Factors at home:

Low socioeconomic status Numbers family responsibilities No parental involvement in school Low parental expectations Non-English speaking home Child abuse or neglect Domestic violence High mobility Homelessness Little opportunity for leaning outside of school Low education attainment of parent(s) One or more of these factors make a student at-risk of dropping out. How many of your students fall into this category?

School Related Factors:

* Excessive use of discipline methods such as suspensions * Disregard of individual student learning styles * Institutional racism * Lack of relevant curriculum * Large enrollment/class size * Lack of language instruction * Lack of participation in school governance by key constituents * Lack of effective student assessment * Lack of diversity in instructional styles * Lack of professional development opportunities * Lack of cross-cultural sensitivity * Lack of appropriate role models * Low expectations from staff * Low parent/community involvement in school * Negative and/or unsafe school environment * Passive instructional strategies * Raised academic standards without adequate school support * Rigid daily and weekly schedules * Segregation by ability grouping or tracking

Work with your table to compose a definition of poverty. You may use your own experience, your cell phone, laptop or tablet. One person from your group will share the definition with the whole group.

Emotional

and Social Challenges Acute and Chronic Stressor Cognitive Lags Health and Safety Issues

Attendance problems indicate negative parent attitudes toward school. Parents who did poorly in school themselves may have a negative attitude about their childrens schools (Freiberg, 1993) and, in an effort to protect them, may even discourage their children from participating (Morrison-Gutman & McLoyd, 2000).

These parents are often unwilling to get involved in school functions or activities, to contact the school about academic concerns, or to attend parent-teacher conferences. (Morrison-Gutman & McLoyd, 2000).
Kids raised in poverty are more likely to lack, and need, a caring, dependable adult in their lives and often its teachers to whom children look for that support.

In your campus plan, identify specific ways you will target each group. These students desperately need relationships with adults that are long-term and stable. It is unrealistic to treat parents as one group. The needs and issues are very different.

Start on a Positive Note Send a letter home at the beginning of the year opening the lines of communication Make positive phone calls early in the year so that the first contact is positive Encourage parental involvement in school work Use e-mail, use class listserves for mass mailings. Create a classroom or discipline newsletter. Make a rule to return all phone calls within 24 hours of receipt Understand that many parents are intimidated by the school setting. Initiate the communication. Be considerate of working parents.