Laura Pulito

SED 361
Tip Sheet
February 8, 2017

Title: How can general education classroom teachers help to prevent

students with disabilities from dropping out of school?

Statement of Problem/Issue: Statistics have shown that students with

mild to severe learning disabilities, including emotional and behavioral
disturbances, are more likely to drop out of school than their peers. For
example, [d]uring the 2004-2005 school year, only 56.5% of students aged
14-21 received a regular high school diploma while another 15% received
only a certificate of attendance. Students who do not earn a high school
diploma face far more future challenges than their diploma-seeking peers,
including lack of job security, economic instability, and little self-satisfaction
(Smith, Gartin, Murdick, 2012).

Tips:

Closely monitor students with disabilities, keeping track of at-risk

behaviors that could indicate greater chances of the student(s) dropping
out in the future. These behaviors can include but are not limited to
tardiness, skipping class, absenteeism, behavior referrals, detentions,
suspensions, course failures, or inadequate accrual of credits. The
teacher should calculate risk based on the number of incidents that occur
per month. By keeping detailed records of student behavior, the teacher
will have something to refer back on in times of concern and be able to
recognize patterns and intervene as deemed appropriate (Sinclair,
Christenson, Evelo, Hurley, 1998).

Keep an open line of communication between parents and other school

personnel regarding the students concerning behaviors as well as his/her
accomplishments. It is important to not only reach out to parents and
other staff members when noticing student failures, but at the very first
signs of concern. This proactive approach is more beneficial to the
student and increases the chance for teachers, parents, and the student
to correct and re-evaluate areas of concern. Additionally, teachers should
be willing and ready to share student accomplishments with parents and
staff members as positive reinforcement for the student (Sinclair,
Christenson, Evelo, Hurley, 1998).

Prevent students from feeling socially isolated from you, other staff
members, and their peers. Feelings of social isolation has been identified
as a major contributor to drop out rates, so it is important to provide all
students with opportunities to be involved with and welcomed in the
 school community. Teachers should encourage students with disabilities
to become involved with classroom and school-wide governance and
extra-curricular activities, thereby giving them more opportunities to
identify with the school, its staff, and their peers (Reschly, Christenson,
2006).

Make sure that the curriculum is engaging and diversified for all students.
Students will be more likely to stay engaged if the coursework in the
general education classroom is relevant to their lives and future goals.
Thus, it is important for the teacher to recognize the interests and future
goals of his/her students and to make a persistent effort to design lessons
and activities that will be interesting and useful to them. If students are
engaged, they will be more successful and actually enjoy being at school,
therefore mitigating their chances of dropping out (Reschly, Christenson,
2006).

Perhaps most importantly, it is essential to ensure that each student,

particularly those with disabilities, have at least one teacher who will not
give up on them or allow them to be distracted from school. Sinclair
and Christenson identify a persistent, stable relationship with a caring
adult as a crucial factor for determining whether or not a student with
any type or severity of disability remains in school. Teachers may need to
change their attitudes and behaviors in order to make all students feel
more comfortable and accepted, and should be ready and willing to
provide extra support and/or instruction whenever needed (Thurlow,
Sinclair, Johnson, 2002).

Resources:

Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying:

https://blog.ed.gov/2013/08/keeping-students-with-disabilities-safe-from-
bullying/
This article provided by the U.S. Department of Education recognizes that
students with disabilities are often victims of bullying within schools. If a
student is continuously bullied, it is more likely for him/her to feel isolated
and less likely to want to come to school, both of which are factors that can
lead to eventual drop out. Teachers can use this article as a resource to help
them deal with and mitigate the bullying of students with disabilities.

National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities:

http://www.ndpc-sd.org/
This website, managed by the National Dropout Prevention Center for
Students with Disabilities, offers synthesized research on the subject of
students with disabilities and drop out prevention, technical assistance, and
practice guides for teachers to help increase retention rates of these
students. It also provides its own list of resources and related links for
teachers, parents, and students.

Drop-out Prevention Guide for Parents:

http://www.ndpcsd.org/documents/PACER/PACER_Action_Sheet_PHP-c114.pdf
This straightforward, simple, but useful guide is a resource I found on the
NDPC website and wanted to include in my own list. It is designed for
parents of students with disabilities and explains how parents play a key role
in ensuring that their child finish school while outlining everyday strategies
to help them achieve this goal. While this is a resource mainly for parents, I
still believe it is something that the general education classroom teacher
should have on hand as the teacher should act as a link between parents and
students. If a teacher notices a student struggling, he/she could give the
parent this guide as a resource so that both parents and teachers can work
together to help the student stay in school.

Ted Talk: Rita Pierson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

This brief but powerful 8-minute Ted Talk by Rita Pierson titled Every Kid
Needs a Champion isnt directed exclusively towards students with
disabilities, but Pierson makes many valid, thoughtful points that all inspire
teachers to never, ever give up on a students, no matter what the
circumstances. A common thread between many of the tips I shared above
deal with general education teacher creating and maintaining a strong,
trustworthy connection with all students, particularly those who have
disabilities and more at-risk of dropping out. For quick inspiration and some
quirky, helpful tips for creating strong connections with students, I highly
recommend this video!

Service Learning Resources for the Inclusion of Youth with Disabilities:

http://www.serviceandinclusion.org/index.php?page=servicelearning
This website is dedicated to the active engagement of people with
disabilities as service members in all levels of national and community
service and provides an incredibly thorough list of resources to support
inclusion of youth with disabilities in service-learning. Service learning
projects can be vastly engaging for all students, particularly those with
disabilities, in that it helps them to feel purposeful and connected to the
community, thereby giving them more motivation to stay involved and in
school.

References:

Reschly, A. L., & Christenson, S. L. (2006). Prediction of dropout among students with
mild disabilities a case for the inclusion of student engagement
variables. Remedial and Special Education, 27(5), 276-292.

Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Evelo, D. L., & Hurley, C. M. (1998). Dropout
 prevention for youth with disabilities: Efficacy of a sustained school engagement
procedure. Exceptional Children, 65(1), 7.

Smith, E.C., Gartin, Barbara, Murdick, Nikki L. (2012). Including Adolescents with
Disabilities in General Education Classrooms. United States: Pearson.

Thurlow, M. L., Sinclair, M. F., & Johnson, D. R. (2002). Students with Disabilities Who
Drop Out of School: Implications for Policy and Practice. Issue Brief: Examining Current
Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition.