Delinquency:
At-Risk Project
Christy Youngs-Colón
Michelle McCree
Debra Vance Noelk
Warm-Up
Pair Share:
Have you had a student in the past (or now) who you
wonder what negative road life will lead them down?
How did/do you work to communicate with that student?
Was/Is there parental support in place?
Was/Is the child actively involved in the community or
school?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fihzt1NBkP8&sns=em
Your thoughts on…
•What is considered delinquent
behavior?
•Who is most at-risk to develop
delinquent behaviors?
•What preventative factors do we
currently have in place?
•What is our role as educators?
Delinquent Behaviors
• Different parties (parents, educators, mental health
counselors, and the justice system) consider various
behaviors a form of delinquency.
• Common behaviors include:
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Truancy
Violence
Running away from home
Disobedience
Stealing/theft
Destruction of property
Breaking curfew
Possession of alcohol, drugs, or weapons
Risk Factors for Delinquency
• Low academic achievement
• Previous grade retention
• Disciplinary issues
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries or violence
• Poor attendance
• Low socio-economic status
• A feeling of being “disconnected”
• Attendance at a school with a high “at-risk” population
Delinquency is not caused by
one event or risk factor…
• Students with more risk factors have a greater chance of
dropping out.
• Often, delinquency occurs after as culmination of a series of
events/circumstances.
• These students tend to be disenfranchised about school and the
educational system and/or their ability to be successful.
• Push Out factors vs Pull Out factors
• Push Out Factors – experiences outside of school that influence a
student’s decision to drop out
• Pull Out Factors – experiences within school that encourage some
students to leave school
What can we do?
• Create an environment where students feel:
• Capable
• Connected
• Contributing
• Provide opportunities for school and community
connectedness
• Communicate high expectations of students
• Encourage students to become involved in school and
community activities
• Act as a mentor to students in need
The Three C’s
• Students need to feel they are CAPABLE of
completing academic tasks and changing
behaviors.
• Students need to feel they are CONNECTED with
teachers, peers, administrators, coaches, and
community leaders in a positive way.
• Students need to feel they are CONTRIBUTING to
the welfare and development of their class,
school, and community in a positive way.
Helping students to feel
Capable…
• Create an environment where it’s okay to make
mistakes.
• Build confidence by focusing on improvement and
past successes.
• Make learning objectives reachable and tangible
for all students.
School Connectedness
• Second only to family, school can be one of
the most stabilizing institutions in a student’s
life.
• Today many families move often and do not
live near extended family as we once did.
• School connectedness is a feeling that
students belong in their school.
Seven General Qualities
1.
Feeling like they are a part of their school
2.
Liking school
3.
Feeling as though the teachers care about them and support
them
4.
Having friends to ‘hang out’ with at school
5.
Being involved in their academic success and future goals
6.
Believing that the discipline and rules are fair and consistently
applied.
7.
Participating in extracurricular activities
Helping students to feel
Connected…
• Give positive attention by listening and showing
interest in their activities outside of the classroom.
• Show appreciation and affection with no strings
attached. Be sure to appreciate the doer, not the
deed.
• Show affirmation to the learner by being
enthusiastic, verbally and in writing.
Helping students to feel
Contributing…
• Involve students in decision making for the class.
• Frequently use cooperative learning groups in
class to promote positive friendships and
collaborative communication skills.
• Encourage student’s contribution to other
students, the class, the school, the community,
and the environment.
The Counselor’s
Role
The Counselor’s Role:
Leadership
Drop Out Prevention begins with the school counselor.
• Organize academic support so that high standards and
expectations are the norm for all students
• Track and assist with at risk students
• Establish support groups for students and their families
• Initiate counseling interventions in lieu of disciplinary
consequences
• Promote professional development
• Foster school connectedness
The Counselor’s Role:
Advocacy
• Advocating for those at risk is extremely critical to these
students’ success.
• Students need to feel that they matter.
• Students need to have high expectations that are clear
stated with manageable goals.
• Promote academic and career plans.
• Provide “life skills” classes.
• Create peer conflict resolution and/or peer mediation teams
• Promote a variety of clubs and extracurricular activities
The Counselor’s Role:
Collaboration & Teaming
• Promote consistent and equitable discipline
policies. Encourage administration to annually
review discipline policies. Collect and share
data about discipline policies.
• Create an orderly school environment
• Encourage school wide community service
projects with faculty and various school
organizations.
The Counselor’s Role:
Systemic Change
• Keep data to show the impact of new policies
• Encourage annual reviews
• Use assessment tools to get feedback from all
interested parties: students, parents, faculty
• Discuss what worked and didn’t work
• Work to build consensus and support
• Stay focused on the goal: student success
Community Resources
• Children’s Home Society of Florida
• Treasure Coast Chapter
• Frontline for Kids
• Ft. Pierce, Florida
• PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
• Treasure Coast
• The Boy’s & Girls Club of Martin County
• SMART Programs
Positive Results
Students are more likely to:
• Stay focused
• Be motivated
• Better grades and test scores
Students are less likely to:
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Be disruptive and violent
Experiment with drugs
Smoke
Use alcohol to excess
Be emotionally stressed and/or consider suicide
Engage in early-age sexual intercourse
Personalize – Pair Share
• Think about a student who has displayed or is
displaying delinquent-like behaviors?
• What are two ways you could create a more
positive school experience for that student?
• Name two ways we could increase parental
support and involvement of that student.
• Name two ways we could increase school or
community involvement for that student.
What’s the Key Point?
People connect to people,
not institutions.
Creating a personal educational environment
where students feel capable, connected, and
contributing is essential in preventative
measures to adolescent delinquency.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM3jjLkparQ&sns=em
Evaluation
Please complete the evaluation
form.
On the back, please share one
“glow” and one “grow.”
Thank you for participating !
Sources
American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2012, from American School
Counselor Association: www.schoolcounselor.org
Blum, R. (2004, September). School Connectedness: Improving Students' Lives. Retrieved September 25,
2012, from cecp.air.org/download/MCMonographFINAL.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, July). Fostering School Connectedness: Improving
Student Health and Academic Achievement. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services:
www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/adolescenthealth/pdf/connectedness_teachers.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009, July). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System: 2011
National Overview. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services: www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm
Dockery, D. J. (2010). School Dropout Indicators, Trends, and Interventions for School Counselors.
Retrieved September 23, 2012, from jsc.montana.edu/articles/v10n12.pdf
Sources
Garry D. and Gottfredson, D. D. (2000, July). Toward Safe and Orderly Schools-The National Study of
Delinquency Prevention in Schools. Retrieved September 25, 2012, from National Institute of
Justice: www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/205005.pdf
Hatch, C. D. (2003, July 15). Interventions for Helping Students at Risk of Dropping Out of School.
Retrieved September 23, 2012, from Center for School Counseling Outcome Research:
www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/uploads/Research%20Briefs1.3.pdf
Mariani, M. (2012). The three c’s [PowerPoint slides}. Retrieved from
https://bb.fau.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp.
White, J. E. (2003, July 15). Interventions for Helping Students at Risk of Dropping Out of School.
Retrieved September 24, 2012, from
www.umass.edu/schoolcounseling/uploads/Research%20Briefs1.3.pdf