The Development of Nontraditional Learners in the Alternative Education Setting

Format

Poster Presentation

Location

Harborside Center East and West

Strand #1

Academic Achievement & School Leadership

Strand #2

Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

The presentation directly discusses the “Head & the “Heart.” Policies based only on quantitate derived research allows further standardized test biases to the largely minority student population enrolled in the Alternative Education setting. These policies create issues of equity with regard to test taking practices, curriculum and course development provided to the student population.

Brief Program Description

This study takes an in-depth look at the development of nontraditional learners in the Alternative Education setting and the factors that contribute to the students ability to learn and make choices in and out the classroom.

Summary

This presentation discusses the issue of At Risk Youth in the nontraditional Alternative Education setting. Policies tied to the standardized testing present’s old school issues in a new school way. Policies based only on quantitate derived research allows further standardized test biases to the small, largely minority student population enrolled in the Alternative Education setting. These policies create issues of equity with regard to curriculum and course development provided to the student population. Student who struggle to score proficiently on standardized test have limited opportunity to participate in noncore courses that stimulate all learning networks of the brain. Instead learners are placed in intensive courses to address academic deficiencies. There is little or no regard given to the student’s social-emotional development. Curriculum does not consist of factors derived from student’s cultural backgrounds, which leads to a lack of student interest. Title I schools are among the largest feeders to the Alternative Education & the Juvenile Corrections Settings. The lack of proper curriculum for At Risk Youth begins to manifest trouble for learners in the traditional education settings. Learners may require student center based instruction with a small class size that is unavailable in the traditional setting unless you have a student with exceptional needs. In many cases the students in need of the most support are often suspended, expelled, or sent the Alternative Education setting. These same programs are disproportionally filled with African American and Hispanic male students. This paper assesses the needs of the student in the Alternative setting as well as the need of the community. It furthermore addresses the indictor of generational poverty that can be diminished with appropriate curriculum and engagement opportunities.

Evidence

While much of the approach to the program utilized qualitatively driven tools, the research also tracked quantitative data using the local educational agencies data warehouse called Skyward. Skyward is a student information system that compiles and arraignment of data in one place for administrators, teachers, students and parents. Skyward System includes student’s grades, contact information, discipline file, GPA, Exceptional Student Education data, MTSS data, state reporting, graduation requirements, student health, scheduling, and parent portal. A large body of literature argues that areas of concentrated poverty place additional burdens on poor families that live within them, beyond what the families own individual circumstances would dictate. (Wilson, 1996) Courses such as social personal are pivotal courses for economically disadvantaged students. Students lack insight into their futures based on a limited availability of resources and or opportunities to engage with a variety of career mediums. The development of the student is just as important as the development of strong curriculum activities. (Ingrid Gould Ellen and Margery Austin Turner. 2003) The research also indicates that areas of concentrated poverty can have wider effects on surrounding neighborhoods, not classified as "high-poverty," limiting overall economic potential and social cohesion (Galster, Cutsinger, Malega, 2008) Courses and curriculum development should address independent living skills, concepts of generational poverty, occupational skills and provide opportunities for practical application of the skills, to improve social and educational cohesion. (Wang , Haertel , & Walberg, 1995) Resilient students tend to develop supportive relationships with teachers. Staff members should not only be selected based off of credentials, but more on the ability of the applicant to relate to the school setting and cultural makeup of the student population. (Delpit 1995) Communities that share expectations effectively and collectively exert social control over neighborhood conditions and behaviors appear better able to counter the negative effects of concentrated poverty. (Braddock , Royster, Winfield, & Hawkins , 1991) References Borman, G. D., & Rachuba, T. L. (2001). Academic Success amongst poopr and minority students: An analysis of Competeing models of school Effects. John Hopkins University. Baltimore: John Hopkins University. Braddock , J., Royster, D., Winfield, L., & Hawkins , R. (1991). Bouncing Back: Sports and Academics resilience among African-American males. Education of Urdan Society , 24, 113-131. Delpit, L. (1995). Other Peoples Children: Cultural conflicts in the classroom. New York : The New Press. . Galster, G. C. (2010). The Mechanism(s) of Neighborhood Effects: Theory, Evidence, and Policy Implications. ESRC Seminar. St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK. Ingrid , E. G., & Turner , M. A. (2003). Do Neighborhoods Matter and why? Washington DC: Urdan Institue . Robert, S. J., Morenoff, J. D., & Gannon-Rowley, T. (2002). Assessing Neighborhood Effects: Social processes and New Directions in Research . Annual Review of Sociology 28, 466. Wang , M., Haertel , G., & Walberg, H. (1995). Educational Resilience: An emergent construct. . American Educational Research Association . San Francisco. Wilson, W. J. (1996). When work disappears: The world of the new urdan poor. New York : Knopf.

Biographical Sketch

Mrs. Prescod-Williams is currently work as a Title I Special Projects Coordinator, responsible for implementing the federal 21st Century Learning Community grant for At Risk Youth. She Earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Stratification and a minor in Spanish at the University of North Carolina at Fayetteville. Then after 6 years of special education instruction and 2 years of social work she went on to receive a Master Degree in Technology Facilitation and Educational Leadership from Lamar University.

Mrs. Prescod-Williams has authored and received a number of grants, winning the “greatest grant of the year award in 2012. Her main focus is on the development of appropriate project based curriculum for At Risk Youth in the Alternative education setting and advocating for policy reform.

Keyword Descriptors

At Risk Youth, Social Personal Skills, Curriculum Development

Presentation Year

2015

Start Date

3-3-2015 4:00 PM

End Date

3-3-2015 5:30 PM

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Mar 3rd, 4:00 PM Mar 3rd, 5:30 PM

The Development of Nontraditional Learners in the Alternative Education Setting

Harborside Center East and West

This study takes an in-depth look at the development of nontraditional learners in the Alternative Education setting and the factors that contribute to the students ability to learn and make choices in and out the classroom.