Educational Success in the Face of
Adversity as Measured by High
School Graduation
Presented by: Bolgen Vargas, Ed.D.
The Urban Challenge
• Like many urban cities that have children impacted by adverse
circumstances, the Rochester City School District has a low high
school graduation rate.
Table 1. Rochester City School District Subgroup Gradua tion Rates, Class of 2008
46%
Male
57%
52%
Female
African American
67%
63%
Amer. Indian
Asian
47%
Hispanic
57%
58%
White
General Ed.
24%
SWD
33%
LEP
76%
Former LEP
0%
20%
40%
Data Source: Rochester City School District, 2008
60%
80%
Goals of the Study
• Explore what factors help students in the Class of 2009
overcome multiple adversities and achieve educational
success, as measured by the graduation rate
• Understand why some students with similar characteristics
in the Rochester City School District graduate while others
do not
• Identify solutions which can improve graduation rates in
the Rochester City School District among students who
face multiple adversities
Conceptual Framework
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
PROTEC TIVE FACTORS
RISK FACTORS
WHICH P REDI CT
FAILUR E IN SCHOOL
- Caring Relationships
- Mentoring - Teachers
- Family
- Role Models
- Community Organizations
- High Expectations
(Family, School, Community)
- After-School Progr ams &/or
Extracurricular Activities
- Optimism
- Faith
- Poverty
- Family Instability
- M inority Status
- Unstable Neighborhood
Conditions
- Limit ed English
Proficiency
- Low Quality Education
- Isolation &/or
M arginalization
Escape
Trajectory
SUCCE SSES
High School Graduation
College Entry
Military Enlistment
Vocational Training
Employment
E-
Adver se
Env ironment
X
A student (x) can only escape Adversity (identified here as Risk Factors which influence his or her life)
and succeed if he or she acquires enough Potential Energy (E-) from Pro tective Factors to be able to do so.
Theoretical Framework
• Resilience as a dynamic process allows individuals to show
positive adaptation in the face of significant adversity.
• Further, it requires the satisfaction of two conditions. First,
exposure to significant levels of adversity must exist in the
students’ lives. Second, achievement is demonstrated despite
the presence of multiple adversities by high school
graduation.
• Resilience, as such, is a relational process which takes place
in a variety of contexts such as homes, communities, schools,
peers, and the individual.
Mixed Method Study: Quantitative and
Qualitative
• 660 graduating seniors completed surveys
• 102 drop outs completed surveys
• 408 graduating seniors completed written response
about the challenges they faced while in high
school
• 77 drop outs completed written response about the
challenges they faced in high school
• 10 graduating seniors interviewed
• 5 drop outs interviewed
Demographics of Study Participants
• Graduates: 57% African American; 18%
Hispanic; 8% White; 2% Asian; 1%
American Indian; 10% Multi-racial; 3%
Other
• Drop Outs: 65% African American; 24%
Hispanic; 4% White; 4.9% Multi-racial;
3% Other
Demographics
• Graduates: 43% Male; 57% Female
• Drop Outs: 45% Male; 55% Female
Living With…
• Graduates: 32% mother and father; 42%
mother; 6% father; 6% grandparents; 2%
siblings; 2% extended family; 10% other
(foster care, friends, alone)
• Drop-outs: 15% mother and father; 43%
mother; 1% father; 12% grandparents; 2%
siblings; 4% extended family; 23% other
(foster care, friends, alone)
Family Educational Background
• Graduate: 20% parent/guardian did not
graduate from high school
• Drop-out: 41% of parent/guardian did
not graduate from high school
Free and Reduced Lunch
• Graduates: 70%
• Drop-outs: 86%
English as First Language
• Graduates: 86%
• Drop-outs: 78%
IEP
• Graduates: 11%
• Drop-outs: 23%
Moved in Last Three Years
• Graduates: 42%
• Drop-outs: 55%
Please mark how TRUE you feel each of the following
statements are about your SCHOOL and things you might do there.
How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements about your school?
Strongly
Disagree
A
A
A
A
A
Disagree
B
B
B
B
B
Not at all
A
A
A
A
A
A Little True Pretty Much True Very Much True
B
C
D
B
C
D
B
C
D
B
C
D
B
C
D
Not at all
A
A Little True Pretty Much True Very Much True
B
C
D
Not at all
12. I do interesting activities.
A
13. I help decide things like class activities or rules.
A
14. I do things that make a difference.
A
A Little True Pretty Much True Very Much True
B
C
D
B
C
D
B
C
D
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I feel close to people at this school.
I am happy to be at this school .
I feel like I am part of this school.
The teachers at this school treat students fairly.
I feel safe in my school.
Neither Agree or
Disagree
Agree Strongly Agree
C
D
E
C
D
E
C
D
E
C
D
E
C
D
E
At my school, there is a teacher or some adult…
6. who really cares about me.
7. who tells me when I do a good job.
8. who notices when I’m not there.
9. who always wants me to do my best.
10. who listens to me when I have something to say.
At my school, there is a teacher or some adult…
11. who believes that I will be a success.
At school…
Interviews: Qualitative Feedback
• The participants in this study provided
us with a rich look at their life
experiences in multiple contexts (home,
school, neighborhood, etc.)
• Provided perspectives and evidence
essential to informing reform aimed at
increasing graduation rates for students
facing multiple risk factors.
Analysis of At Risk Students
• In the analysis, dropouts were
compared to at risk graduates.
• The graduates used in the analysis
consisted of those:
1.receiving free and reduced lunch,
2.non-white and
3.not living with both parents.
Students with all Three Risk Factors
graduates
dropouts
Total
Frequency
Percent
285
70
355
80.3
19.7
100.0
Findings & Observations
• The main lesson of this study is that the
students who graduated had similar
internal assets as those who did not.
Example of internal assets include
personal goals, self-advocacy, empathy,
problem-solving, self-awareness.
Findings & Observations
• Those who graduated had a more
robust external support system such as
caring relationships in multiple places,
meaningful participation and high
expectations of many adults at school
and in the community.
Findings & Observations
• The term “gateway protective factors”
emerged from the study to describe
protective factors that open pathways to
further mitigating factors
• How did the graduates beat the odds while
the drop-outs did not? According to this
study, this occurred through gateway
protective factors that work synergistically in
the students’ lives. (see conceptual
framework in executive summary)
Findings & Observations
• The primary differences between the
two groups was the inadequate
response on the part of families,
communities, schools and peers to build
resilience to mitigate the challenge in
adverse circumstances.
Findings & Observations
• This study has documented how important it is
for school districts and community
organizations to measure the various adverse
conditions individual students face
• Districts must also evaluate what assets or
protective factors exist for them so that the
focus is not placed solely on deficits or
adversity.
Findings & Observations
• This study has demonstrated that students who
face multiple adversities must have multiple
protective factors present in their lives if there
are to mitigate that risk and succeed
• What must be present to help them do so is a
gateway to success that is paved with protection
Recommendations
• Eradicate the self-fulfilling prophecy of low
expectations in homes, schools, and communities
• Attend to Internal and External Assets
• Adopt Actionable Surveys
• Roll Out District-Sponsored Advocacy
• Provide Teacher & Administrator Training
• Open Avenues to Meaningful Participation
• Employ Three or More Integrated Intervention
Approaches
Implication for Future Research
and Practice
This study supports future research that attempts
to utilize a resiliency framework to explain the
factors that contribute to student success in spite
of multiple adversity.
The study identifies the need to look at multiple risk
and protective factors in multiple contexts which
allow students to achieve academically in urban
settings.
Questions & Answers