Community Resources and School Performance: The Northern Cheyenne Case

This research investigates the school performance of Indian students on the Northern Cheyenne reservation using both quantitative and qualitative data. Understanding influences on school performance is important since previous research established its impact on dropout behavior. Statistical analyses assess the relative effects of students' residence in reservation communities, the type of schools students attend (public. Catholic, or tribal), gender, family characteristics, and school experience variables. Findings reveal the importance of students' community residence for explaining performance levels at the two Indian schools, the tribally controlled and Catholic schools, and school experiences for understanding performance of the non-Indian public school students. Qualitative data on contextual factors for communities and schools help to explain how community characteristics such as population size, community access to the school, support for education, and traditional culture interact with the specific schools serving the community. This research suggests that contrary to conventional analyses of American Indian assimilation, the traditional culture, social resources, and interaction patterns of students' communities can have positive effects on students' schooling outcomes.     

Hidden school dropout among immigrant students: a cross-sectional study

Actual school dropout among immigrant youth has been addressed in a number of studies, but research on hidden school dropout among immigrant students is rare. Thus, the objective of this paper is to analyze hidden school dropout among primary school students with an immigrant background. The analyses were performed using survey data of 1186 immigrant students in Swiss primary schools. Our results show that immigrant students’ academic achievement, their attitudes towards school-related values, and the quality of their relationships with classmates and teachers were significant predictors of their disengagement during classes. Moreover, our findings strongly suggest that those predictors that are important for actual school dropout are crucial for hidden school dropout as well. We conclude that low-achieving immigrant youth who do not value school and who have poor relationships with teachers and peers are especially at risk of hidden and, eventually, of actual school dropout.     

Do we have what it takes to put all students on the graduation path?

According to current estimates, more than a quarter of all students and over 40 percent of African American and Hispanic students do not graduate from high school on time. The vast majority of those young people who do not graduate with their peers drop out. The enormous costs to these individuals, their communities, and our society require us to invest in systems that accurately identify young people at risk of dropping out and provide the supports necessary to keep them on track to graduation. This chapter offers a framework for action that calls on communities to identify the scale and scope of the dropout problem and understand why students disengage from school; transform or replace low-performing schools; install early warning and multitiered response systems that provide comprehensive, targeted, and intensive supports to students in and out of school; establish supportive policies and resource allocations; and build community will and capacity so positive changes are deeply implemented and sustained.     

University-assisted community school program of West Philadelphia: democratic partnerships that make a difference

The university-assisted community school model is showing results for children and youth in West Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania's (Penn's) Center for Community Partnerships has coordinated universitywide efforts, in partnership with the community, in order to create and develop community school programs. The Sayre program aims to become a university-assisted community school, with a comprehensive community problem-solving curriculum and communitywide program that is fully integrated across both the Sayre curriculum and the curriculum of a number of Penn's schools. The Penn-Sayre project demonstrates that higher education can be a permanent anchor for revitalizing schools and communities if the vast resources it possesses, particularly its faculty, students, and staff, are brought to bear in a coordinated fashion.     

Full-service community schools: cause and outcome of public engagement

Public Education Network (PEN)-a national organization of local education funds (LEFs)-along with individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education, embarked on an initiative to address the academic, enrichment, and social support needs of young people to ensure their success in and out of school. PEN's Schools and Community Initiative called for the active participation of broad constituencies-policymakers, stakeholders, and the public-at-large-to create and implement their common vision for full-service community schools. By engaging broad constituencies across communities, LEFs have been able to build strong relationships between and among community institutions under a common vision.     

Pathways to Ready Schools

To encourage communities to play a more significant role in getting kids ready for school and schools ready for kids, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation launched Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) in 2001. This nationwide initiative emphasized community-based collaboration and the development of strategic infrastructures to support early care and education and school readiness among at-risk children. As part of this initiative, the authors were charged with developing a definition of a ready school. Following consultation with experts, a literature review, and four site visits, the authors identified the following nine pathways to ready schools: children succeed in school; a welcoming atmosphere; leadership; connections to early care and education; connecting culturally and linguistically with children and families; parental involvement; partnering with the community; using assessment results for individual student progress and improving school performance; and quality improvement including professional development and training.     

The new dropout challenge: bridging gaps among students, parents, and teachers

Interview and survey data reveal significant disconnects among the insights and perspectives of dropouts, parents, teachers, and administrators on the causes and solutions to the dropout challenge. Many educators, for example, do not see boredom as a factor for most dropouts, while young people who drop out see it as the central cause. The author argues that if these disconnects are not more fully understood and bridged, they will continue to set back efforts to keep more students in school and on track to graduate ready for postsecondary education. Models for how communities can engage these constituencies in productive dialogue and transformative action are included in reports and in Grad Nation, a guidebook that helps communities tackle their dropout crises.     

Instrumental relationships and high expectations: exploring critical care in two Latino community‐based schools

Using in‐depth interviewing, participant observations, and the review of historical and curricular documents, this paper describes and analyzes two Latino community‐based small high schools—the Dr Pedro Albizu Campos High School (PACHS) and El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice (El Puente). The findings suggest that these schools are successful because they foment a culture of high academic expectations for their students, value high‐quality interpersonal relationships between students and teachers, and privilege the funds of knowledge that students and their respective communities bring to school. Based on these findings, a theory of critical care emerges that embodies these necessary conditions if small high schools created for and by communities of color are to succeed. Finally, the implications of this theory of critical care and its impact are discussed within the framework of small urban high school reform in the US.     

How do vulnerable youth complete secondary education? The key role of families and the community

This article demonstrates how the engagement of families and other community members in decision-making processes in a school may prevent early school leaving among vulnerable youth and simultaneously increase their enrolment in secondary education. Based on a large-scale, EU-funded study, this article focuses on the case of one school located in a deprived area inhabited mainly by Roma people – one of the vulnerable populations most affected by early school leaving – where a specific egalitarian participatory process of Roma families was implemented. According to the analysis of the collected data, this participation contributed to a reduction in student dropout rates during primary education, led to the implementation of compulsory secondary education in the same school, and increased the numbers of students who graduated from secondary school. These achievements transformed the educational and social prospects of vulnerable youth who were following the path to failure and who now dream of continuing their studies. Furthermore, these youth are acting as role models for younger children in primary education, helping to prevent school dropout and early school leaving from early ages. The case shows how the community participation in decision-making processes transformed the climate and expectations regarding education in the neighbourhood.     

Through city students' eyes: urban students' beliefs about school's purposes,supports and impediments

Studying the ‘visible curriculum’ of city schools in the United States cannot begin with the assumption that students and teachers are, in fact, present in or graduating from these institutions. In the city setting in which this article's photographic investigation took place high school dropout rates have remained at or above 50% for better than three decades. Rather than concentrating narrowly on the curriculum of what can be seen in school, the research on which this article reports began with a photographic inquiry into urban youths' foundational perceptions of school itself, as well as the impediments and supports to school success of which these students are aware. This inquiry reveals some of the reasons behind the multi‐generational community disengagement that have led to the strained relationship to schools represented by these graduation rate statistics. Grounded in critical pedagogy, ‘new literacy’ and visual sociology traditions, this study looked to visually based mechanisms for research tools with which city students are already proficient. The findings presented here suggest that not only can these tools provide previously inaccessible data on school detachment, they can also supply insights into what school means to these youth and what might support their re‐engagement with these institutions.     

Teachers and health workers: partners in primary health care. Experiences from Papua New Guinea

Primary health care (PHC) involves community health education. When health priorities in rural communities are focused on the vulnerable under-5-years-of-age group then one has to examine who actually cares for this age group and what are the most appropriate means of reaching them through health education programs. In the context of rural communities in Papua New Guinea the linking of school and community health programs has been taking place. Examples and insights from programs where teachers and health workers attempted to find appropriate channels for integrating child and adult education in order to improve the health status of the very young child are described. The school programs used a child to child approach to develop in children a sense of shared responsibility with adults towards better health for themselves, younger children in their care and the environment of the community. The goal was a health program that applied to the whole community, where division between child and adult learning activities was not so sharply drawn, and where formal school programs and nonformal community education programs were to complement and contribute to each other. A campaign against infant diarrhea and death through dehydration was implemented. As a result of a 3-day planning workshop a program was drawn up for schools and communities. The workshop covered causes of diarrhea, fluid loss and dehydration, simple preventive and curative measures, essential hygiene habits and current community practices. Teachers, health workers and community leaders fashioned a program of activities for school children and adults. It was discovered that adults often feel a barrier between themselves and the child's school learning. Also, a gap often exists between what is taught in school and what is needed and can be applied to community health priorities. Thus, an effective community health education program that includes both children and adults in an integrated program will need to cover the varying ages and groups of community members who, with different degrees of responsibility, take care of themselves and others.     

Rural Students’ Social Capital in the College Search and Application Process

Although the growing mandate for higher education creates challenges for students in rural areas, rural high school graduates currently attend college at a rate similar to their peers in other locale types. Prior research has attributed this accomplishment to family, school, and community social capital, yet the processes through which students translate social capital into educational attainment remain unspecified. This study examines how successful rural students access and engage various forms of social capital during the college search and application process. Analysis of semistructured interviews with 30 college graduates from communities throughout one predominantly rural state showed that family social capital provided most students with generalized support, but college‐specific guidance tended to correlate with parental education and income. Most students benefited from school social capital, primarily through pro‐college climate, peer networks, teachers, guidance counselors, and academic tracking. Students accessed community social capital through supportive youth and adult interactions, extended family ties, and a caring community, but these forms of social capital did not explicitly support the college search process. Although quantitative studies have operationalized family, school, and community social capital as distinct concepts, this study argues that these constructs cannot be disentangled given the interconnectedness of rural families, schools, and communities.     

Active transportation to support diabetes prevention: Expanding school health promotion programming in an Indigenous community

BackgroundSchool-based physical activity (PA) interventions, including school active transportation (AT), provide opportunities to increase daily PA levels, improves fitness, and reduces risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Based on a community-identified need, the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project, within an Indigenous community, undertook school travel planning to contribute to PA programming for two elementary schools.MethodsUsing community-based participatory research, the Active & Safe Routes to School’s School Travel Planning (STP) process was undertaken in two schools with an STP-Committee comprised of community stakeholders and researchers. STP activities were adapted for local context including: school profile form, family survey, in-class travel survey, pedestrian-traffic observations, walkability checklist, and student mapping.ResultsSTP data were jointly collected, analyzed and interpreted by researchers and community. Traffic-pedestrian observations, walkability and parent surveys identified key pedestrian-traffic locations, helped develop safe/direct routes, and traffic calming strategies. In-class travel and mapping surveys identified a need and student desire to increase school AT. The STP-Committee translated findings into STP-action plans for two schools, which were implemented in 2014–2015 school year.ConclusionsCombining CBPR with STP merges community and researcher expertise. This project offered evidence-informed practice for active living promotions. Experience and findings could benefit Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.     

‘The status quo is not an option’: Community impacts of school closure in South Taranaki,New Zealand

This paper explores the impacts of proposed school closures on families in rural communities in the South Taranaki region of New Zealand. We situate this instance of educational restructuring in a critical policy context and present an account of its regional unfolding through drawing on local media coverage. We then interpret narratives gathered during an interview-based study of the proposed changes undertaken in 2003–2004. Our analysis highlights the impact of school closure for rural settlements in terms of affect as well as effects. More generally we reflect on the place of schools in the experience of place itself, as well as their contribution to social cohesion and the broadly defined health of a community.     

Graduation outcomes for truant students: An evaluation of a school-based,court-engaged community truancy board with case management

The present study evaluated school completion outcomes (i.e., graduation versus dropout) as they related to the implementation of a truancy reduction intervention. The intervention was characterized by the coupling of a school-based, court-engaged community truancy board and an approach to case management known as Check and Connect. The methodology involved comparing school outcomes of students with a history of truancy exposed to the intervention and a matched comparison group not exposed to the intervention. Preliminary analyses revealed the groups to be comparable with respect to characteristics of schools attended and individual demographic background and social risk factors. Results revealed higher graduation and GED attainment for children exposed to the intervention. Discussion focuses on the promise of programs that utilize school-court-community partnerships within a restorative justice/social support framework to respond to truancy.     

