ERIC ED375191: Educational Reform: Dropouts, Culture, and Minorities. Implications for Educators.

22 Pages·1994·0.38 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
UD 029 943
ED 375 191
Henry, Mildred Dalton
AUTHOR
Educational Reform: Dropouts, Culture, and
TITLE
Minorities. Implications for Educators.
PUB DATE
94
NOTE
22p.
Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, essays, etc.)
PUB TYPE
Descriptive (141)
Reports
(120)
MF01/PC01 Plus P:)stage.
EDRS PRICE
*Community Education; *Dropout Prevention; *Dropout
DESCRIPTORS
Programs; Economically Disadvantaged; *Educational
Change; Ethnic Groups; *High Risk Students; Minority
Groups; Prevention; *Program Effectiveness; Secondary
Education
Diversity (Student); Reform Efforts
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This paper addresses educational reform as it affects
dropouts, minorities, diverse cultures, training programs, and
community-based education. Effective dropout-prevention models are
presented that address the needs of at-risL populations. The author
states that much dropout prevention and reclamation takes place off
of school district campuses and suggests that many community-based
educational programs are having a significant impact on prevention
and recovery. Several programs are highlighted such as Alternative
Street Academy, Project Early Outreach, Operation RETAIN (Rescue
Educational Training and Initiative Now), Teens for Responsible
Behavior, Project Earn and Learn, RETAIN II, Operation Reclaim,
Operation Read/Project Citizen, and the Substance Abuse and Gang
Intervention Program. Several reasons are attributed to the success
of these programs, including offering individualized education;
having proper role models; having a culturally, ethnically.
bilingually, and socioeconomically sensitive staff; and using
individualized services from counseling volunteers, universities and
colleges, and the community. Despite these efforts, however, the high
dropout rate continues unabated, fueled by financial pressures, teen
pregnancies, cultural and ethnic differences, and high unemployment.
Financing validated, effective programs is part of the solution
recommended. Contains 15 references. (GLR)
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Minorities
Educational Reform: Dropouts, Culture and
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ABSTRACT
affects
reform
addresses educational
as
it
article
This
and
training programs,
dropouts, minorities, diverse cultures,
Effective models are presented that
community based education.
address the needs of at-risk populations.
3
Educational Reform
2
Dropouts, Culture and Minorities
Educational Reform:
Implications For Educators
studied and restudied; searched
The dropout problem has been
theoretically,
It has been empirically studied;
and researched.
environmentally, and
psychologically, affectively, behaviorally,
The problem persists.
cognitively studied.
systematic empirical approach
Some authors see the need for "a
variables that may cause or may
that focuses on proximal classroom
Other
(Edmonds, 1986).
amplify alienation among at-risk students"
of designs and
have responded with an enormous amount
researchers
models, however, the problem persists.
rate have been sought by
Reasons for the troublesome dropout
Richardson et al. (1989) suggest that the
scores of investigators.
resource personnel tremendously
typing of students by school
impacts teacher
in turn,
which,
affects teacher's perceptions,
Larkin and Chabay (1989) champions the
behaviors toward students.
Resnick
to increase cognitive skills.
use of motivating factors
of
use
the
and
interaction
peer
suggest
Klopfer
(1989)
and
critical thought.
"informal" student knowledge to foster
students (Farrell et al.,
We have studied at-risk high school
and
(Miller et
1988);
al.,
learning disabled students
1988),
defined
We have tested hypotheses:
elementary school studeets.
and behaviors; interviewed
terms and "labels"; observed classrooms
interpreted data; and
and school personnel;
parents,
students,
Still the dropout problem persists.
analyzed models.
Educational Reform
3
Denials Escalate Problem
rates, contrary
Many school districts label escalated dropout
and
"misinformed"
"miscounted,
as
to their
figures,
in-house
increasing
"miscalculated." However, one need only to look at the
during school hours to know
number of youths walking the streets
The problem will
that the dropout problem continues to escalate.
statistics to maintain
persist as long as we justify and falsify
the status quo or the status quo ante.
"publish or perish," or
Where do we go from here? Is it still
perish?" I agree that
do we now move into the arena of "practice or
but they
models,
educators should study empirically researched
and nroven-effective
should also analyze other behaviorally- tested
Failure to do so
community-based.
models, whether school-based or
problem.
will perpetuate a continuing educational
psychologists,
reform,
In order to have true educational
administrators and other educators must
teachers,
counselors,
We
individual performance.
accept individual behaviors based on
behaviors that cannot be boxed,
can no longer dismiss troublesome
"pathological."
classified, and couched in an empirical design, as
"we now have several
I concur with Kagan (1990) who stated,
studies that document a
decades of demographic and correlational
My question is, "how have at-
clear profile for students at risk.'
have
funded
dollars
Milii,ns
of
students benefitted?"
risk
who have little or
research, paid for high-salaried alninistrators
populations, and produced study after
no relevance to targeted
little
The "old-boy network" has been perpetuated and very
study.
Educational Reform
4
students.
the
to
filtered
money
has
reform"
"educational
Consequently, the dropout .problem persists.
models tested in
We continuously empirically study theoretical
However, too often, it appears
structured school environments.
consideration.
that other "practitioner" models are not worthy of
shown on television
For instance, most "educational reform" models
In spite of these highly touted
are school district classrooms.
persists.
classroom reform models, the dropout problem
reform
Until we honestly assess the above issues, educational
will continue to be the ioke of the century!
Community-Based Education
reclamation of
suggest that much dropout prevention and
I
Many commu-
education takes place off school district campuses.
significant impact in
nity-based educational programs are making a
These programs, however, are
dropout prevention and recovery.
adversaries
media-ignored, financially-starved, and perceived as
of
Since the
goal
overall
than educational
allies.
rather
competitive
education is to prepare an educated, skilloriented,
should be
citizenry, effective "alternative" educational programs
given the credence they deserve.
meaning
"Alternative" is a derivative of the Latin "alter",
However, I prefer the common use of the term,
the second of two.
This use of
the
teria
meaning one of
several possibilities.
"alternative" places the emphasis on OUTCOME rather than process.
"alternative' is
In this context, much of the stigma attached to
removed.
f;
Educational Reform
5
partnerships must be
Instead of engaging in "turf wars",
community-based organizations,
forged between school districts and
entities,
higher education and store-front educational
between
training
job-specific
and
academia
"intellectual"
between
dropout tide
All must work collaboratively to stem the
facilities.
and prepare educated, employable citizens.
the dropout-prevention
such collaborative effort was
One
Unified School District
agreement between the San Bernardino City
community-based Provisional Educational
(SBCUSD) and non-profit,
California.
San Bernardino,
(PESI),
in
Incorporated
Services,
Provisional
the
facility,
training
through
its
PESI,
Alternative Street
Accelerated Learning (PAL) Center, operated the
The Academy provided 10 hours of in-
Academy (ASA) in 1990-91.
counseling
10 hours If outside assignments, and
class instruction,
Youth who would
students.
to suspended and expulsion-revoked
"on-the-streets" were actively engaged
ordinarily be unsupervised
computer-assisted
in behavioral co nseling, and in teacher and
learning.
who
January 1991,
Of 30 enrollees between September 1990 and
Wide Range Achievement Test, one
were pre and post-tested with the
increased
participant maintained grade level, the other enrollees
By June
levels.
their reading and math scores by one to four grade
and 80%
They were 88% male
89 students had enrolled.
1991,
suspension or
These youths, whose behavior warranted
minority.
expulsion, had a 90% attendance rate in the ASA program.
