The research problem was to determine the perceived mean self-concept attitudes of academically at-risk students in Coordinated Vocational Academic Education (CVAE) cooperative education programs with at-risk students in regular academic programs as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale.

The significant standpoint in this study was that schools’ key role was to educate and yet this process would be severely impeded when a student receiving the education was at-risk. Agencies external to the school provide support in various forms to these individuals with the view of decreasing their at-risk status, thus providing an environment conducive to learning. Communication was posited to be a fundamental process essential to the provision of support and education to these at-risk individuals. The conceptual framework in this study acknowledged the complexity of school and organisational environments and was founded upon four key theoretical perspectives; organisational communication theory; a psychological orientation provided by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; a social reconstructionist perspective; and constructs underpinning at-risk status causal factors. This research study sought to identify communication patterns existing within a selected school, and between the school (in this case) and associated agencies that were supporting the at-risk individuals. The results of this study, derived from in-depth interviews and questionnaires with agency personnel and school staff, demonstrated that although formal patterns of communication did exist they were inefficient and cumbersome. Formal patterns of communication were subsidiary to informal networks between colleagues. In this study, the school was frequently excluded from informal and formal agency communication patterns. Intra-agency and intra-school communication patterns were characterised by a top-down orientation with administrators tending to control the flow of information. A major finding was that there were considerable barriers to developing more effective communication patterns. / The greatest impediment to communication was case workers’ fear of breaching the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988, even when dealing with such serious issues as children’s safety. Other less serious, but still substantial barriers, included agency territorialism, poor marketing of services, and individuals’ biases against particular support agencies. A surprising finding was that case workers’ and educators’ conceptualisations of the causal factors which contribute to an at-risk status were well aligned. The family factors, which included drug addicted, alcoholic, violent, criminal, disinterested and/or neglectful parents, problematic siblings, and coming from an English-as-a-second-language background were deemed to have the most significant influence towards creating an at-risk status. School-based factors such as stressed, intolerant, inexperienced, and/or non-supportive teachers, an inadequate and/or violent school environment, and a lack of individualised support were deemed to have the least impact on developing an at-risk status. As a result of this research a model has been proposed which outlines the creation of a State Support Brokerage Authority whose mandate would be to centralise, coordinate, and ensure quality of service to at-risk individuals across the state. This body would utilise a technological solution to enhance and coordinate the communication patterns between all potential stakeholders to facilitate appropriate and timely interventions.

As a result of recent social and political pressure and an increase in academic standards, there is a call to address academic and behavioral needs of at-risk students at the secondary level. Currently, many secondary schools are struggling to provide research-based interventions for these students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-based mentoring program utilizing existing school staff and functioning within the constraints of a typical high school schedule, on at-risk students. The study aimed to add to the body of research on interventions in secondary settings and extend research on mentoring. Five at-risk high school students participated in the study which took place during the 2008-09 school year. All of the students received basic mentoring procedures, and three were identified for more advanced mentoring procedures half-way through the school year. Data was collected on academic and social outcomes and the viability of the intervention in the secondary setting. Overall, results of the study were mixed but indicated that the intervention was mildly effective for almost all students in at least one of the areas studied. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and practice are identified and discussed.

As a result of recent social and political pressure and an increase in academic standards, there is a call to address academic and behavioral needs of at-risk students at the secondary level. Currently, many secondary schools are struggling to provide research-based interventions for these students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a school-based mentoring program utilizing existing school staff and functioning within the constraints of a typical high school schedule, on at-risk students. The study aimed to add to the body of research on interventions in secondary settings and extend research on mentoring. Five at-risk high school students participated in the study which took place during the 2008-09 school year. All of the students received basic mentoring procedures, and three were identified for more advanced mentoring procedures half-way through the school year. Data was collected on academic and social outcomes and the viability of the intervention in the secondary setting. Overall, results of the study were mixed but indicated that the intervention was mildly effective for almost all students in at least one of the areas studied. Limitations of the study and implications for future research and practice are identified and discussed.

