SCHOOLS FOR TEEN SUCCESS

Updated: June 6th, 2008

ATTENDENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM (AIP)

Schools across the country are developing dropout prevention programs. Truancy can indicate a high risk for potential dropout or failure to graduate. If a teens attendance becomes so poor, a court appearance date may occur for a teen. Truancy cases are becoming a huge burden on the judicial system.

This program is developing a special workshop to improve school attendance by providing teens with" life skill" tools inspiring them to demand for more out of life, and discover the possibilities of embracing a lifetime of learning and possibilities beginning with asking better questions to overcome obstacles and get back into the classroom . This program is being developed in partnership with Del Valle Independent School Disrict.

Tending To Teen Success

The targeted students are identified as at-risk in one or more of the following areas: attendance, academic performance, behavior, family life. The ages range from 12 to 15 years old. Perhaps the most important finding in research concerning dropout prevention, attendance, student engagement, and effective small schools is that students are more likely to remain and achieve in schools where people care about them (Benard, 2004; Green, 1998; Steinberg & Allen, 2002; Wimberly, 2002).

If relationships between staff and students and their families are to affect student outcomes, they must be based upon trust, respect, fairness, and equity. The research shows that in schools where there is trust, caring, and support, there is higher attendance, higher student performance, and a lower rate of suspensions (Green, 1998; Strand & Peacock, 2002).

Reaching Out & Making Connections

When working with young people, authentic presence of being is required in order to establish trust. Teens must also be treated with regard to their intelligence, respect an honor as well as firm boundaries established for interaction. Workshop attendees will be looking for falsehoods, weakness in theory or approach, indecisiveness, ingenuiness, and other qualities which define weak character or leadership. In order to win a teens trust, facilitators and coaches must exude authentic leadership abilities.

The following elements are required when mentoring life skills to youth:

Step One: Surface feelings."Permit teens to express where they are at and vent points of view without judgment."
Step Two: Name the problem. "What would you say is the problem?" "Does something need to change?"
Step Three: Locate desires. "What would you like to happen?" "What do you desire to accomplish?"
Step Four: Brainstorm solutions."What would it take to acquire your desires?"
Step Five: Evaluate each possible solution. "What are the pros and cons of each solution?"
Step Six: Choose the best solution. "Given the pros and cons of each solution, what makes the most sense?""Which solution will best help to achieve your desires?"
Step Seven: Develop and implement a plan."What is the first steps required in order to begin your vision? The second? The third?"
Step Eight: Use awareness to for coarse correction of your plan. "What positive results have occurred since you began your plan?" "What tools have you acquired since the beginning of your plan?" "What is the next step of your plan?"

Program Benefits

Expected benefits for each participant include progress toward:

* Developing a positive sense of belonging to school and to a productive peer group
* Academic improvement.
* Improved social behavior, attitudes, personal responsibility, and decision-making
* Improved, or maintained regular, attendance at school
* Improved relations with family and community members.
* Prevention of teen pregnancy:As individual students in developing more positive attitudes about themselves, their families, their peers, and their school. Once a sense of belonging to a positive group is firmly established, social learning can continue that focuses on positive life choices -- specifically organized around the issues of teen pregnancy, physical and substance abuse, and academic success. Specialists in these areas work with each group on a weekly basis.

Mentoring & Outside Support

There are many kinds of mentoring: school-based, community-based, faith-based, peer mentoring, e-mentoring (use of technology such as e-mail to facilitate and/or support a mentor/mentee relationship), and career-vocational mentoring. Mentoring is one way to ensure that a teen perceives that there are those who authentically care about the teen and are willing to offer their time to help the teen whether inside or outside of school.

Indicators of a successful mentoring relationship include frequency of contact, emotional closeness, and longevity of the match. Mentoring researchers caution people that one should not expect that a mentor will solve all the child's problems, including attendance, and that a mentor program will automatically mean other strategies don't need to be in place. Ideally, a mentoring program should be part of the comprehensive plan for increasing attendance.

For more information about designing, implementing, and evaluating mentoring programs visit NWREL's National Mentoring Center Web site . The site also has information on training curricula, program guidebooks, and a database of more than 5,000 mentoring programs across the country.

Statistics Partnership

Through ongoing monitoring and evaluation, i.e., tracking attendance, grades, school behavior, involvement with juvenile court, and evidence of physical or substance abuse and pregnancy, statistics will be compiled for analysis and feedback for program impact and development.

“I realized a lot… like I can make choices. I realized that I can do something in my life. It got me thinking about my future.”
- Manuel K.