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November 2006 Dear Readers,
I hope the information in this edition encourages you to review your school policies and practices with a lens that looks at their relevance to all students, especially those who face many obstacles along the path to graduation. I appreciate your calls and emails. Please contact me if you’d like to submit an article.
Thank you, Judith Martinez Call toll free 1-888-272-0454, Ext. 105
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School Policies that Engage Students and Families by Ken Seeley Ed.D., NCSE President Heather MacGillivary, M.A., NCSE Research and Policy Analyst
School policies tend to either engage students and families in the learning process or push students out of schools. Often, there is much variability across schools as to how these policies are implemented. In general, the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) has identified the following policies that are more conducive to recapturing students in school.
· Attendance Policies that Distribute Responsibility Broadly Many school and school district attendance policies place the responsibility for student attendance solely on the shoulders of parents/guardians and the student, themselves, without recognizing that teachers and school staff also have some accountability for attendance. Beyond accurate attendance monitoring, school personnel should consider what motivates students to attend classes and school functions. Additionally, schools must consider their response to chronic truancy. Schools should have a clear and consistent process in place for the first unexcused absence and for subsequent unexcused absences.
· Grading Based on Attendance This is becoming a more common practice in schools. It clearly communicates the importance of attendance and consequence of non-attendance. A student should be rewarded for participating in class discussions. At the same time, failing a student due to a pre-determined number of absences, without any appeals process, can be very detrimental to the students’ success. Providing partial credit for completed coursework is a worthy alternative to consider · Use Alternatives to Out of School Suspension and Expulsion Many schools suspend or expel students for excessive unexcused absences and most recognize that this consequence does not typically re-engage the youth in school, or prevent further truancies. Often students are pleased that they are allowed three days off school, which was the point of skipping class in the first place. In-school suspensions and detention are viable alternatives. Meaningful community service for excessive absences such as tutoring younger students or organizing a school event are good alternatives. Withholding privileges can be effective, such as no school athletics or field trips, however, we recommend that these are used as incentives as opposed to punishments.
· Creative and Effective Communication to Notify Parents of Absence Although it is critical that parents are notified of their child’s unauthorized absence from school, often students erase the voice mail message or toss the school letter before mom or dad know about the problem. Additionally, some chronic truants are homeless, do not have phones or are from families that do not speak English. Finding effective ways to communicate absence is critical. Given enough school personnel, home visits are ideal. Many truancy officers and school resource officers are beginning to do home visits with truants and their families. Often truants become delinquent (Gavin, 1997) so establishing rapport with the family early on is critical.
· School Finance Based on Average Daily Attendance School funding is often based on a fixed per pupil cost. However, how those pupils are counted varies widely between states. Some schools receive the funds based on the number of students enrolled at the beginning of the school year. Other states have one or several “school count” days. Unfortunately, after count day has passed, there is very little motivation for schools to keep students in the classroom. Overcrowding, limited school supplies, and high teacher-student ratios often encourage schools to let go of absent students. It is recommended that all states use an average daily attendance to calculate school finance. In this way, schools have incentives to keep students in school to the end of the school year. References: Barton, P. (2005). One third of the nation: Rising dropout rates and declining opportunities. Gavin, T. (1997). Truancy: Not just kids' stuff anymore. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 66, 8-14. Click on School Policies that Engage Students and Families to view the full document. For additional articles visit the NCSE website at: www.schoolengagement.org and go to “Research and Publications.”
High Mobility and Homelessness in Schools: Taking an Action Research Approach through Web-Based Professional Development by Judith Martinez, Director of NCSE NCSE is proud to sponsor Web-Based Professional Development (WBPD), a yearlong project to study the effects of homelessness and high mobility in school communities. Since it began in 2003, WBPD has included 98 participants in 34 communities, representing eight states (
WBPD takes an innovated approach to professional development by blending participatory action research (PAR) and asynchronous online learning to increase school engagement of homeless and highly mobile students. PAR offers the opportunity for participants to take action on what emerges in their study. Asynchronous technology enables participants to log-in into the WBPD website and discuss important issues at times that are convenient for them. For a visual, see the diagram at the end of this article.
· Increasing academic achievement of homeless/highly mobile students · Building awareness and understanding of how homelessness and high mobility impacts student learning · Creating welcoming school climates to facilitate student transitions · Engaging parents and community members in the education of homeless and highly mobile students
Significant Results from Previous Years Even though WBPD is a relatively new project, it has achieved significant results. To date: · 24 schools and 15 school districts have benefited from WBPD action research to increase parent involvement, improve assessment of educational and basic needs, and foster an understanding of the strengths and challenges of students who are at high-risk of school failure. · Over 1600 homeless and highly mobile students and their families have been directly impacted by the efforts of WBPD teams. Students have increased reading and math skills, improved study skills, and developed positive relationships. Parents have become more active in their children’s learning. Visit the WBPD page for more details. · Over 6000 students have been impacted by the actions and efforts made by WBPD teams to create programs, enhance services, and create welcoming school climates. · Over 34 rural, small towns, suburbs, and urban areas have benefited by gaining a greater awareness of how homelessness touches the lives of children, youth and families in their communities. · NCSE’s WBPD teams have completed 29 studies, which contribute to the knowledge on homelessness and research-based practices to improve instruction and support for students who have faced difficult transitions and multiple school changes. Funds to support WBPD have primarily come from Special Education, Migrant Education, Title I, Title III, Title X and 21st Century Community Learning Centers at the Colorado Department of Education, with additional sponsorships from private foundations and Title X State Directors in
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Student Mobility
Over the past few months, there has been an increased interest in student mobility. On the Truancy Listserv, hosted by NCSE, discussions have included the impacts of student mobility in determining a course to address truancy. Participants in NCSE’s Web-based Professional Development (WBPD) are developing action research projects to study high mobility in an effort to increase school success - see featured article: High Mobility and Homelessness in Schools: Taking an Action Research Approach through Web-Based Professional Development.
To learn more about what others are doing to address student mobility, readers are encouraged to review NCSE’s recently released publication: Action Research to Study Homelessness and High Mobility in School Communities: Collection of Essays 2005-2006.
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Captain Planet
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National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. The
Homeless Youth and Their Experience of Colorado Public Schools by E. Alana James, Ed.D. Reports findings from interviews and focus groups with homeless or transitional young people whose experience of education included a high degree of mobility in both their home and school environments. Includes discussion of issues related to accumulation of credits and high school graduation.
Domains of Educational Practice from which schools accommodate highly mobile students by E. Alana James, Ed.D. Contains extensive information about the three domains from which schools accommodate highly mobile students. These domains are: (1) Access to educational services: Addressing issues that get in the way of education; (2) Welcoming and inclusive school culture, setting up a safe social/emotional context for learning; and (3) Flexible instructional energy and systems to help students succeed in their education.
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19th Annual At-Risk Youth National FORUM 18th Annual National Youth-at-Risk Conference The conference trains adults who serve youth to create safe, healthy, caring, and intellectually empowering educational environments that foster the well-being of all children and adolescents. To accomplish this mission, it offers over 100 presentations by nationally and internationally recognized presenters to over 1000 conference participants from across the
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