This formative evaluation of Franklin School was shaped around the implicit and explicit goals of the school and those school practices that are recognized as being effective in schools for students at-risk of dropping out of school. The study served four purposes: (1) to determine how the teachers, parents, and students viewed the school and their experiences with it, (2) to determine what program improvements were needed, (3) to provide a baseline for future evaluations, and (4) to activate the collection of data needed for future evaluations. The participants in the study included the six teachers, 52 students, and the parents or guardians of the students who attended Franklin School during the 1996-97 school year, the year which was the focus of the study. I collected data from the participants through surveys, interviews with teachers and a carefully drawn sample of students and parents, and meetings with teachers and students. Additionally, I analyzed student records pertaining to referrals, attendance, academic achievement, disciplinary infractions, and dropouts. Data from the study indicated that some school goals were being met adequately, and some were not. Teachers, students, and parents agreed that goals related to self-esteem efforts, sense of community, and safe environment were being met. However, the findings from the study indicated that improvement was needed in the areas of career education, counseling, discipline, staff development, parent involvement, and use of instructional technology. Also, the study yielded three important findings in addition to findings related to school goals that need to be addressed. First, there is a leadership problem at Franklin School that needs to be resolved. Second, limited data available on attendance and academic achievement suggested that over time student performance declines at the school. Finally, the data on the referrals to Franklin School revealed an exceedingly high rejection rate with no written notices of admission decisions and no follow-up of students rejected. The findings from the study strongly suggest the need for continued evaluation of the school and for putting mechanisms in place to collect the data needed for such evaluations. / Ph. D.

The widespread effects of student failure and dropout have social, judicial, and economic implications. This study addressed factors that can affect students academic identification, an element that can influence dropout among U.S. high school students identified as at-risk. Research indicates that student motivation and academic identification may be linked to improvements in students academic achievement and reductions in dropout rates. The purpose of this quantitative investigation was to address high dropout rates among at-risk, high school students by exploring the extent to which students motivational beliefs in school predicted their academic identification and achievement. Specifically, I explored the extent to which the MUSICSM Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (MUSIC Inventory) produced valid scores among at-risk high school students, and the extent to which students motivational beliefs about school predicted their academic identification and achievement. This quantitative study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) and involved a sample of 100 at-risk students from an alternative high school in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Data were collected via paper surveys, which I administered to students during October, 2015. All survey data were entered into SPSS 23 for analysis. Results indicated that Cronbach's alpha coefficients were low for all MUSIC Model components except for care, which demonstrated modest reliability. Data analysis also indicated that three of the five components of the MUSIC Model " usefulness, success, and caring" were positively associated with academic identification. Thus, there is preliminary evidence to suggest that teachers may be able to have a positive effect on the academic success of at-risk high school students by finding ways to improve students perceptions of usefulness, success, and care. Educational stakeholders can utilize findings from the present study to prompt an exploration of ways to improve these motivational components to promote greater academic success among this student population. / Ph. D.

The face of America's schools is changing. An increasingly diverse and challenging population of students blends assorted ethnic backgrounds, varied approaches to learning, and different socio-economic backgrounds into one student body. Faced with the realities of environmental and educational stressors, some students may find the educational milieu difficult. One particular group of students who may fit this category are those placed at-risk of school failure. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the latest government reform in education to affect our nation's schools, created additional pressures on educators and students alike. In this climate of increased testing and accountability, educators must be trained to work with today's students. Staff development is one method of assisting educators to become knowledgeable about the needs of students placed at-risk of school failure in the current reform era. Guiding issues for this study were the nature of staff development with regard to students placed at-risk of school failure in an era of educational reform as viewed through staff development. Guiding questions were how many staff development courses were aimed at meeting the needs of students placed at-risk of school failure and how much of this training was done relative to content-based staff development. Staff development offices were chosen because they are the conduits through which school district employees often gain substantial knowledge and training, and because of their importance in the field of training and professional development. The method used in this study was a content analysis of staff development course documents from the 100 largest school districts in the United States. The intent of this quantitative content analysis was to explore how school district staff development offices approach the task of educating their employees to work with a complex, diverse school population, often seen as at-risk of school failure. This study was important to the field of educational leadership because it provided essential and useful information, both for educators working with an increasingly diverse student population, especially students at-risk of school failure, and for district leaders whose task it is to provide staff development for those who teach our children. Quantitative analyses of the staff development course documents showed no relationship between school district size and number of courses with coded words; the total number of courses a school district offered was, however, a predictor for the total number of targeted courses. All but one of the school districts sampled had at least one course with a coded word. A qualitative analysis of the coding of the categories and indicators revealed that the coded words were applied broadly to the themes and patterns that emerged. School district staff development offices continue to play a positive role in the training of educators striving to meet the needs of a diverse student body in the 21st century. / Ed. D.

