The Potential for Failure to Achieve Success in School

1122 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Socio economic status and academic achievement

The Potential for Failure to Achieve Success in School

At-risk students share the potential for failure to achieve their success in school due to factors with socioeconomic status, family variables, academic deficiencies, or physical/neurological impairment ( ). It is a common belief that the majority of at-risk students will not complete school through grade 12. It is estimated that 25% of students in this country will dropout before High School graduation ( ). Some 30% of urban school students will dropout by the time they enter the eighth grade ( ). These statistics are probably conservative because they do not reflect the number of students who have already encountered circumstances placing them at-risk and have not yet been identified. Rossi and Stringfield (1995) estimated that by the year 2020 the majority of students will be living in circumstances placing them at-risk. The characteristics of at-risk students will be identified along with the prevalence of at-risk children in our society. The educational role in working with at-risk children will be reviewed and specific educational techniques/programs will be discussed.

A variety of conditions are used to identify at-risk students. Ethnicity, demographics, and socioeconomic status are all widely accepted factors in identifying these students. However, Baruth and Manning (1996) asserted that "at-risk cannot be stereotyped by color, age, economic level or family situation" (p. 240). There are a variety of other problems that can place a child at-risk. Tice (1995) has identified eleven other factors that can be associated with school failure. These factors include: "attempted suicide, substance abuse, low self-esteem, pregnancy, expulsion or sus...

... middle of paper ...

... (p. 100)

There are a number of programs that can be adopted by a school to enhance the learning of at-risk students. According to Butler and Durian (1987) these programs can be categorized in the following manner: federally funded programs, pullout programs, and classroom based studies. The differences sited among these programs lies with pedagogical practices. "Differences between techniques used to serve at-risk youth and techniques in effective schools have to do with the types of goals which are pursued and not the manner in which they are pursued" (Butler & Durian, 1987, p. 9). However, all successful programs for at-risk students are characterized by: separating at-risk students from others, having strong hands-on components, utilizing out-of-classroom experiences, and being intensive with low student-teacher ratios, and individualized instruction.

Show More
Related

  • Case Study: Should I Take Juanita Pope

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    As stated from Wikipedia, an at risk student is a term used in the United States to describe a student who requires temporary or ongoing intervention in order to succeed academically. At risk students, sometimes referred to as at-risk youth, are also adolescents who are less likely to transition successfully into adulthood and achieve economic self-sufficiency. Characteristics of at-risk students include emotional or behavioral problems, truancy, low academic performance, showing a lack of interest for academics, and

    Read More

  • Response to Intervention in the Class Room

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shapiro, E.S. (2011). Saving the future: Response to intervention may be on solution that prevents a child’s ailing academic health. Theory to Practice: An Inquisitive Review of Contemporary Education & Health, 3, 14-19.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Dropout Nation

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    For some students it is difficult to get a good education. These students live in a poor community and are required to go to schools that have a low graduation rate. These schools have a certain reputation such that other students refer to it as the “ghetto school”, “where the pregnant girls go”, and the “dropout factory”. This

    Read More

  • Low Income Education: The Limitations Of Low-Income Education

    1635 Words  | 4 Pages

    Low- income children 's school districts often lack the money to provide these children with resources, and therefore the children will not get these resources any other way. Devarics (2011) stated, "Only 22 percent of local districts reported offering pre-kindergarten or other early learning programs for low-income children" (para.8). Denying this resource affects the many children who reside where that 78 percent of local districts do not offer pre-kindergarten, because many go to kindergarten not knowing minimal skills required. As a consequence, this postpones their education even further. Moreover, Davarics (2011) also stated, "Many schools aren 't educationally where they need to be, which ultimately means many students won 't graduate ready to succeed in a career or in higher education," (para.11). Many low-income schools do not offer activities such as, art, music or sports, because of the lack of money, facilities, or staff. They are not supplied with the right tools and have poor access to computers and Internet. They also do not offer rigorous courses at many of these schools, and have less qualified, trained, and less experienced staff that cannot proficiently teach such courses. Going to school with these disadvantages, can make these children unmotivated to continue an education where there will be little educational progress.

    Read More

  • What Is Family Homelessness?

    926 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students who are homeless are twice as likely as non-homeless students to have to be expelled, drop out of high school, or repeat a grade. Many high school dropouts not only have household as a disadvantage, but they also drop out of school at a rate of 36% due to physical or learning disabilities (Aratani, & Cooper, 2015). Some of the behaviors that are more common among the school dropouts include relocating during the high school years, generate a sensation of feeling alienated one feels like a student who does not fit the mold of the classroom, or one who waits behind because of some reason. It makes the student loose motivation and, therefore, give up finally and then decide to drop out of

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Blind Side By Michael Oher

    1678 Words  | 4 Pages

    Michael Oher was from an all-black neighborhood located in the third poorest zip code in the country. By the time he was a sophomore, he’d been to 11 different schools, he couldn’t read or write, and he had a GPA of 0.6. In his first-grade year alone, he missed 41 days of school and ended up repeating both the first and the second grade; he didn’t even go to the third grade. Oher was one of the thousands of children that have been identified as having four or more of the at-risk factors mentioned by the National Center of Education and Statistics (NCES). According to the NCES, poverty and race are high on the list of things that negatively affect students’ ability to succeed at school. Other risk factors include changing schools multiple times and being held back from one or more grades. Oher’s biography, The Blind Side by Michael Lewis, proves how socioeconomic status impacts a child’s academic success because placed in perspective, education is not as important as the hardships of reality.

