Educating At-Risk Students: Strategies, Challenges & Programs

Introduction

A sad reality in the world today is that many school children suffer academically not so much because of a lack of ability as because of the various social and economic challenges they face. Countless children experience economic pressures at home and have little time or energy left to devote to school. More often than not, parental support for children in these circumstances is minimal at best and nonexistent at worst. Many of these children are also from minority groups and sometimes find themselves the target of racial slurs and prejudice at school. It is therefore difficult to classify these children as anything other than at risk.

It is with these students in mind that numerous studies have been conducted focusing on educational strategies and programs for at-risk students. This literature review focuses on what educators can learn from teachers working with at-risk students, from researchers investigating the nature of the problems these children experience, and from programs created to assist children within this population.

Teachers Working With At-Risk Children

The most valuable source of information regarding strategies for any teacher is other teachers. The situation with at-risk children is no different. Paul-Fitzpatrick's (2014) research report provides an overview of several teachers working in this situation. To collect data, the author conducted interviews with the teachers selected for the study. In addition to the strategies the teachers employed to handle at-risk students in their classrooms, the teachers also shared their frustrations and challenges. From these accounts, the author made several recommendations that serve as useful tools for others to apply in their own classrooms.

One recommendation is to form a school-based team consisting of teachers and various other professionals to provide support to both teachers and learners in at-risk situations. Such a team can also work together to monitor learners and determine when they need to be referred to additional support services. Early screening and testing is a useful strategy for identifying at-risk students at a stage when they are better positioned to be assisted than later in their academic lives. For classroom teachers, the suggestion is to engage colleagues with a background in special education. In addition to offering guidance on how students can be assisted, these teachers can participate in team teaching within mainstream classrooms, minimizing disruption to the instructional process for at-risk learners.

Another important component is professional development. Teachers need to be trained on a regular basis to ensure they are aware of the most current and effective strategies for assisting at-risk students. It is only with a solid foundation of understanding and training that teachers can effectively support these learners.

Finally, Paul-Fitzpatrick (2014) stresses the involvement of parents. As noted above, parental involvement in the academic lives of at-risk students is more often than not minimal or nonexistent. By involving parents through education and collaboration programs and support sessions, schools can encourage them to become more active participants in their children's lives. The author further argues for a more parent- and community-friendly school environment to encourage broader participation.

In terms of classroom strategy, the teachers interviewed used approaches such as peer tutoring and positive reinforcement to encourage learner participation and improvement, particularly for at-risk students. They also made use of educational programs to secure additional support for the students they identified as at risk.

Lanier and Glasson (2014) also focused on teacher strategies, examining possibilities for assisting at-risk students in mainstream classrooms. These authors highlight an important additional dimension: not only cognitive ability, but also factors such as poverty and racism can affect a student's capacity to perform at school. For their investigation, they studied a teacher who had proven consistently successful in promoting effective learning among African-American students in her classroom. Several characteristics and strategies were identified that distinguished this teacher from her peers in terms of her outcomes with students.

The findings suggest that the most important factor is the expectation that "all students can learn" (Lanier & Glasson, 2014). This foundational belief supports other strategies, such as connecting students' home life with the school environment and curriculum. Parental involvement reinforces this connection. The teacher studied also implemented effective classroom management and instructional practices, requiring students to participate in group discussions, whole-class discussions, and hands-on laboratory work. All students interviewed indicated that these strategies were highly effective.

Although this investigation was conducted in a science classroom, the strategies identified can be implemented across the curriculum wherever teachers face challenges with at-risk students.

Challenges Associated with Being Classified as 'At Risk'

It is sometimes easy to forget that not only teachers face challenges in bringing at-risk students into the full benefits of education — the students themselves are significantly disadvantaged in terms of motivation and the sheer ability to rise above their circumstances. This factor is examined by Wolniak, Rude, and Rekoutis (2012), who studied at-risk students who successfully overcame their at-risk status and enrolled in higher education.

The authors report three key findings. First, socioeconomic status has a significant effect on college enrollment rates for at-risk students, with affluent households disproportionately represented among those who enroll. Second, at-risk students who are actively involved in their communities during high school are more likely to enroll in four-year colleges. Third, at-risk students who consciously regard their disadvantaged status as motivation to improve themselves through study are more likely to demonstrate what the authors call "resilience" and to pursue college enrollment.

What teachers can take from this research is the importance of devising strategies that encourage at-risk students to participate in their communities and to view adversity as a stepping stone for improvement rather than as a stumbling block.

Conclusion

There is an extensive body of research on what teachers can do to help at-risk students perform better in inner-city schools. One theme that emerges consistently is that success for these students cannot occur in isolation. Support is required from parents, educators, teachers, and community members working together as a team.

References

Lanier, M., & Glasson, G. (2014). Investigating strategies for enhancing achievement for urban African-American students in middle school science classrooms. Insights on Learning Disabilities, 11(1). Retrieved from www.ldworldwide.org

Oreopoulos, P., Brown, R. S., & Lavecchia, A. M. (2014, August). Pathways to education: An integrated approach to helping at-risk high school students. National Bureau of Economic Research.

Paul-Fitzpatrick, A. (2014). Implementing teaching strategies to students with difficulties in learning in a mainstream inner city school — teachers' experiences. Research Report. Retrieved from http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/

Wolniak, G. C., Rude, P. A., & Rekoutis, P. A. (2012, April). Fault lines in postsecondary educational opportunity: A mixed-methods examination of at-risk students. Paper presented at the AERA Annual Meeting.