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January 2006 Happy New Year!
I just received my 2006 calendar and it’s already filled with activities and trainings connected to the mission of the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE), which is to promote school success for at-risk students and their families by improving school engagement. This new year presents exciting opportunities for NCSE. Here’s a preview of what to expect from NCSE in 2006:
The topic for this month’s newsletter is student engagement. The featured article looks at factors that impact student engagement. In honor of National Mentoring Month, the Resources & Research section highlights information specific to mentoring, which is a proven strategy to increase school engagement. Please make a special note of our Hot Topics section. NCSE is developing a handbook for truancy case managers and needs your help. Case managers are invited to submit short essays to be included in the handbook. Go to Hot Topic for details.
We are in the process of identifying topics for future editions of NCSE-News. Please email your suggestions to me at JMartinez@coloradofoundation.org
Thank you, Judith Martinez
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Taking Steps to Measure Student Engagement By Krystina Finlay, PhD
At NCSE we believe that it is not only important to keep students in school but also to keep them engaged in school. School engagement refers to students and families being actively involved in learning at school, and involves the community as well. We have been exploring various theories and measures of school engagement as it pertains specifically to the student (i.e. “student engagement”). Student engagement is a multi-faceted construct and has many definitions. Most engagement theories include emotional, cognitive, and behavioral aspects although they are not necessarily labeled as such. Based on past research, Fredricks, Blumenfeld, and Paris (2004) describe each of these types of engagement:
NCSE includes these types of engagement when measuring student attachment in our Student Survey. Although we are in the process of validating this instrument, we typically find that each of these types of engagement is closely related to the others. For instance, students who are behaviorally engaged are more likely to be emotionally and cognitively engaged. However, this is not to say that it is impossible for a student to be emotionally engaged in some aspects of school but not be particularly cognitively engaged. That is, a student may be involved in sports but not be interested in coursework. These three constructs, while related, are distinct. Which type of student engagement is most important is debated. See below for sample questions from the NCSE Student Survey.
Many other factors are also important to understanding engagement and attachment. For instance, school factors, such as size, opportunities for choice, and teacher to pupil ratio, can influence school engagement. Parental involvement, teacher involvement, and individual student needs are also likely to play important roles in overall school engagement. As we move forward in developing a meaningful instrument to measure student engagement, we encourage those working with students to keep in mind that all contributors can influence engagement and that the best strategy is to take into consideration as many of these as possible in an effort to keep youth interested and learning in school.
Sample questions from NCSE Student Survey
Reference:
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The "Hot Topic" for the month is case management to improve school attendance.
NCSE is developing a Handbook for Truancy Case Managers who work with targeted youth to increase their school attendance. As part of this effort NCSE is inviting case managers to submit short essays describing successes, challenges and lessons learned to be included in our manual. We will make the downloadable handbook freely available on our website. As an incentive to participate NCSE will hold a drawing. The names of all case managers who make a submission by
Case management is a fundamental component of many truancy reduction programs across the country, yet little guidance is available to new case managers who must constantly reinvent the wheel in order to develop strategies that work. We believe that this handbook will be a valuable resource to you and your colleagues. |
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Funding Opportunities Department of Education - Will provide nearly $38 billion this year to states and school districts to improve elementary and secondary schools and meet the special needs of students. Visit the Dept. of Education website to search fund opportunities. Find and apply online for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies. |
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January is recognized as National Mentoring Month Research shows that youth who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37% less likely to skip a class. Source: Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Joseph P. Tierney and Jean Baldwin, with Nancy Resch, 2000.
For more information on mentoring, visit these sites: Return to the Index of this Issue
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Conferences and Trainings 12th Annual Alternatives to Expulsion, Suspension & Dropping Out of School Sponsored by International Center for the Study of Social Issues Location: Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, FL Dates: February 16 – 18, 2006 Phone: 920-465-2552, email: mcclureb@uwgb.edu Conference goals: Foundation, Inc."Beyond School Hours: A New Twist on Afterschool" This conference offers an opportunity to discover best practices, network among peers, share success stories, and learn about the latest trends in education that affect programs. 2006 National Afterschool Conference Location: Louisville, KY Dates: February 23-25, 2006 Blueprints for Violence Prevention Initiative at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence Location: Adams Mark Hotel, Denver, CO Dates: March 13-15, 2006 The goal of the conference is to disseminate science-based information on youth violence, delinquency, and drug prevention programs. 17th National Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum Sponsored by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Youth Crime Watch of America. Location: Ogden Eccles Conference Center, Ogden, UT Dates: March 20 – 23, 2006 Designed for youth ages 12-22 and the adults who work with them, the conference will feature roundtable discussions involving youth and offer six-hour professional development seminars for adult participants. For further information, contact S. J. Wild at 305-670-2409 or e-mail sjwild@ycwa.org. 33rd National Conference on Juvenile Justice National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and are National District Attorneys Association are sponsoring this event. Location: Hyatt Denver Convention Center Hotel, Denver, CO Dates: March 26-29, 2006 For more information or to register call 703-549-9222 or visit the conference website.
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