Thesis advisor: Ina V.S. Mullis / Equity in educational outcomes, particularly reading, is an important policy issue in countries around the world. This dissertation used data from PIRLS 2006 to explore an approach to measuring equity in reading achievement internationally at the fourth grade. Relative risk ratios were selected as a measurement approach and were used to create a composite measure, the Relative Risk-Percentage (RRP) Equity Index, to compare equity in reading achievement across countries. This index was used to present the likelihood of scoring below the PIRLS 2006 Low International Benchmark for student groups that were traditionally at risk for low reading achievement compared to other students. The `at risk' student groups that were the focus of this study included those with low parental education, who spoke a language other than the language of instruction, who attended urban or rural schools, and who were boys. To complement the RRP Equity Index results, the relative likelihood of students scoring within the lower 20 percent of their country's reading achievement distribution was also presented. The results of these analyses showed that students with these characteristics were more likely than other fourth grade students to have low reading achievement in a number of the PIRLS 2006 countries. Overall, having parents with less than secondary education and not speaking the language of the test before starting school were associated with inequity in reading achievement in the largest number of PIRLS 2006 countries. As an example of how individual countries could further explore potential reasons for inequities in reading achievement highlighted by the RRP Equity Index, logistic regression models were built for Germany, Iran, and Romania. These models explored the extent to which statistically controlling for differences in resources could diminish the effect of being in an `at risk' group on reading achievement. In all three countries examined, resources explained a substantial proportion of the risk for low reading achievement. Though the logistic regression model results were country-specific, lacking books in the home was strongly associated with lower reading achievement in all three countries. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation.

The intent of this research is to determine the impact of a peer mentoring/tutoring program on parent perceptions of school climate and connectedness and standardized test scores, report card grades and attendance of at risk elementary students. Peer mentoring has been found to be effective in addressing some of the concerns regarding at risk student performance in the school environment and eventual school outcomes. This study uses quantitative methods to determine the effect of this intervention on this population. A school climate/connectedness survey completed by parents of the students participants in a Cross Age Peer Mentoring Program (CAPM Program) and standardized test scores, report card grades and attendance patterns were examined prior to and following student participation in the program. Subjects included 32 elementary students with n=10 for first grade, n=6 for second, n=8 for fourth and n=8 for fifth. The students were cross age paired, primary with intermediate to participate in a mentoring program. Parents of participating students were asked to complete the Comprehensive School Climate Inventory prior to and following their child's participation in the program to determine if perceptions of school climate and connectedness changed as a result of their child's participation in the program. Analysis of the survey result, pre and post participation was accomplished using dependent sample t-tests to discern differences in the mean scores for the survey factors, including Safety, Teaching and Learning, Relationships and Institutional Environment and the Unified Scale. Teaching and Learning items were combined to obtain a Climate score and Interpersonal Relationships and Institutional Environment provided a Connectedness measure Climate and Connectedness. The null hypothesis was rejected, with results of the dependent t-tests showing significant differences in all but the Safety and Institutional Environment factors. <br>Attendance variables were found to be significant for all participants, mentees and a group identified as at risk for attendance. Academic variable for mentors included standardized test results and grade percentages, pre and post for both. Analysis of these scores and grade outcomes provided mixed results, with significant differences noted in standardized test scores, but no difference in the means of grade percentages. / School of Education / Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program for Education Leaders (IDPEL) / EdD / Dissertation

The purpose of this inquiry was to retell and represent the life that I have lived as I explore how I adapted my professional practice for students in an alternative program. This naturalistic inquiry is positioned as a self narrative. Retrospection and reflection enabled me to bring together my construction of self and my journey of teaching as I attempted to explain how I know what I know about working with at risk students and alternative programming. <p>The collection of data comes from my personal experience; thus I am observer, participant, and narrator. Threaded throughout this thesis are interwoven stories which create the fabric of my teaching experience. Each narrative represents justification of teacher knowledge and a refocusing of the lens through which I viewed at risk students and their marginalized position in our education system. As teachers we must first establish a relationship with our students and develop an empathetic understanding of the circumstances of the life experiences each one brings to the classroom. By understanding their past, we can make the school experience a positive influence in their lives and hopefully smooth out their way to a successful future.