Improving Students Attitude Towards Math, Reading, And School

All children need a safe place to be after school with caring, responsible adults and engaging activities that connect each child to his/her school, family and community. One method to provide this is through an after-school program. After school programs are any organized program, which invites children to participate in the traditional school day. In Lynda Barry´s essay, “The Sanctuary of School”, the author describes how the school helped her feel in a better environment since his parents had many problems and did not pay enough attention to her. Yes, Barry´s assessment of after-school programs is accurate. They are very important to children because from a social aspect it helps the children develop relationships, get them out of their comfort zones to try new things, meet new people, and overall improve on their general outlook on situations they may not have engaged on their own.

Communities and educators are seeking programs like Charter and Magnet Schools, in place of the traditional public school setting. Charter Schools allow teachers and a local school board to determine decisions regarding education. Likewise, the teachers and the local school board are also held accountable, in regards to student performance. In regards to magnet schools, students are given an opportunity to learn through themes. Henceforth, these themes are usually centered on the talents of the students. For example, a magnet school could be designed around performing arts. The School-Within-A-School is similar to the magnet school idea. Consequently, these alternative school programs allow students to learn through their individual interests. However, there are other forms of alternative programs. Multi-Aged Classrooms is designed based on the layout of the school. In a Multi-Aged Classroom setting, students are not grouped according to their age, but are grouped based on developmental stages. Therefore, all students are grouped in one classroom with numerous teachers. The students receive one on one instruction. Therefore, the instructional process is delivered based on the needs of a particular student. Another aspect of alternative programs deals with the economic and the environment of the school. In a School/ Community Economic Development the primary focus is on the local economy. The students work with municipal planners, research spending patterns, and start-up of student businesses. In the Community-Based School, the school draws on the local environment as a way to make abstract concepts and textbooks lessons more meaningful. Finally, the last alterative program is the Year-Round School idea. This approach is designed to keep students in school longer durations of time with short breaks in between. Although the year round school can vary, research has suggested that student

Without the proper volunteers and supervision, these programs would plummet. Furthermore, looking into published studies on these after school programs, my optimistic view is further backed up by existing programs success stories. With suitable goals after school programs have had substantial success with keeping kids up to speed in the classroom as well as motivating elementary students of proper behavior and good morals. These programs allow kids to depend on their adviser as a friend; in result the kids emulate those mentors actions and requests. Most importantly my research looks into why we need after school programs and how the programs really benefit each elementary participant?s life and future.

I feel that a school in many ways is like a clock: it has several gears and mechanisms that when separate do not do much, but when working together, they can even sometimes sing you the time! Most recent example I have witnessed second handedly, aside from the teacher shadowing at Mapleton Jr. High, was the reading in Educational Foundations. I actually had to read the first chapter twice because the first time I did not read it through a personal perspective—I did not see how an alternative school district and its performance would apply to me since I do not want to teach at an alternative school. However, after reading it a second time, I saw many key points that made the alternative school a good school. They built their school and designed it for the students and their exact needs. They periodically collaborated as a staff and discussed their students’ progression and successes. They took the time to know their students and provide them with the instruction that would directly affect each individual’s life. Within the schools’ walls, there was a sense of respect, not simply for one another, but furthermore, a deeper respect for one another’s education. I especially enjoyed the quote in chapter thirteen that states, “Successful teaching requires recognition of the social and cultural context of school and a deep understanding of how these factors influence, shape, and most importantly, can nurture […] schools” (157). When we are aware of our surroundings, we

This past year, Mountain Home Junior High reinvented their after-school program. Throughout the year, several students in the program dropped out, and by the end of the school year, only ten students were being served. The ineffectiveness of the program, in my opinion, was due to a weak initiation phase before the program was implemented. A small committee was formed to write a grant from the program, set the program goals. There were no teachers, teacher leaders, or counselors on the committee and no input from community members or parents were considered. The curriculum for the program centered only on addressing benchmark scores of basic and below basic students and did not meet any other needs or the students. As a counselor, I heard complaints from parents throughout the year that their children would benefit more from having homework help and extended instruction. Teachers felt as if they were already using instruction time during the regular school day to prepare students for the last year’s PARCC and now the ACT Aspire exams.

