Risk and Resilience: Supporting At-Risk Children in School

Children and adolescents in today's America face a high risk of failure based on certain internal and external factors that may or may not have been chosen by them. This societal failure trajectory does not have to define the future of any of America's children; each young person is capable of lowering such risk through personal choice and habitual experience as they grow into adulthood. When a child is placed under certain optimistic and well-intentioned demands for personal success — from educational institutions, parents, and themselves — they become most capable of functioning productively in today's society.

The purpose of the article Risk and Resilience, by Darlene Brackenreed, was to introduce and discuss how risk and resilience relate to at-risk children. "At-risk" children were defined in the article as those with a predictable vulnerability or risk for a wide range of negative outcomes. Negative outcomes included school failure, dropping out, poverty, and drug abuse, among other factors. The article proceeded to define its interpretation of resilience, concluding that at-risk children and adolescents are capable of developing positive attributes to help them succeed just as well as a low-risk child, despite their designation (Brackenreed, 2010).

The article demonstrated that low-income families are a clear linking factor in determining whether a child may be considered at-risk. In 1973, a study examined this relationship by following a group of juvenile boys from low-income families, revealing their increased risk of delinquency (Brackenreed, 2010). By 2010, that study had not only been verified and supported, but it was also determined that delinquency rates were on the rise among American children and adolescents. Despite what might be considered natural adolescent rebellion, it was predicted that nearly half of all children and adolescents experience some form of rebellion while growing up, and the risks they choose to take can be dangerous and life-altering. The risks that today's children and adolescents are willing to take include substance abuse, early unprotected sex, and youth violence — each of which may lead to disability or death (Brackenreed, 2010).

In order to break America's future from this dangerous cycle, the causes of the factors leading to a child being designated as at-risk must be evaluated. Poverty is the foremost cause of at-risk child issues, largely as a result of violence and abuse, substance abuse and stress within the home, adolescent pregnancy, prenatal and birth complications, poor nutrition, alcohol abuse and smoking, and sexually transmitted diseases. The poverty class is disproportionately composed of women and children, potentially initiating a cycle that children are likely to repeat in their own adulthood. Women make up the greater half of the single-parent population and are still paid less than men who are their equals in the workforce. In poverty settings, it is not uncommon for women and children to witness or experience violent behaviors — including physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological abuse — from a figure within their household, as violence is often used as a form of authority. In fact, abused children have a greater likelihood of abusing their own children than those who were not abused. Continuing this cycle, 37% of abusers are mothers and 54% are fathers (Brackenreed, 2010).

Given such troubling facts, it might seem as though America's abused and impoverished population would inevitably become social failures, unable to contribute to the workforce or community. However, a second trait in such adolescents and children was studied. Despite high risk factors, a person is still able to adapt and develop into a successful, contributing member of society. Commonly known as resilience, this trait can be broken into three distinct types: finding personal strength, coping with sustained and acute negative circumstances, and recovering from trauma, such as the death of a parent or loved one. Resilience is not a fixed trait that stays with a person permanently; rather, as individuals experience personal challenges, their risk and resilience levels will shift accordingly. The difference between children and adolescents capable of resilience and those who are not is often identifiable — resilient youth tend to demonstrate higher intelligence, lower thrill-seeking behavior, less association with problematic peers, and an absence of anti-social behaviors. These resilient characteristics can literally change or save a young person's life.

These effective characteristics fall into one of four protective processes that help moderate risk factors. First, a person may attempt to reduce their exposure to risk. This can be accomplished by seeking mental health support, avoiding substance abuse, and refraining from unprotected sexual activity. Second, a resilient child may work to reduce negative reactions to difficult experiences, such as conflicts with peers or diminished self-worth following verbal abuse. Third, one may promote self-esteem through achievement — a tool that dedicated teachers use to reinforce and encourage their students. It is especially important for at-risk children to discover for themselves that they are capable individuals. Finally, the child may benefit from positive relationships that provide opportunities. These protective processes can guide a young person toward social competence, problem-solving skills, independence, empathy, task orientation, curiosity, healthy peer relations, and a sense of purpose and future (Brackenreed, 2010). Fortunately, with ongoing research on resiliency, all is not lost for America's youth.

Children and adolescents with resilient factors are not independent, solitary beings. "The family is potentially the most effective social institution for rearing healthy children," Brackenreed writes. The parents or loved ones within a home play a large role in a child's success. Regardless of income level, parents who show consistent concern for their child's education, offer loving guidance and support daily, and pay attention to their child's goals and interests make a meaningful investment in their child's future. Some children do not have the benefit of a loving home but still demonstrate signs of resilience — a finding that prompts a closer look at what other supports are available. Schools, businesses, churches, parks, recreation facilities, and transportation systems also play a role in encouraging resilient factors, and children from broken homes are in particular need of such community resources (Brackenreed, 2010).

As Brackenreed suggests, the role of the school system is significant in changing a child's life. School systems — including individual teachers — that maintain a caring attitude and strong academic records contribute to increasing child resiliency. Schools can support students by offering athletic programs, academic and musical programs, and opportunities for student involvement through organizations such as the National Honor Society, volunteer initiatives, and student government. Most importantly, teachers who build genuine interpersonal relationships with their students inspire and challenge those students to reach their potential (Brackenreed, 2010).

Children and adolescents need at least one significant figure in their lives. Resilient students who lack emotionally healthy home lives are most likely to choose a teacher as their adult role model. This is a responsibility to be taken seriously: if a child chooses a teacher because no role model exists at home, that teacher may be the single difference between a young person remaining at-risk or becoming resilient. In order for a teacher to inspire resilience, they should be caring, listen to and validate the student's feelings, show kindness and respect, and refrain from being judgmental (Brackenreed, 2010). When a teacher challenges a student with high expectations — because they are aware of the student's strengths — the student can recognize those strengths and take pride in their achievements.

Teachers and schools cannot guarantee that one hundred percent of students will succeed academically, but what is possible is creating a learning environment that cherishes and encourages the talents and gifts of every student — not just academic talents. It is extremely important to demonstrate that every student has value. Accommodations and assignments designed to meet the needs of individual students allow those students to become more capable in forming relationships, solving problems, developing their identity, and planning for their future, because they will feel significant (Brackenreed, 2010).

Strengthening the argument for the involvement of educational institutions and teachers in students' lives is the article "Recommendations for Fostering Educational Resiliency in the Classroom," by Jayne Downey. Through research, this article identifies a number of factors within the classroom that assist in encouraging the educational resilience process — particularly for students who have been identified as at-risk for academic failure. Focusing on research conducted directly with educators, Downey describes what she considers the best approaches to prevent America's children from taking failing paths.

Downey writes of the difficulties facing today's children, including violence, discrimination, poverty, and alcoholism. Identifying each as a risk factor, she argues that all hold the potential to interfere with a student's ability to succeed in school. This does not require an acceptance of failure; rather, these factors should be used as indicators of how the educational system might assist the child in choosing an optimistic path toward a more successful place in society and the workforce.