Institute on Community Integration. Check & Connect A comprehensive student engagement intervention...

Institute on Community Integration


Check & ConnectA comprehensive student engagement intervention

Check & Connect:

Enhancing School Completion through

Student Engagement

Minnesota School Psychologists Association

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sandra L. Christenson, Ph.D.


Overview

Provide a context for student engagement and dropout

Describe Check & Connect Evidence for the model Procedures for implementation Summary – future directions


Student Engagement - the “bottom line” in school completion programs

McPartland (1994) Provide opportunities for success in schoolwork Communicate the relevance of education to future endeavors Create a caring and supportive environment Help students with personal problems

Dynarski and Gleason (2002) Provided extra personal support for students Created smaller and more personal settings

ABCs : Autonomy, Belonging, Competence


Why Be Concerned About School Completion?

About 70% of all students in the nation graduate from high school with a regular diploma.

Of the students who graduate: 80% are Asian 76% are White 58% are Hispanic 53% are African American

(Alliance for Excellent Education, June 2007)


School Dropout – A Crisis?

High school completion rates range between 65% to 75% - sobering given limited employment and schooling opportunities

Aware of the status characteristics: Age, Disability, Ethnicity, Gender, SES, and Metro status and region

May be less aware that an F for each course increases the probability of dropout by 15%.

(Levin & Belfield, 2007)


Reasons for Dropping Out


Why do students say they drop out?

Problems getting along with teachers Suspension or expulsion Discipline policies perceived as unfair Bad grades Dislike for school Friendships with peers who’ve dropped out Inability to get into desired programs Need to support family by working or providing day care

to younger siblings (Bridgeland, Dilulio, & Morison, 2006)


Consider also:

Graduation rate is one indicator included in AYP calculations for high schools, with the rate defined in terms of the percentage of ninth grade students who graduate with a standard diploma in four years.

There is some indication that required high-stakes graduation tests:

Differentially and negatively affect students of poor or ethnic minority backgrounds (Borg et al., 2007)

May actually increase the dropout rates among the most vulnerable for early school departure (e.g., those in poverty, English Learners, African-American, Latino youth; McNeil et al., 2008).


Importance of graduation to what?

Merely keeping students in school until graduation is not sufficient. In some cases, students graduate without being college-ready or prepared to succeed in various post-secondary enrollment options (Johnson et al., 2002).

Seat time with support vs. acquisition of academic and social competencies

Curriculum alignment and rigor between secondary schools and postsecondary – habits of the mind


David Brooks, Star Tribune, July 2, 2006

The dropout rates are astronomical because humans are not machines into which you can input data. They require emotion to process information. You take kids who didn’t benefit from stable, nurturing parental care and who have not learned how to form human attachments, and you stick them in a school that functions like a factory for information transmission, and the results are going to be terrible.

Relationships, Relevance, Rigor


The Check & Connect response is:

Engaging students only academically (time on task, work completion) and behaviorally (attendance) is not enough

Must consider students’ level of personal investment in learning (I can, I want to) and degree of social connectedness (I belong, peer and teacher support)

Socializing the learner – or fostering an identity as a learner – becomes critical


What is Check & Connect?

A comprehensive intervention designed to enhance students’ engagement at school and with learning

Evidence-based, targeted intervention Can’t change family circumstances for students,

but we can strive to fuel students’ academic motivation and provide persistent support

Comprised of four main components


Check & Connect Premise

An important Premise of Check & Connect is:

The shift in focus from preventing negative outcomes (dropout) to promoting positive outcomes (student competence, school success, and school completion).


How Did Check & Connect Begin?

1990: Five-year development grant from the U.S. Department of Education, OSEP

Purpose: Develop, implement, evaluate, and refine an intervention for reducing dropout rates among middle school youth with disabilities

Partnership for School Success Planned with Minneapolis School District Personnel Implemented with 2 cohorts of students over 2 years


Project Assumptions

Leaving school prior to graduation is not an instantaneous event

Solving the dropout problem will require a multifaceted effort of home, school, community, and youth

Students must be empowered to take control of their own behavior

Schools must be designed to reach out to families in partnership with the community


Four Components

Mentor – who keeps education salient for students

Systematic Monitoring – the “check” component Timely and individualized intervention – the

“connect” component Partnering with families – enhancing home-

school communication and home support for learning


Check and Connect Components

Check - systematic monitoring of students’ connection to school.

