WEBVTT 00:00:05.046 --> 00:00:06.286 My name is Russ Rumberger. 00:00:06.286 --> 00:00:09.276 I'm a Professor of Education at the University California, Santa Barbara. 00:00:09.706 --> 00:00:12.036 I direct the California Dropout Research Project, 00:00:12.036 --> 00:00:16.366 and I was the member of IES panel that produced the Practice Guide on Dropout Prevention. 00:00:17.036 --> 00:00:22.466 One of the characteristics of dropouts is that they- first of all, they're all individuals, 00:00:22.466 --> 00:00:25.726 so they have different needs and characteristics and potential problems, 00:00:25.766 --> 00:00:33.396 but the problems can range from academic problems only to social and emotional problems or both. 00:00:34.116 --> 00:00:38.656 In other words, there are lots of different reasons that students may be struggling in school, 00:00:38.736 --> 00:00:41.486 not attending school, and ultimately drop out of school. 00:00:41.486 --> 00:00:47.146 And at least some of them have to do with the social-behavioral side of their lives, 00:00:47.146 --> 00:00:48.816 not necessarily the academic side. 00:00:48.816 --> 00:00:52.276 And of course the two are related because if they are having social emotional issues 00:00:52.276 --> 00:00:55.406 or problems, it can interfere with their ability to concentrate, learn, 00:00:55.406 --> 00:00:56.696 do homework and things like that. 00:00:56.696 --> 00:01:00.756 So, it's one dimension of the problem that needs to be addressed. 00:01:00.806 --> 00:01:04.135 So, the question is then if there are those kinds of problems 00:01:04.135 --> 00:01:07.246 or issues for the students, what can a school do about it? 00:01:07.246 --> 00:01:12.886 And there's two essential approaches, which is one of them is having outside agencies 00:01:12.886 --> 00:01:17.446 or outside services provide the supports that students need. 00:01:17.446 --> 00:01:24.246 And some schools may be able to do that through having a list of counseling services 00:01:24.246 --> 00:01:28.536 or independent agencies or whoever that they can refer either students to 00:01:28.536 --> 00:01:30.596 or families to, to provide those services. 00:01:31.356 --> 00:01:35.526 Or they can try to do something internal in the school, that is, provide some kind of support, 00:01:35.776 --> 00:01:42.256 training, or whatever that deals with the emotional-behavioral side of the problem. 00:01:42.806 --> 00:01:46.396 And even within the school, then, I would say there are two approaches. 00:01:46.396 --> 00:01:48.916 One is the more formal one, and one is the more informal one. 00:01:48.916 --> 00:01:53.736 The formal one is in the form of a curriculum or training that students may go 00:01:53.736 --> 00:02:00.466 through to teach them some social skills to help them get along, 00:02:00.466 --> 00:02:03.446 to help them deal with whatever social issues are confronting them. 00:02:03.816 --> 00:02:08.166 Another way to do it is more informally, that is beyond the ten-week formal curriculum, 00:02:08.166 --> 00:02:10.886 you need to use those skills or use those practices 00:02:10.886 --> 00:02:13.516 and reinforce them in your day-to-day interactions. 00:02:13.996 --> 00:02:17.916 There are some schools where most of the kids are probably doing well, 00:02:18.736 --> 00:02:21.636 most of the kids are graduating and progressing, 00:02:21.636 --> 00:02:25.016 but there will always be some kids who need extra support. 00:02:25.486 --> 00:02:32.956 So, in that situation then, I think setting up some kind of program that targets that group 00:02:32.956 --> 00:02:35.146 of students, however big they are, but let's say, 00:02:35.146 --> 00:02:38.296 in the schools where they should be a relatively smaller group, 00:02:38.766 --> 00:02:42.206 you could set up a program that addresses them in different ways, you know, 00:02:42.206 --> 00:02:45.776 through having counselors, advocates, or the like. 00:02:46.156 --> 00:02:49.746 That is very different, though, than schools where most 00:02:49.746 --> 00:02:51.916 of the kids could be identified as at risk. 00:02:51.956 --> 00:02:56.246 That is, where the school itself, some people might say, is dysfunctional or where there is just 00:02:56.246 --> 00:03:01.466 so many kids that virtually everybody would benefit from these kind of support services. 00:03:01.466 --> 00:03:05.326 That's a whole different strategy, in my mind, 00:03:05.326 --> 00:03:08.906 of changing your whole environment and, of course, much harder to do. 00:03:09.356 --> 00:03:12.456 The centerpiece of it, which is related to one of the other recommendations 00:03:12.456 --> 00:03:16.016 in the practice guide, is about creating this personalized learning environment. 00:03:16.116 --> 00:03:20.496 And what that means practically is essentially creating small schools 00:03:20.496 --> 00:03:25.066 or a small learning community or something that personalizes that environment. 00:03:25.226 --> 00:03:30.206 Many kids who are at risk of failure have experienced failure in the past 00:03:30.206 --> 00:03:36.116 and maybe most of their school lives, and they've received very little positive reinforcement. 00:03:36.116 --> 00:03:39.266 Maybe their grades are not very good, maybe they've had behavior issues, 00:03:39.266 --> 00:03:40.866 they've been disciplined or whatever, 00:03:41.276 --> 00:03:46.146 and they haven't received much positive reinforcement and positive feedback. 00:03:46.146 --> 00:03:48.986 So, all students benefit from it, 00:03:49.076 --> 00:03:52.896 but I would say the students who are at greatest risk would benefit the most from it 00:03:52.896 --> 00:03:55.546 because they probably receive the least of it in their lives. 00:03:56.136 --> 00:03:59.366 So, one of the things that can be done-and this is really, again, 00:03:59.366 --> 00:04:03.506 just a function of the counselor or the person who may be providing some 00:04:03.506 --> 00:04:09.566 of this more personal counseling or support, but the school as a whole-is to have recognition. 00:04:09.806 --> 00:04:13.866 You know, to have-and it can be schoolwide recognition, it can be public recognition, 00:04:13.866 --> 00:04:15.336 it can be more private recognition. 00:04:15.336 --> 00:04:19.245 But I would say probably public recognition at least should be part of that package. 00:04:19.245 --> 00:04:26.696 So, just the way schools, for example, celebrate athletes or the top academic honors, 00:04:27.006 --> 00:04:32.126 there may be other ways of acknowledging students and recognizing them for other, 00:04:32.126 --> 00:04:35.606 maybe lesser accomplishments, but they can be made 00:04:35.606 --> 00:04:38.976 to feel important enough that they've also received them.