive school adaptation, while an insecure relationship would contribute to maladaptive functioning were partially confirmed. Nonmaltreated children who reported optimal/adequate (secure) patterns of relatedness to mother exhibited less externalizing symptomatology, more ego-resilience, and fewer school record risk factors than did maltreated children who reported nonoptimal (insecure) patterns of relatedness. Within the nonmaltreated group of children, optimal/adequate patterns of relatedness exerted a positive effect on school functioning. Interestingly, for maltreated youngsters this was true only with respect to school record data. For teacher-rated externalizing symptomatology and social acceptance, maltreated children with nonoptimal patterns of relatedness to mother evidenced more positive adaptation than did maltreated children with optimal/adequate patterns of relatedness. The possible role of defensive processing in some maltreated children is examined, as is the possible negative effect of having a positive relationship with a maltreating caregiver. The presence of a compulsive compliant strategy also is addressed. Results are interpreted within an attachment theory framework that emphasizes the role of the child's representation of the caregiver in affecting future adaptation. Implications of these findings for the importance of an integration between school and family in promoting school adjustment in children at risk for school failure are discussed.

Disciplining Students with Disabilities and Those at Risk for School Failure: Legal Issues

Disciplining Students with Disabilities and Those at Risk for School Failure: Legal Issues

Planning for Effective Co-Teaching The Key to Successful Inclusion

Today many special education services are provided in general education classrooms. various support models are designed to make classrooms more inclusive and more appropriate learning environments for students with disabilities and others who are at risk for school failure. supporters contend that better collaboration and service coordination in mainstream settings will enable many students with disabilities to achieve greater academic and social success. one support model used in many inclusive classrooms is cooperative teaching or “co-teaching.” this article explores fundamental planning issues that need to be addressed by school systems to facilitate effective co-teaching models.

OUTCOME OF ECMO VS NEAR MISS ECMO PATIENTS AT FIVE YEARS OF AGE:† 1640

A total of one hundred and sixteen ECMO patients have been evaluated in our center at five years of age. Excluding the patients with primary diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia and sepsis, allowed us to compare 76 of five-year-old ECMO patients with 20, five-year-old Near Miss ECMO patients with similar primary diagnosis. Both groups were similar in gestational age, sex, Apgar scores and their primary diagnosis of pulmonary disease. Mean birth weight of ECMO patients (3.40 ± 0.60 Kg) was significantly higher than Near Miss group (3.02 ± 0.68 Kg) (p 40 was similar in both groups (22 ± 26 vs 26± 42), the Near Miss group spent longer time on PIP over 30 (75± 81 vs 42 ± 31), FiO2>0.70 (121 ± 81 vs 51± 34) and FiO2 of 1.00 (55 ± 71 vs 38 ± 23), and had longer duration of PCO2<30 (93 ± 64 vs 32 ± 35) respectively. Both groups had similar ethnic distribution and socioeconomic status as it was assessed by number of patients living in a single parent family, level of maternal education and home screening questionnaire. All 76 ECMO patients and 10 of the 20 Near Miss patients had neuroimaging studies. Total of 9 ECMO patients and 2 of the Near Miss patients that were studied had major neuroimaging abnormalities. Mean Full Scale IQ in ECMO patients was 96.88 ± 20.09 vs 91.50 ± 22.34 in Near Miss ECMO (p=.32). Academic screening for reading, writing, and arithmetic was similar in both groups with 46% of ECMO and 56% of Near Miss patients being at risk for school failure (p=.47). Parental reporting of psychosocial problems was similar for behavior adjustment and level of maternal stress, although parents of Near Miss patients reported an increased rate of child immaturity compared to ECMO patients (p=.005).

EVALUATION OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN BORN WEIGHING &lt;1800g AND CONTROLS USING UNCOMPLICATED MATURATIONAL TESTS. 1552

We compared the maturational status of non-handicapped premature infants and fullterm controls matched for age, gender and socioeconomic status at the age of 4 years. Children with moderate and severe neurodevelopmental deficits(14%) were excluded. The tests employed can be administered in a pediatric office setting and included measures of perceptual-motor development(Geometric Figure Test GFT), verbal comprehension (Peabody-Dunn Test,PDT) and verbal expression (Visual Nomination Test,VNT). The study group included 77 children (BW 1350±294g, GA 31.6±3wk) assessed at a mean chronological age of 49±11 mo. The control group included 79 fullterm children (BW 3350±380g,GA 39.2±2wk) assessed at a mean age of 52±9 mo.Study children obtained lower scores in all three tests:GFT 41.4±11 vs 51.6±7.6mo,p 6 mo delay in the GFT, a PDT <90 or a VNT <2). We conclude “normal” low birthweight children exhibited weaknesses which may place them at risk for school failure. Early detection of these deficits with tests that can be easily administered may facilitate referral for more detailed assessments and timely intervention.Table

Effects of Thematically Integrated Mathematics Instruction on Students of Mexican Descent

Abstract The effects of thematically integrated instruction in mathematics on achievement, attitudes, and motivation in mathematics among middle school students of Mexican descent were investigated. A school-university collaborative effort led to the development and testing of a thematic approach undertaken as a means of contextualizing instruction for students considered to be at risk for school failure. Instruction relied heavily on small, collaborative learning groups and hands-on activities designed to help students make real-world sense of mathematical concepts. As hypothesized, experimental and control students made equivalent gains in computational skills, but experimental students (thematic treatment) surpassed controls in achievement on mathematical concepts and applications. The two programs did not have a differential effect on attitudes toward mathematics or self-perceptions of motivation in mathematics, but motivational variables did predict achievement outcomes for both groups. Issues of “opportunity to learn” the full range of mathematics content of the curriculum within a thematic approach are examined.