Connect – responding to students’ educational needs according to their type and level of risk for disengagement.

All targeted students receive basic interventions Students showing high risk behaviors receive

additional intensive interventions


The Mentor – Component 3

Linchpin for Check & Connect Increases social capital

Person in student’s life who keeps education salient Provides social support for families (navigates school system

and requirements; assists with communication) Serves as an anchor point for students, families, teachers, and

support personnel Relationship building with the mentor who provides the

persistent support and avenue for problem solving with the student.


Component 4: Partner with Families

Enhance home-school communication

Foster home support for learning

Responsiveness to parents’ needs and questions


In Check & Connect

A mentor works with students and partners with families for a minimum of two years, regularly checking on the educational progress of the student, intervening in a timely manner to re-establish and maintain the student’s connection to school and learning and to enhance the student’s social and academic competence. Seven core intervention elements guide the actions of mentors.


Seven Elements of Check & Connect

1. Relationships: Mutual trust and open communication, nurtured through a long-term commitment that is focused on student’s educational success.

2. Problem solving: Cognitive-behavioral approach to promote the acquisition of skills to resolve conflict constructively, encourage the search for solutions rather than a source of blame, and foster productive coping skills

3. Individualized, data-based intervention: Support that is tailored to individual students needs, based on level of engagement with school, associated influences of home and school, and the leveraging of local resources.


4. Affiliation with school and learning: Student access to and active participation in school-related activities and event.

5. Persistence-Plus: A persistent source of academic motivation, a continuity of familiarity with the youth and family, and a consistency in the message that “education is important for your future”.

6. A focus on alterable indicators of disengagement: Systematic check of warning signs of withdrawal (attendance, academic performance, behavior) that are readily available to school personnel and that can be altered through intervention.

7. Following students and families: Following highly mobile youth and families from school to school and program to program.


Finn’s (1989) Participation-Identification Model


Dropping out – a process of disengaging


Demographic or Functional Risk Factors?

Status

Age Metro status and region Disability Socioeconomic status Ethnicity Age to Grade level Gender

Alterable

Attendance Suspension Attitude toward school Extracurricular participation Behavior Homework Grades Retention


Theoretical Underpinnings

Dropping out is the outcome of a long process of disengagement and alienation - not an instantaneous student decision.

Alterable indicators are useful for identification, guiding intervention, evaluating impact.

Dropping out is preceded by less severe types of withdrawal, including truancy, suspension and failing classes.

Early recognition of indicators of disengagement is critical for both prevention and intervention efforts.

Status indicators are useful for evaluating gap in outcomes among high risk populations.


In Check & Connect

Two types of predictors/variables of dropout risk:

Status and Alterable

Focused on factors that educators, students, parents, and communities can change and influence:

Student levels of engagement with school School practices and policies on attendance, discipline, and

parent outreach Family support for learning Access to and responsiveness of community resources


Dropout Prevention or School Completion?

Increasing the successful completion of school is much more than simply staying in school, and thus, much more than the dropout problem – it involves meeting the defined academic standards of the school, as well as underlying social and behavioral standards.


