Protective possibilities associated with with student domains of risk of risk and and resilience ( Table 1 ) CHARACTERISTIC RISK TO EDUCATIONAL STRENGTHEN PROTECTIVE POSSIBILITIES OR ACTIONS
PERFORMANCE
Autonomy
Dependence / External locus of control / Low self-efficacy
Skills / Self-confidence / Self-responsibility
Teacher / classroom : adopt learner-centered practices ; involve students in making rules . Families : establish communication to develop skills and independent work outside of school .
Sense of purpose |
Hopeless / No vision of future |
Goals / Positive attributions / Optimism |
Teacher / school : capitalize on student interests ; provide culturally relevant activities ; offer a variety of extra-curricular programs ; allow students to contribute time / talent ; make available career exploration opportunities ; provide service learning activities . Families : offer services ; involve in planning . |
Social competence |
Poor social skills / Lacks friends / Poor relationships with teachers |
Liked by others / Ability to initiate positive interactions / Empathy , perspective-take / Leadership |
Peers / classroom : provide opportunities for students to help each other ; use cooperative learning strategies ; mix peers of varied popularity ; build group unity . School : offer availability of mentors ; encourage connections to school through activities . |
Problem solving
Impulsive reaction Thinking before acting / Planning skills
Teacher / classroom : teach cognitive strategies ; role play social problem solving strategies . School : offer a mediation / conflict resolution program .
Achievement
Avoids failure / Doesn ’ t try / Gives up
Makes an effort / Positive attitude toward school / Persists
Excerpted from G . M . Morrison and M . R . Allen ( 2007 ), “ Promoting student resilience in school contexts ,” Theory Into Practice , 46 ( 2 ), 162-169 .
Teacher / classroom : provide students choice ; provide activities with optimal challenge ; decrease external incentives ; communicate high expectations . Families : communicate expectations for students and importance of school . have honed in on the lack of student progress and the reasons for it . At-risk students have been “ marginalized ” because “ their culture is different and often dismissed or devalued in the academic arena ” ( Morales , 2008 ).
I suggest that , in contrast , resiliency is a proactive , additive model . Skills and assets are built . Rather than reactions and referrals , a student is enveloped in a web of support . Adults know every child by name , by their face and by what gifts they bring to their classrooms . There are no excuses or easy remedies . “ But there is a reliable network of support that lifts children and their teachers and gives them powerful tools ” to learn and grow ( Riley , 2006 ). Students feel valued and perform at a higher level academically .
“ Resilience can be taught or cultivated ,” and it is up to adults in a school community to sow these seeds of change ( Brokenleg and Van Bockern , 2003 ). Resiliency seeks out protective factors that are absent in a child ’ s life . Youth counselor Tim Burns defines protective factors as traits , conditions or situations that alter or reverse potentially destructive outcomes ( Shepard , 2004 ). These factors may include an environment where at least one adult cares deeply about the child and where expectations are clear and set high . Meaningful participation is the final protective factor for resilient students as they are given key roles in their place of learning . The development of protective opportunities is reliant on resiliency becoming a central element in school improvement efforts ( Morrison and Allen , 2007 ).
Resilient children learn how to establish positive relationships with peers and adults and stay in control . They solve problems , have an identity that leads to independent action , and set goals persistently , with a great deal of hope . Resiliency builds emotional intelligence , which includes the ability to control impulses and manage emotion when experiencing stressful situations . Providing protective factors is extremely challenging , as it requires many human resources in an already fiscally strapped system . However , these factors must be present , as the “ consequences are too grave ... and the windows of opportunity too fleeting ” ( Morales ).
In most schools , we can identify disconnected students who do not find learning applicable to their lives . However , when adults and children focus on the promise of positive achievements , instead of avoiding bad experiences , schools reap the benefits . These benefits may include more time for learning , less aggression among students , better health , elevated academic achievement and higher morale among stakeholders ( Embry , 1997 ). This article will delve more into the significance of non-resilient school cultures and how these cultures steal hope from our children . I will then offer some practical and high impact solutions for educators and administrators to build the crucial capacity that is resiliency .
Despite countless improvement efforts , the achievement gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students still exists . Underserved students experience a multitude of educational road blocks and historically receive lower grades . The schools they attend may not provide the proper academic , social or emotional support their challenges require . Their risk factors include a high degree of mobility , learning challenges and family dysfunctions . These factors “ can significantly inhibit academic growth ” ( Riley , 2006 ).
At-risk students are frequently assigned to the lowest classroom ability groups in elementary and middle schools . In addition , these students are more likely to receive negative feedback about their progress in school ( Becker and Luthar ).
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are immersed in an academic culture that looks and feels extremely different from the cultures they identify with . Trying to assimilate into two cultures simultaneously requires them “ to be bicultural in order to excel ” ( Morales ). To ease understanding , it is helpful to compare an at-risk student ’ s school experience to learning the rules of the road . These rules vary so widely across multiple settings , accidents , crashes and injuries occur often ( Embry ). Despite this hazardous driving re-
September | October 2016 23