Perceptions of Effectiveness of School Counselors with Former Graduates in a TRIO College Program

The context and variables that affect at-risk students are constantly changing. It is imperative that school counselors understand the risk factors for students and the cultural and social contexts the individual lives within. Working with at-risk students is even more challenging with the millennial generation. The culture in this generation promotes instant gratification as society has reinforced that all individuals will succeed. At-risk students in this generation can be in disbelief of even being at-risk and may assume that others will solve their problems. Federally funded TRIO programs have shown to a positive impact on at-risk student development. Although there has been sufficient evaluation and review of TRIO programs’ impact on disadvantaged college students, there is a lack of research of student evaluation of their high school counselors after they graduate. It is important to consider the high school counselor’s impact on postsecondary success. College students involved in TRIO completed surveys rating their high school counselor. School counselor rating scores were correlated with the number of school counselors in that school, r(20) = 0.45, p = .043. This study has implications for school counselors and emphasizes the importance of school counselor contact. This research is the first step in the evaluation of high school counselors from students even when they are no longer high school students

An Examination of Student Disengagement and Reengagement from an Alternative High School

Each year, 20% of U.S. students drop out of high school (Balfanz, Bridgeland, Bruce, & Fox, 2013). There is an abundance of research on student behaviors from researchers who explored the process of student disengagement from school (Bowers, Sprott, & Taff, 2013; Lessard, Butler-Kisber, Fortin, Marcotte, Potvin, & Royer, 2008), however there is a lack of understanding of why students disengage in the first place. This study was conducted to examine students’ perceptions of the effect of an alternative high school on their decision to either graduate or drop out. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with ten former students and three staff members from an alternative high school. Half of the former student participants who reengaged by attending the alternative high school graduated and half of them did not. The former students perceived that relationships between staff members and students led to the success of the alternative high school. They believed that push-out factors at the traditional high school caused their disengagement, and that they exercised autonomy in their choices of whether pull-out factors would impact their decision to graduate or drop out. The former students shared that personalized instruction and peer-to-peer learning encouraged them to feel ownership for their learning and taught them to respect fellow students and teachers. Data from the teacher and administrator interviews provided additional information about the workings of the alternative high school

How Educators Can Eradicate Disparities in School Discipline: A Briefing Paper on School-Based Interventions

The number of students issued suspensions in U.S. schools continues to be extremely high, resulting in thousands of students missing school every day. Simultaneously,disparities in school suspension continue to worsen, indicating that students in some groups are missing school far more often and disproportionately(particularly, boys, African American students, students with disabilities, and in some regions, Latino and American Indian students). These disparities are also true of referrals to law enforcement and school-based arrests nationwide. According to recent data collected by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, students of color made up 75% of referrals to law enforcement and 79% of schoolbased arrests, even while students of color comprise 39% of the nation's public school population.Punitive school discipline matters tremendously to the educational opportunity of young people: New knowledge on school discipline shows that even a single suspension or a single referral to the juvenile court system increases the odds of low achievement and dropping out of school altogether. Moreover, research shows that schools and educators -- not just students themselves -- make a difference in how discipline is meted out

Korean Transnational Students’ School Adjustment: An Ecological Perspective

This research explored Korean early study abroad students’ school adjustment in the U.S., as well as how their microsystems (family, peer, school) affect their experiences. To understand their experience, we posed two research questions: 1) What are Korean early study abroad students’ experience like in adjusting to American middle schools? and 2) How do these students’ microsystems (family, peer, and school) affect their experiences in the process of adjustment? Four Korean early study abroad students participated in a collective case study. Each student was interviewed three times and observed in both their content area and ESL classes. All students described tremendous challenges in adjusting to their new school in the U.S. Specifically, their challenges were pertaining to different aspects of learning experiences as well as school belonging. While their limited English proficiency was a primary factor in these challenges, a lack of support from their peers, parents, teachers and school also seemed to affect their school adjustment. Moreover, findings indicated disconnections among their microsystems, contributing to a lack of support in their school adjustment

Keeping Schools Safe: Why Schools Should Have an Affirmative Duty to Protect Students from Harm by Other Students

[Excerpt] Federal statutes have attempted to make schools safer by providing grants to assist schools in becoming violence-free. Similarly, some states have passed “bullying laws,” which mandate procedures for school officials to follow when dealing with bullying. These statutes, however, do not provide adequate remedies for students who are harmed by their peers during the school day. The majority of courts that have addressed student- on-student violence have declined to hold that compulsory education creates the type of special relationship needed to impose an affirmative duty on schools to protect students from harm by other students. While I agree that compulsory education laws do not restrain students’ freedom in the same manner as, for example, a jailor restrains a prisoner, compulsory education laws do restrict students’ freedom by requiring students to attend school, under the care of their teachers. When teachers or school officials reasonably believe that students are being harmed by their peers, they should be required to inform their superiors who in turn should inform the parents. Teachers who know that one student is harming another student should have a duty to protect that student from harm. Requiring school officials to protect students from actual harm would, at the very least, make schools feel safer to students, thereby creating school environments more conducive to learning. This article argues that federal law should impose on school officials an affirmative, albeit limited, duty to protect students from harm by other students when school officials know, or reasonably should know, that students are harming other students. Part II of the article contains a brief historical overview of the official liability under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, as well as the current theories for holding state officials liable for harm caused by private actors. Part III discusses some recent cases where parents of children injured at school by other students have sued a school or school official( s) under section 1983. The decisions in these cases represent the majority view that schools do not have an affirmative duty under the Due Process Clause to protect students from harm by other students. Part IV discusses the minority view, which imposes a duty under certain circumstances. Part V describes other remedies available to students who are harmed by other students, and discusses some state responses to school violence. Part VI argues that courts should adopt the minority view and impose a limited duty on schools, thus requiring school officials to protect students when they are aware or have a reasonable belief that students are being harmed by other students. The article concludes with the policy reasons that support a limited duty, and the implications of imposing such a duty on schools

Is There a Learning Gap?

This semester I student taught within a School Corporation in Northwest Indiana. I taught at two different elementary schools, School A and School B. Although the curriculum is the same across both schools, the students at each school are different. School A has a higher income rate and also has lower enrollment for ethnic students. School B has more students enrolled in the special education program and more students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. My goal is to figure out if students from both schools will learn the same given the same instruction

The Amplifier - v. 2, no. 8(a)

In this issue...Poison Pen letter, Mr. Cliff Laity, school carnival, Butte Mineral and Gem Club, Central Typing Office, Butte, Montana, coffee shop, Petroleum Buildinghttps://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/amplifier/1016/thumbnail.jp

The Amplifier - v. 2, no. 14

In this issue...Dean Adami, M club, Red Rock, Bernice, Montana, Mineral Club, Mines Football, Sam Worcester, Professor Laity, Western Civilization classhttps://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/amplifier/1022/thumbnail.jp

The Amplifier - v. 7, no. 7

In this issue...Len Waters, Circle K Club, Max Kert, Air Force, Stanley Eugene Bosch, Wesley Club, Engineer\u27s week, toboggan party, Butte Central, Anaconda High Schoolhttps://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/amplifier/1086/thumbnail.jp

The Amplifier - v. 8,(a-3) no. 3

In this issue...E-days, Residence Hall, campus parking, clergy day, Finlen Hotel, Montana Power Company, Coach Simonich, Copper Guards, Bridge Clubhttps://digitalcommons.mtech.edu/amplifier/1109/thumbnail.jp