The Engagement Construct

Four subtypes: Academic Behavioral Cognitive Affective

A common theme among effective practices is that they have a positive effect on the motivation of individual students because they address underlying psychological variables such as competence, control, beliefs about the value of education, and a sense of belonging. (NRC, 2004)


Research on Engagement

Association among engagement, achievement and school behavior

Engaged students tend to earn higher grades, perform better on tests, report a sense of belonging, can set or respond to personal goals, persist on tasks

(Fredericks, Blumenfeld,& Paris, 2004)

Engaged students perceive more support from teachers and peers, which leads to increased levels of engagement and adult

support (Furrer et al.,

2006)


Research Designs and Evidence

• Treatment-control differences for secondary students with disabilities in longitudinal designs:

• Improved attendance (absences, tardies, skips)• Improved social skills and homework completion• Enrolled in school and making progress towards

degree (credits earned)• Higher graduation rates for five years



Four replication studies for elementary and secondary students with and without disabilities:

Student and Mentor perceptions of the relationship predicted how teachers rated academic engagement

High degree of teacher satisfaction with mentor and student performance (especially for sustained performance)

87% of parents were rated by teachers as more supportive of their children’s education.



Check & Connect has met the evidence-based standards of the WWC for staying and progressing in school (www.whatworksclearinghouse.gov)

Congressionally-Reviewed Initiative To Identify Social Programs Backed By Top Tier Evidence Coalition for Evidence-based Policy


How is Check & Connect implemented?

Multiple Referral Criteria – Alterable predictors Attendance

e.g., absenteeism, skipping classes, tardiness to school

Social Behavioral Performance

e.g., suspensions from school, dismissals, other consequences for inappropriate behaviors

Academic Performance

e.g., credit accrual, course failures (literacy)


Implementation

Select mentors Persistence Believe all students have abilities Willingness to cooperate with families and school staff Advocacy skills (negotiation, compromise, confrontation) Organization (case management, documentation)

Paid positions on grants Provided initial training, ongoing support/training

– way for fidelity of implementation


Set Criteria for Check Risk Factors

Tardiness 5 or more Absenteeism 3 days or more Behavior Referrals 4 or more days In-school suspension 2 or more Out-of-school suspension 2 or more days Grades 1 F or 2 D’s Detention 4 or more

Determines basic or intensive intervention


Implementation

Begin checking and connecting – all within a persistence framework

Use of a monitoring sheet Mentor is the standardized part of the intervention Relationship is built over time, based on trust and

familiarity: Ongoing efforts (e.g., checking grades and attendance) Informal connections (e.g., checking in with the student)


Systematic Monitoring (the “check” component)

Number of absences Number of tardies Number of suspensions Number of expulsions Number of behavioral referrals Number of failing classes Number of credits accrued


Timely and Individualized Intervention (the “connect” component)

Individualized not prescriptive using student’s needs, family circumstances, and availability of school and community resources as the basis for design

Some applications had tutoring, after school activities, or homework help - others did not


Connect Basic Intervention

A deliberate conversation that involves: Sharing monitoring data Discussing the relevance of school for students’ goals Practicing the five-step problem solving strategy to

enhance students’ adaptation to schooling demands Fostering opportunities for participation

Typically Occurs weekly


Students must be empowered to take control of their behavior.

We use a five-step cognitive behavioral problem solving strategy: Stop. Think about the problem. What are some choices? Choose one. Do it. How did it work? (Braswell & Bloomquist, 1991)

Help students integrate their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to meet schooling demands:

Coming to class on time, Attending classes regularly Working hard in class Completing assignments with accuracy Getting passing grades – and improving grades


Role of the Mentor

Help students deal with everyday demands by: Facilitating opportunities for success in school work Communicating the relevance of education to future endeavors Creating a caring and support niche in the school environment Helping students with personal problems, if only to lend an

empathetic ear Teach the behavior that is expected

Set clear goals and identify ways to succeed Use of role playing, tutoring, model positive skills Identify ways to connect student to the life of the school


Personal Goal Setting – the ABCs

Mentors and the student identify the demands of the school environment and the expectations for students’ success in each course.

Request teacher input: What does the student have to do to be successful in this course? Consider task completion, quality of work, and classroom behaviors.

Mentors use teacher input to create scenarios relevant for problem solving practice (i.e., use of the five step plan) with students on a regular, consistent basis.

Meet with the student to set personal goals for the class where enhanced academic or behavioral improvement is desired.

Ongoing monitoring/self-monitoring


Examples of Connect Interventions

Problem Solving: Problem-solving sessions with student Parent or parent-teacher problem-solving meetings Individualized behavioral contracts Alternatives for out-of-school suspensions

Academic Support: Tutor-mentor Individualized academic contract

Recreation/Community Service: Access to after-school activities Summer employment


Connect Intensive Intervention for Risk Factors – Menu of Interventions

Truancy (e.g., absences, tardies, skipping) Determine which classes the student skips. Is there a pattern?

What perpetuates the pattern? Suspensions (in-school and out-or-school)

Talk with student about reason for suspension and problem solve regarding what could be done differently next time.

Failing classes or behind in credits Determine whether families need suggestions, resources, or

support for helping with learning at home and, if so, provide it.


Role of the Mentor

Monitoring is essential for students at-risk of disengaging as a learner for two reasons . . .

Provides a systematic and efficient way to connect students with immediate interventions

Provides an essential link to students’ educational progress and performance


Check & Connect

Persistence: There is someone who is not going to give up on the student or allow the student to be distracted from the importance of school.

Continuity: There is someone who knows the student’s needs and desires and is available across school years.

Consistency: The message is the same from all concerned adults.


Persistence-Plus Message

A caring adult wants you to . . . learn do the work attend class regularly be on time express frustration constructively stay in school


Strengthen the Family-School Partnership

Mentors are a liaison, follow students and families, and connect with families through the student.

Mentors keep the focus of family-school connections on the student’s educational performance.

Mentors enhance communication with families: Positive and solution-oriented Information about policies and practices

Mentors create opportunities for dialogue: Share information about helping students

stay engaged Responsive to families needs


Home-School Communication

Call parents on a regular basis, not just when there are problems Write notes to parents to let them know what is going on in school

(make language simple and in family’s first language) Make home visits regarding educational progress Make home visits at least once a year for a positive reason Find out whether parents need suggestions, resources, or support to

help with student at home. Directly invite parents to be partners Work with school staff and community supports to offer parent

education classes or workshops that families identify as being interesting or important


In every way, mentors

invite, inform and are informed by, and include parents

are realistic: some families can’t be reached Chain link fence Kindergartner Other school contact


Examples of Check & Connect Applications

Teachers and Educational Assistants as Mentors Americorps Volunteers as Mentors Support Personnel (Counselors, Social Workers)

as Mentors Community Professionals (Police Officers) as

Mentors


Summary – Future Directions

Assess efficacy with high risk, nonspecial ed students Adapting Check & Connect process to college readiness

and postsecondary Ramp up to Readiness New IES Grant: Making the connection

Developing motivational home support for learning strategies

Initial Role in Motivating Children (Conveying expectations/values) Motivational Support through Struggles (Persistence; Encouragement;

and Problem solving)


Intensive

Targeted

Universal


The Future – efficacy in pbis and nonpbis schools

Targeted intervention intended to complement universal intervention initiatives of schools and districts

Database on student engagement – see handout Designed to promote student engagement by providing

persistent support to attain academic and behavioral standards and expectations for marginalized, disengaged students


Contact Information

Sandra L. Christenson, Ph.D.

Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership

University of Minnesota

School Psychology Program

56 East River Road, 250 ESB

Minneapolis, MN 55455

612-624-0037 [email protected]


Check & Connect Information

For more information about Check & Connect, including training options, contact the Institute on Community Integration, 866-434-0010 or e-mail [email protected]

To order a Check & Connect Manual go to:

http://ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/

For the website:

www.ici.umn.edu/checkandconnect/


Research and Implementation Team

Check & Connect Many individuals: Mary Sinclair, Cammy Lehr, Martha

Thurlow, Christine Hurley, David Evelo, Colleen Kaibel, Amy Reschly, Ann Mavis, Karen Stout and Research and Community Program Assistants

Theory and Measurement of Engagement Jim Appleton, Amy Reschly, Joe Betts, Research

Assistants, and SCRED and MPS personnel

Institute on Community Integration. Check & Connect A comprehensive student engagement intervention...

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