“After-school programs can provide enrichment activities that develop students' academic and social skills. For students who lack adult supervision or learning opportunities after school, such programs can offer an environment that is safe and nurturing as well as educational” (David, 2011, page 10). I choose to work with the Spring Creek After-school Program because this after-school program has a worthy mission and claims that it provides an engaging learning environment for students of PS 346 while addressing the major issues that youth face today.

In their 2007 study, the weak correlation between attendance and credits earned for the SFAS group suggests that attendance may not be a useful outcome indicator for alternative schools that use a self-paced curriculum. These students continue to earn credits even when their attendance is low. (Franklin et al., 2007,p.141) There was a No Child Left Behind policy highlighted students must graduate in four years that impacted the study results. For this reason, SFAS must count students who take longer than the traditional four years as dropouts in their graduation rate (Franklin et al., 2007,p.141) Additionally, the researchers felt this choice allowed for comparisons between a large public high school and a smaller, academic alternative school was challenged to measure the results. The effort was made to match students on important characteristics, it is not possible to ensure that all threats to internal validity were removed (Franklin et al., 2007,p.142) The recommendation is in further study in specifically focusing on full time high school students who will attend the program. The study has identified the weak correlation between attendance and credits earned. The effectiveness of full time students as an outcome indicator for measuring effective high schools (Franklin et al., 2007,p.141) Above of all, the recommendation will get better results and strong correlations to interpret and tackle the overlooked solutions clearly in SFAS program of instructional

Students who live at or below the poverty line are often lacking in their reading and math skills, often do not have enough food in their homes, and often do not have the parental support needed at a young age to help students be successful in the classroom setting. There are ways that the administration and teachers at Hendrix Elementary School work to reduce the effects of low socioeconomic status in the classroom. For example, students who stay for the after school program receive a free meal before going home in the afternoon. Free food is placed in students backpack over the weekend to ensure that students do not go without food while they are not at school. There are math and reading tutors that come into the classrooms and work with students who are below their grade level or who are at high risk of falling behind their grade level in these two subjects. The school has built a relationship with the parents to the point that parents feel comfortable coming to the administration or to their student’s teacher when they need help with caring for their child or help providing necessities for their child’s wellbeing. These are just a few examples of how this school tries to help all of their students be the best that they can possible be regardless of their socioeconomic

As a result, it is a challenge to provide appropriate services to them and their families. Dropping out of school, however, is only the end of the more general process of school disengagement, a process that typically begins earlier in the educational career. A strategy is needed to recognize early school disengagement and potential dropout (K. k. h. c. e. Henry, Knight, & Thornberry, 2012).

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (2010), mentoring helps prevent at-risk students from becoming involved in delinquency activities and also helps those who are already delinquent to change their lives for the better. Mentoring relationships have been shown to improve students’ self-esteem, behavior, and academic performance.

After a year, I would compare the academic results of students from this alternative school with those of students facing trauma but learning in the traditional school setting. This comparison could be analyzed to determine effective methods for creating a successful learning environment for students from disadvantageous backgrounds. Such an experiment would help a set of students attend a safe school while helping to advocate for change in all school systems. I would want all students to have the opportunity to enjoy school despite personal

In middle school in the county we have experimented with the three configurations. The research conducted in the county by Swinton and Sunwonton (2014) sought to compare the success of sixth graders in the different grade configurations. “Success” was defined as proficiency in reading and in math, low absenteeism, and fewer suspensions. The achievement was examined from the end of the fifth grade to the end of the seventh grade, to determine how transition had an impact on their preparedness for high school. The results of their research determined that students who experience a middle school transition appear to improve the least in reading achievement the year of their transition compared to the other students who do not transition that

The purpose of this study is to explore how effective alternative school are at modifying disruptive behavior and improving academic performance in middle and high school. The study will track students sent to alternative school for a period of one year and study the change of improvement in the student through school records, observation and grades. The study will also test if there are any correlations between student nonsuccess in the classroom and teachers lack of classroom management skills, perception and stereotyping of the teacher.

public school system 's inability to effectively manage the impact of socially related challenges that affect the learning process, it has become obvious that a more community-based program can offer the necessary support system needed to provide students with imperative resources essential to the achievement of academic success. Partnership programs between schools, families and communities are expanding across the nation offering health, social, and human services for children and families on school sites, thus, earning the title of “community school.”