Educational Reform
6
Dropout Prevention and Intervention Programs
of several drop-
The Alternative Street Academy was only one
at the commu-
out-prevention, intervention, and recovery programs
nity-based PAL Center.
counseling and
a Saturday morning
Project Early Outreach,
children, originally funded
tutorial program for elementary school
children, enrolled 96 children
by the City of San Bernardino for 60
Subsequent fund-
applicants.
and established a waiting list of 38
again,
students and,
enrolled
23
ing from McDonnell Douglas,
a waiting list.
established
Initiative
Operation RETAIN (Rescue Educational Training and
training, counseling, GED
Now) provided academic tutoring, computer
and employment
preparation, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL),
Funded by
youth.
skill training for low-income 14 to 21-year-old
(PIC), this
Industry Council
the San Bernardino County Private
its seven years of
youth
in
program has serviced over 1,200
100
During 1988-89, although originally contracted for
operation.
cessation of enrollment two months
youth, 191 were enrolled before
Enrollment was again stopped
prematurely due to lack of funding.
In subsequent years, we were
two months early during 1989-90.
instructed to refrain from over - enrolling.
especially notewor-
The cultural diversity of the students was
participants revealed 15.73%
A March 1990-91 enrollment of 89
thy.
16.85% were African-American,
of the students were Caucasian,
Chinese and
33.71% were Hispanic, 6.74% were Vietnamese, 2.25% were
24.72% were Asian and Pacific Islanders.
Educational Reforn
7
male and female
Teens for Responsible Behavior, a program for
stressed pregnancy prevention
teenagers, coordinated by a male,
and parenting responsibilities.
employment
Project Earn and Learn, an eight-week summer youth
minimum wage and placed them
program, hired 100 low-income youth at
Funded by the San
jobs.
on interest and skill-related summer
Career Training and
Department of
and
Bernardino County
PIC
job sites Monday
Development, these 14 to 21-- year -olds worked on
four classes at
through Thursday and on Friday they rotated through
at San Bernardino.
California State University
of
funded by the California State Department
RETAIN
II,
data-entry, GED
Education offered free computer word-processing,
old
preparation and academic remediation to eligible 16 to 45 year-
individuals.
(GAIN)
Operation Reclaim, a Greater Avenues to Independence
GED
education,
basic
adult
provided
program,
reform
welfare
training to forty
counseling and computer skill
preparation,
Children (AFDC).
recipients of Aid for Families with Dependent
and
adult-literacy
an
Operation Read/Project Citizen,
provided basic remediaticn to non-
training program,
amnesty
limited-English-speaking
and
speaking,
non-English
readers,
Over 150 participants were served.
participants.
(SAGIP),
a
Substance Abuse and Gang Intervention Program
(Substance
traveling anti drug/gang/AIDS display featuring SAM
from the U.S.
second year
funding
Abuse Mobile)
its
in
II,
traveled to 101 sites,
Department of Health and Human Resources,
Educational Reform
8
impacted another 300,000 via
had 76,000 walk-through visitors, and
TV and radio exposure.
the anti-drug
Self-Destruct, an anti-gang and drug video, and
superhero, funded by
comic book, Mighty Medic, featuring a Black
have become very prominent
Department of Education,
the U.S.
Over 9,970 free copies
components of the SAM II traveling display.
of Mighty Medic have been distributed,
California State
The PAL Center has also been certified as a
Educational Clinic.
Department of Education dropout-recovery SB65
Community-based Education Plays Vital Role
play a
Performance-proven community-based educational centers
However, these
vital role in dropout prevention and recovery.
recognized by the educational
programs and students are rarely
Extremely high-risk
community for their literacy contributions.
recently
such as the mother of 12 children who
participants,
highly praised for
attained her GED at the PAL Center, should be
Participants
overcoming multiple barriers to return to school.
with gangs, and to
resist tremendous peer pressure to affiliate
and crime activity.
engage in drug
minority neighborhood that
The PAL Center is located in a 94%
rates, and low
is high in crime, high in dropout and unemployment
There are three
community services and positive modeling.
in
It is
block.
liquor stores and an "adult" night club in the same
positive training is
absolutely essential that counseUng_and
Mitchem (1990) states:
available in these communities.
IU