    Read More

  • Annie Murphy Paul's Article Why Parenting Is More Important Than Schools?

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people believe that urban schools are failing to educate all of the students they serve, but in reality, they are only failing a portion of them. Reports and observations give off the perception that these schools students achieve less, retain less material and the student’s success after the schooling process is over, is low. Some of the students are failing because they are lacking things like school readiness, a basic understanding of the English language or simply because they are not engaged. Schools need to find a way to incorporate each student in their own education and not forget about those who are struggling. Academic success hinges on many different factors that the families, students and schools are all responsible for helping.

    Read More

  • Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own Proves Students Need Schools of Their Own

    3422 Words  | 7 Pages

    According to the Children’s Defense Fund, in 1989 an average of 1,375 children dropped out of school every day. As a future educator, my reaction to this figure is one of horror and disbelief. Once I get past the shock of such a figure and the obligatory rhetorical questions: How could we let this happen?, I become an investigator. I begin to look for patterns in the profiles of students who have failed. I consider the curriculum these students ingest and how it is fed to them. I try to understand what circumstances result in the forsaking of 1,375 students per day.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Social Class

    2218 Words  | 5 Pages

    Family issues, poverty, and homelessness cause students to drop out of high school as it impacts education by placing stressful obstacles in children’s learning path. A National study found, “Overall, 22 percent of children who have lived in poverty do not graduate from high school, compared to 6 percent of those who have never been poor” (National Study). Lack of educational success can also contribute to throwing in the towel on school. Some students may not be receiving the additional supports to give them success in school. Imagine coming home on the bus after a ten hour day and having your ninth grader ask for help on their algebra. If you possessed the skills, which you likely do not, you may be too exhausted to help. In addition there is still dinner to cook and other household chores to complete. It is a daunting request that you may not be able to comply with. “Family poverty is associated with a number of adverse conditions — high mobility and homelessness; hunger and food insecurity; parents who are in jail or absent; domestic violence; drug abuse and other problem…” (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012 as quoted by Rumberger). Poverty is an obstacle to learning even for the brightest children. As a result few can overcome these stumbling

    Read More

  • How Wealth Affects Education

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    Currently, relatively few urban poor students go past the ninth grade. The graduation rates in large comprehensive inner-city schools are abysmally low. In fourteen such New York City Schools, for example, only 10 percent to 20 percent of ninth graders in 1996 graduated four years later. Despite the fact that low-income individuals desperately need a college degree to find decent employment, only 7 percent obtain a bachelors degree by age twenty-six. So, in relation to ...

    Read More

  • Cognitive Development and Underachiever Case

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this diagnosis, I have to consider a number psychological and sociological factors that may contribute to John Doe’s low academic achievement. This Diagnosis will consider personal, family and school related factors, which will inform the school of the reasons why John Doe fails to meet his academic potential and help to develop an appropriate intervention plan, that will reverse the students underachieving pattern.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Health And Education

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Though much of the research on school completion emphasizes the psychological traits of students and organizational characteristics of school systems, little has examined the impact of health. Yet health affects school dropout rates directly and indirectly. Substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and mental health problems are some of the leading causes of students dropping out. Teenage pregnancy, for example, is the number one reason adolescent women drop out of school; about 30%–40% of female dropouts are mothers (Freudenberg & Ruglis, 2007). At the same time, young men drop out in order to support a child. Addiction, mental illness, and mortality among parents also have significant impact on student achievement

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Academic And Academic Success

    1107 Words  | 3 Pages

    Being a successful student and achieving continued academic success is fundamental in order to complete an associate degree and become a successful professional. College is challenging, but it can be a rewarding growth experience and easier when setting up goals. Having educational and career goals helps students keep the focus and motivation. Besides, having knowledge of different learning styles can help students learn about themselves and increase efficiency while studying. Writing skills learned in college are also a powerful tool for both academic and career success. The campus is a great place to find tools to succeed and achieve continued academic success. It is also important to keep academic honesty as a good habit and as a value of integrity throughout college and later on in the professional environment.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Truancy

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    The word truancy means “Run away from classes” and the students who always tend to keep themselves away from studies and avoid attending classes are called truants (Gosain 2013). In another vein, Stoll, (2002) in Chukwuka, (2013) defines truancy as “absence from school for no legitimate reason”. Nwana, (2004) in Adekunle, (2015) added that truancy involves intentionally absenting of oneself from school without permission, leaving without authorization and dodging of specific lesson periods. Therefore, it is clear that in a situation where a student absent himself from school without any concrete reason and the parents are not aware about it can be regarded as truancy. Many perspectives on factors that make learners play truant are based on images and certain assumptions researchers have about the learner. Carlen, Gleeson and Wardhaugh (1992:85) identified four of those perspectives. Generally, it is

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Drop Out Of High School

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    Teens today face a lot of pressure. Many students deal with difficult life situations that hinder them from focusing on their futures. This can lead to a loss of interest in school and school events, such as a sports, clubs, or after school programs. Teens start to prioritize other things over their education. Every year, over 1.2 million students will leave school without earning a high school diploma in the United States alone (“11”). That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day (“11”). The United States, which used to have the highest graduation rates of any country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries (“11”). Students may not realize that by dropping out of high school they are more likely to commit crimes, become parents at a young age, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, and live in poverty (“Drop”). Dropouts make up the majority of those

    Read More

More about The Potential for Failure to Achieve Success in School

Open Document