Harvesting Human Capital: Family Structure and Education Among Rural Youth1

Abstract Coleman's (1988) theory of family social capital provides a conceptual framework for assessing the relationship between several dimensions of family structure and school dropout rates among nonmetro-politan youth. This paper evaluates the extent to which higher rural than urban dropout rates are attributable to spatial differences in family structure (e.g., living arrangements, family size, and early childbearing) or economic resources (e.g., poverty) and estimates the differential effects of family structure and poverty on school dropout rates in nonmetropolitan areas, suburbs, and central cities. Data are drawn from the March 1990 Current Population Survey. Results indicate that residential differences in family structure account for a relatively small part of the higher dropout rates found in rural areas. Rural youth's experience with poverty appears to matter more. The educational effects of family structure are nevertheless strong in rural areas, albeit somewhat smaller than in suburban areas, owing perhaps to compensating forms of social capital found in rural areas. The results suggest that studies of dropout behavior—in rural or urban areas—must acknowledge the potentially large role of family structure and economic resources on the educational achievement process.     

Integrating community ergonomics with educational ergonomics--designing community systems to support classroom learning

This paper offers a conceptual framework, bolstered by empirical evidence, for two conclusions: (1) that variability in student learning is prominently influenced by ergonomic design features, not only of classrooms and school systems, but also of surrounding communities; and (2) a systems concept of learning environments therefore is required to support student learning, based on integrating educational with community ergonomics. Educational system design factors known to strongly influence student learning first are reviewed. One of the most prominent of these is the socioeconomic status of communities in which schools are housed. Independent lines of evidence then are introduced that may account for how and why community design affects learning. The paper closes with recommendations for persuading policymakers and educators that closer integration of school system operations and functions with those of the surrounding community, with a central goal of upgrading community design conditions, represents a highly promising opportunity for improving student learning performance. One major challenge is to heighten awareness that learning environments outside the classroom are as or more important as those inside, in terms of influencing not only test but broader educational and societal trajectories of children.     

Do neighborhood conditions affect high school dropout and college graduation rates?

This article estimates the effects of neighborhood conditions on the educational attainment of young people. Using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to measure the background characteristics of young people and their educational attainment at age 25 and the U.S. Census to describe the characteristics of the neighborhoods in which respondents lived between ages 14 and 18, the paper estimates neighborhood effects separately for blacks and whites and tests for nonlinearities and important interactions in these effects. We find that neighborhood characteristics influence educational attainment among young people, but do so differently for black and white youth. Among black youth, growing up in neighborhoods with wealthier residents, more two parent families, and a greater percentage of workers in professional or managerial occupations leads to a substantial decrease in the high school dropout rate. These neighborhood characteristics do not affect the probability of graduating from college, however. Neighborhood effects among black youth occur primarily among those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Among white youth, neighborhood conditions positively affect the probability of graduating from college but do not significantly affect the high school dropout rate. These effects are concentrated among those from relatively advantaged backgrounds.     

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, DROPOUT RATES AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

This paper examines the effect of Catholic schooling on high-school dropout rates and educational attainment. Particular attention is given to the effect of selection into the Catholic school sector. After adjusting for self-selection, we find that sophomores in the Catholic schools are still substantially more likely to graduate with their class. It is also shown that seniors in the Catholic schools are not more likely to acquire more schooling than other seniors if selection is taken into account.     

School connectedness in community and residential treatment schools: The influence of gender, grades, and engagement in treatment

This study compared perceptions of school connectedness to traditional community schools and residential treatment center (RTC) schools for youths between the ages of 12 and 18 receiving treatment within two RTCs. The influence of gender, report card grades, and engagement in treatment were also examined in relation to school connectedness in the RTC schools. Findings indicated that youths reported greater connectedness to the residential schools and that engagement in treatment led to higher levels of school connectedness while in residence. Results are discussed in the context of practices that may increase school connectedness in community and RTC schools.