Transcript KEEPING YOUTH IN SCHOOL

LISTENING TO WHAT
YOUTH HAVE TO SAY
IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?
IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?
SETTING THE CONTEXT:
PRETEST
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What show has been among the top 5 cable shows
for 5 years and running?
In The World Is Flat, the 4th most Googled item for
april of 2004 was?
$8, 777,221,240,095 ($29,200 per citizen) refers to?
What ___% of students report, as 9th graders,
wanting a high school education?
The employment rate of all dropouts is ____ that of
peers who finish high school
A life of crime costs over $___ million
What percentage of adult services or public schools
actively recruit school dropouts?
70% to 80% of whom are school dropouts?
$380,000 more to $1.3 million more refers to _______
Last month, OSEP reported an ‘official’ graduation
INSIGHT INTO IMPROVING
HIGH SCHOOL: FIVE POINTS OF
EMPHASIS
IDEAS from the perspective of former and
current students
 SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA
 EFFECTIVE TEACHING (from all students)
 SUMMATION OF HOW KFC RELATES TO
WHAT YOU DO NEXT WEEK
 RED PAPER CLIP and your 3rd chance to
get a ‘free’ dinner
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PART ONE: WHAT FORMER
STUDENTS HAVE TAUGHT US
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75% REPORT ‘DROPPING OUT’ BEFORE 8TH GRADE
75% LEAVE ASAP
LESS THAN 5% REPORT TALKING TO SOMEONE AT
SCHOOL ABOUT DROPPING OUT
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS REPORT VERY
DIFFERENT REASONS FOR STUDENTS DROPPING
OUT OF SCHOOL (PUSH V. PULL CONCEPT)
NO INTEREST IN COMING BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL,
YET OVER 67% REPORT AN INTEREST IN
FURTHER SCHOOLING
THEIR JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITED
BEYOND BELIEF
NEARLY 50% OF ALL GENERAL EDUCATION
DROPOUTS EARN A GED OR A HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMA
WHAT MOTIVATES YOUTH TO
BE IN SCHOOL?
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT (3 to 5 times as
influential as any other motivation)
 SOCIALIZING WITH PEERS (2 times as
influential as the remaining 3 motivations)
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Miscellaneous
 Participate in School Activities
 Please another adult (parent or teacher)
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Note: These results have held across studies on in school students, general and special education, and those who have
dropped out.
CURRENT STUDENTS’ BEST
PART OF HIGH SCHOOL?
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SOCIALIZING WITH THEIR PEERS
PARTICULAR CLASSES (useful, relevant,
successful)
POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH TEACHERS
(stress individual contacts or ones that generate
successful learning)
SPORTS
THE WORST PART?
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PARTICULAR CLASSES AND SCHOOL WORK
(FAILURE, TOO HARD, LACK OF PERCEIVED
RELEVANCE).
INTERACTIONS WITH PARTICULAR
TEACHERS (negative, demeaning)
LOSS OF PERSONAL FREEDOM TO MAKE
CHOICES (while in class & school)
WHAT WOULD HELP YOU TO BE
MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL
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DROPOUTS – A CHANGE IN TEACHER
ATTITUDE OR TEACHING STYLE; BETTER
INTERACTIONS WITH TEACHERS
CURRENT STUDENTS – ACCESS TO MORE
ACADEMIC SUPPORT, MORE RELEVANT
CLASSES & MORE ENJOYMENT IN SCHOOL
(group activities, hands on learning)
PART TWO: FOSTERING
SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL
ALGEBRA (MATH)
Math is reported by nearly 70% of our students
as being their least favorite class (nearly 50% of
all students)
 For Math they see the work as too difficult, too
complex, not relevant to their lives, and boring
 Algebra is the cornerstone class for postsecondary schooling
 Universal Design for Learning (Access,
Engagement, & Performance)
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THE CONTEXT FOR SEEING IF
UDL CAN WORK IN ALGEBRA
CLASSES
During one semester, student perceptions of 14
UDL-based interventions (8 were technology
based)
 714 total responses (12% special education)
 What did they like best about the 14
interventions?
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It was fun or enjoyable (35%)
Miscellaneous (13%)
The technology in some way (12%)
Collaborating with peers (11%)
No response or nothing (10%)
CONTINUED …
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What did you like least?
 Activity was boring (25%)
 Nothing (40%)
 Technology (12%)
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In comparison to your other academic classes (strongly
disagree to strongly agree):
 More enjoyable – 4.35
 Learned more important information – 4.06
 Information will help me more on the EOC – 4.14
 I stayed more on task – 4.21
 I worked harder – 4.17
 Want more of these type interventions: 95% yes
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
ABOUT IMPROVING HIGH
SCHOOL MATH
UDL inspired instructional activities generated
very high rates of reported satisfaction,
including perceived relevance, enjoyment, and
helpfulness (as compared to their other academic
classes)
 Students WANT to be engaged in relevant
learning, experience a level of enjoyment, and be
successful
 It can WORK
 There are lots of resources out there to do this
kind of stuff
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UDL FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF
TEACHERS
Change in high schools and adults is TOUGH
 High school settings have changed little over the
past 30 years (think JAWS)
 Most high school teachers do NOT buy into the
idea of student engagement as the key to
success and school completion
 Few teachers or administrators buy into the idea
of student feedback as means of evaluation
(but for these that do it has been amazing)
 Most teachers are reluctant to change their
habits or beliefs (despite offerings of money,
technology, and data)
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PART THREE: WHAT IS ‘GREAT’
TEACHING ACCORDING TO
STUDENTS
We have asked over 10,000 students and former
students to tell us about their best high school
teacher
 Over 85% of their descriptions fall into one of
three areas – positive or individual encounters,
helped me to learn in some way, and I KNEW
THEY CARED ABOUT ME
 Less than 2% of students have described it as
someone who was easy and less than 5% have not
responded (did not have a best teacher or opted to
not answer)
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DEFINING GREAT TEACHING IN
HIGH SCHOOLS
How do schools define it? How do you define it?
 Impact of letters and conversations with these
‘great’ teachers
 Are students correct? (if yes, how are we
recognizing it)
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PART FOUR: KFC AS A WAY FOR
IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL
SEVEN THINGS TO START
DOING NEXT WEEK THAT WILL
KEEP YOUTH IN SCHOOL
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ACCESS TO SUPPORTIVE
ADULTS AND ROLE
MODELS THAT ALIGN W/
CAREER AMBITIONS
(Personal development)
ACKNOWLEDGING
GREAT TEACHING
ENGAGEMENT IN THE
NON-ACADEMIC SIDE OF
SCHOOL (peers, sports,
school groups)
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POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE
EXPERIENCE RATIO
LINKING SERVICES TO
AN UNDERSTANDING OF
OUR CONSUMER
HELPING TEACHERS
IDENTIFY STUDENT
STRENGTHS
INTERVENTIONS OR
SERVICES THAT
MATCH YOUR UNIQUE
SITUATION
IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE?
We think so
ONE RED PAPERCLIP
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip