At Risk Students
Definition
The term at-risk is often used to describe students or groups of students who are considered to have a higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school. The term may be applied to students who face circumstances that could jeopardize their ability to complete school, such as homelessness, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in the case of migrant-worker families), or other conditions, or it may refer to learning disabilities, low test scores, disciplinary problems, grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could adversely affect the educational performance and attainment of some students. While educators often use the term at-risk to refer to general populations or categories of students, they may also apply the term to individual students who have raised concerns—based on specific behaviors observed over time—that indicate they are more likely to fail or drop out.
Retrieved from: https://www.edglossary.org/at-risk/
Characteristics
- Physical disabilities and learning disabilities
- Prolonged or persistent health issues
- Habitual truancy, incarceration history, or adjudicated delinquency
- Family welfare or marital status
- Parental educational attainment, income levels, employment status, or immigration status
- Households in which the primary language spoken is not English
Retrieved from: https://www.edglossary.org/at-risk/
At-risk students are students who are not experiencing success in school and are potential dropouts. They are usually low academic achievers who exhibit low self-esteem. Disproportionate numbers of them are males and minorities. Generally they are from low socioeconomic status families. Students who are both low income and minority status are at higher risk; their parents may have low educational backgrounds and may not have high educational expectations for their children.
At-risk students tend not to participate in school activities and have a minimal identification with the school. They have disciplinary and truancy problems that lead to credit problems. They exhibit impulsive behavior and their peer relationships are problematic. Family problems, drug addictions, pregnancies, and other problems prevent them from participating successfully in school. As they experience failure and fall behind their peers, school becomes a negative environment that reinforces their low self-esteem.
Retrieved from: https://www.ericdigests.org/pre-928/risk.htm
Helping At Risk Students
- How This Simple Approach Can Dramatically Help At-Risk Students https://schoolleadersnow.weareteachers.com/helping-at-risk-students/
- The Four Keys to Helping At-Risk Kids https://www.edutopia.org/strategies-help-at-risk-students
- Helping At-Risk Students Succeed https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/02/at-risk-students
- Classroom Strategies for Helping At-Risk Students http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105106.aspx
- Empowering At-Risk Students to Succeed
- http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov94/vol52/num03/Empowering_At-Risk_Students_to_Succeed.aspx
- Helping At-Risk Students Meet Standards
- https://education.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/casei/mcrel_HelpingAtRiskmeetstandards.pdf
Resources
Articles from various sources:
- At-Risk Students. ERIC Digest Series Number 21. https://www.ericdigests.org/pre-928/risk.htm
- Identifying Struggling Students https://www.ncld.org/identifying-struggling-students
- Who Are At-Risk Students? How Do We Help Them? http://www.teach-nology.com/edleadership/at_risk/
- Early Warning Indicators Identify At-Risk Students https://eyeonearlyeducation.com/2012/04/04/early-warning-indicators-identify-at-risk-students/
Videos:
- In customized classrooms, at-risk students thrive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lzs4CdMNtA
- Let's Address the Needs of Critically At-Risk Youth | Donna Dukes | TEDxBirmingham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1_DJh10Mgs
- Educating "At Risk Youth" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr7bnV3P7JI
- Title 1 School Speaker | Jeremy Anderson | Motivation for At Risk Youth Students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SWpuph9YNQ