At-Risk Students: Portraits, Policies, Programs, and Practices (Suny Series, in Youth Social Services, Schooling and Public Policy)

This book explores the circumstances of at-risk students and argues that well-intentioned policymakers and educators run the risk of making matters worse rather than better for these students, even if their actions are based on the best social science evidence available. The book demonstrates the diverse, idiosyncratic nature of these students, argues that traditional social science methods cannot capture this idiosyncrasy and diversity, and presents research methods, policies, and programs that can accommodate student diversity.Robert Donmoyer is Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership at the Ohio State University. Raylene Kos is Supervisor of the Language Arts Programs for the Westerville, Ohio City School District. Part 1: Portraits -- Chapter 1: At-risk Students: Insights From/about Research / Robert Donmoyer And Raylene Kos -- Chapter 2: The Purpose Of Portraits: Rethinking The Form And Function Of Research On At-risk Students / Robert Donmoyer -- Chapter 3: Nobody Knows My Life But Me! The Story Of Ben, A Reading Disabled Adolescent / Raylene Kos -- Chapter 4: Ways Of Being At Risk: The Case Of Billy Charles Barnett / Thomas Barone -- Chapter 5: Ellen, A Deferring Learner / Karin L. Dahl -- Chapter 6: Andy And Libby: At Risk Or Undervalued? / Karen L. Ford -- Chapter 7: Karen: An Interaction Of Gender Role And Reading Disability / Raylene Kos -- Chapter 8: Something To Keep The Relationship Holding: Victoria, A Pregnant Adolescent / Kathryn Herr -- Chapter 9: Andrew: The Story Of A Gifted At-risk Student / June Yennie-donmoyer -- Chapter 10: Alston And Everetta: Too Risky For School? / James T. Sears -- Chapter 11: Paul: Differentiating Disorder And Intervention / John J. Gleason --^ Part 2: Policies, Programs, And Practices -- Chapter 12: Structuring For Idiosyncracy: Rethinking Policies, Programs, And Practices For At-risk Students / Robert Donmoyer -- Chapter 13: Placing Children At Risk: Schools Respond To Reading Problems / Richard L. Allington And Anne Mcgill-franzen -- Chapter 14: Teacher, Why Am I Failing? I Know The Answers: The Effects Of Developmentally Inappropriate Assessment / Pamela O. Fleege And Rosalind Charlesworth -- Chapter 15: A Different Kind Of Responsibility: Social And Academic Engagement Of General-track High School Students / Sandra B. Damico And Jeffrey Roth -- Chapter 16: Direction With Discretion: Reading Recovery As An Example Of Balancing Top-down And Bottom-up Decision Making / Patricia L. Scharer And Nancy C. Zajano -- Chapter 17: In The Shadow Of The Excellence Reports: School Restructuring For At-risk Students / Andrew Gitlin, Frank Margonis, And Heather Brunjes --^ Chapter 18: Emergent Spanish Literacy In A Whole Language Bilingual Classroom / Irene Alicia Serna And Sarah Hudelson -- Chapter 19: It's Not A Perfect World: Defining Success And Failure At Central Park East Secondary School / Mark A. Faust -- Chapter 20: Creating A Culture Of Writers With At-risk Students / June Yennie-donmoyer And Robert Donmoyer -- Chapter 21: A Teacher Reflects On His Urban Classroom / Art Isennagle -- Chapter 22: The Risk Of Writing Outside The Margins: A Reexamination Of The Notion Of Access / Bonnie Meath-lang -- Chapter 23: A Policy Perspective: Overcoming Gridlock Beyond Schools / Brad Mitchell. Edited By Robert Donmoyer And Raylene Kos. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book presents papers that address research methods, policies, and programs that can accommodate the considerable student diversity commonly found among at-risk students as well as portraits of particular at-risk students. The following papers and their authors are included: "At-Risk Students: Insights from/about Research" (Robert Donmoyer, Raylene Kos); "The Purpose of Portraits: Rethinking the Form and Function of Research on At-Risk Students" (Robert Donmoyer); " Nobody Knows My Life But Me!' The Story of Ben, A Reading Disabled Adolescent" (Raylene Kos); "Ways of Being At Risk: The Case of Billy Charles Barnett" (Thomas Barone); "Ellen, A Deferring Learner" (Karin L. Dahl); "Andy and Libby: At Risk or Undervalued?" (Karen L. Ford); "Karen: An Interaction of Gender Role and Reading Disability" (Raylene Kos); "'Something to Keep the Relationship Holding': Victoria, A Pregnant Adolescent" (Kathryn Herr); "Andrew: The Story of a Gifted At-Risk Student" (June Yennie-Donmoyer); "Alston and Everetta: Too Risky for School?" (James T. Sears); "Paul: Differentiating Disorder and Intervention" (John J. Gleason); "Structuring for Idiosyncracy: Rethinking Policies, Programs, and Practices for At-Risk Students" (Robert Donmoyer); "Placing Children At Risk: Schools Respond to Reading Problems" (Richard L. Allington, Anne McGill-Franzen); "Teacher, Why Am I Failing? I Know the Answers': The Effects of Developmentally Inappropriate Assessment" (Pamela D. Fleege, Rosalind Charlesworth); "'A Different Kind of Responsibility': Social and Academic Engagement of General-Track High School Students" (Sandra B. Damico, Jeffrey Roth); "Direction with Discretion: Reading Recovery as an Example of Balancing Top-Down and Bottom-Up Decision Making" (Patricia L. Scharer, Nancy C. Zajano); "In the Shadow of the Excellence Reports: School Restructuring for At-Risk Students" (Andrew Gitlin, et. al.); "Emergent Spanish Literacy in a Whole Language Bilingual Classroom" (Irene Alicia Serna, Sarah Hudelson); "'It's Not a Perfect World': Defining Success and Failure at Central Park East Secondary School" (Mark A. Faust); "Creating a Culture of Writers with At-Risk Students" (June Yennie-Donmoyer, Robert Donmoyer); "A Teacher Reflects on His Urban Classroom" (Art Isennagle); and "A Policy Perspective: Overcoming Gridlock Beyond Schools" (Brad Mitchell). Contains an index and over 400 references. (GLR) This book explores the circumstances of at-risk students and argues that well- intentioned policymakers and educators run the risk of making matters worse rather than better for these students. The volume demonstrates the diverse, idiosyncratic nature of these students, argues that traditional social science methods cannot capture this idiosyncrasy and diversity, and presents research methods, policies, and programs that can accommodate student diversity