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We hope you enjoy this seminar and thank you for
attending!
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• You knock on the door- nothing. You knock louder
  and are told to go away. Five minutes later
  youre back. You go in, concerned about the
  time. Youre gonna be late for the 3rd time
  this week, you say.

A voice in the dark room, from under the covers
says - Im sick. Im tired and I dont wanna go.
You cant make me, so leave me alone!
You know theres no choice. The math teacher
called last week to say the absences, incomplete
homework and assignments, poor attitude and
tests, meant a failing grade. There was only a
month to go, and it was now or never, they
said.
The VP called yesterday. Said that if anymore
skipping of classes or behaviour was a problem,
suspension for the rest of the year or even
getting kicked out could happen.
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Threats and anger- thats all theres left.
Youre out of this house if youre not in
school, or dont have job so you can pay rent!
With no education these days, what kinda job
will you have? Its not like in my day when you
could get a great job with no diploma. Cant
believe youre going to throw it all away-youre
so lazy. We raised you better than this
Silence as the response.
Unfortunately, all too often it ends how you
never thought- you have a child whos a
high-school dropout.
Another day, but the same battlewill it ever
end?
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What protective factors are in your familys
lives?
What does the research mean?
Is or could your child be an early school
leaver?
How could you help ensure your child
stays in school?
What risk factors are most influential?
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Turn School Leavers Into Believers

• A Workshop for Parents
• Trying to Understand
• why Secondary Students
• become Disengaged
• Based on the Report Understanding the Lived
  Reality of Student Disengagement from Secondary
  School

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Report Prepared by Community Health Systems
Resource Group The Hospital for Sick
ChildrenFor the Ontario Ministry of Education
and Training, Special Education BranchToronto,
Canada May 30, 2005
Seminar Created by Night Owl Productions-
OISE/UT Lisa Mast, Lisa Coville, Sarah Smart,
Maia Petrovic, Louise Dewaele, Kelly MacDonald
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Introduction
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• What is an early school leaver?

a) a student who finishes his/her work so he/she
gets to go home early
b) a student who leaves secondary school before
earning a diploma
c) a student who leaves early in the morning for
school
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Definition of an early school leaver

• an early school leaver is a student who leaves
  secondary school before earning a diploma
• Early school leaving is the result of a long
  process of disengagement and alienation that may
  be preceded by less severe types of withdrawal
  such as truancy and course failures.
  Understanding this process will provide the
  Ministry of Education with multiple junctures in
  which to intervene.
• The term early school leaver has replaced the
  term school drop-out

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Statistics about students in Canada

• In Canada, 12 of students do not finish
  secondary school (Bushnik, Barr-Telford
  Bussiere, 2004)
• During the last four years there has been a
  substantial decrease in secondary school
  graduation rates in Ontario (King 2004)
• In 2001, 18.4 of Canadian men and women between
  the ages of 20-24 years did not have a high
  school degree, certificate or diploma
• In Canada Nunavut has the highest rate of early
  school leavers 67.4 and Ontario has the lowest
  rate 15.9
• Approximately one-third of early school leavers
  drop out with grade 9 education or less and
  almost two thirds drop out with grade 10 or less.
  (HRDC, 2000)

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Implications and Consequences of Leaving School
Early

• Unemployment
• Earn less over working life
• Higher levels of early pregnancy
• Higher levels of substance abuse
• More likely to require social services

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• Unemployment Rate for High School Dropouts Double
  that of University Graduates
• In 2004, the unemployment rate for 25- to
  29-year-olds who had not completed high school
  stood at 15 compared to 7 for university
  graduates. This was one of many pieces of
  information contained in a major report released
  today by education ministers and Statistics
  Canada.
• The report is not only the result of a credible
  and productive working relationship between the
  Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC)
  and Statistics Canada, stated Dr. Raymond
  Théberge, Director General of CMEC, it also
  provides high-quality dependable data for making
  informed decisions about policy choices and
  program development.
• The 2005 report, the fourth edition published by
  the program, is available in its entirety and
  free of charge on the Internet (www.statcan.ca
  www.cesc.ca), as well as in hard copy from
  Statistics Canada.
• Source http//www.thecanadianteacher.com/?p456
  

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Purpose of the Early Leavers Study

• This qualitative study was designed to understand
  the process of disengagement from school, and of
  early school leaving, from the point of view of
  193 young people in Ontario who have themselves
  left school or are at risk of doing so.
• Study also provides data on the process from the
  perspectives of groups of parent/guardians of
  early leavers, and of Ontario educators.
• The voices of youth from various socio-economic,
  cultural and ethnic backgrounds were heard.
• Understanding early school leavers will help the
  Ministry of Education intervene.
• The research project involved three
  interconnected strategies
• A) comprehensive literature reviews
• B) socio-demographic data analyses (reported
  under a separate cover)
• C) an in-depth qualitative study

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Introduction Reflective Questions

• Do you think students who leave school early is a
  relevant issue in Ontario or in your community?
• What questions do you hope the results of this
  study will answer?

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Risk Factors
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• Why do you think so many secondary school
  students become disengaged with school? Discuss.
• As you learn about risk factors, can you
  identify which could or may already be affecting
  your child?

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Non-school Related Risk Factors

• Macro Level
• Societal and Cultural Influences
• Low socio-economic status
• Minority group status
• Gender- males are at a higher risk

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Non-school Related Risk Factors continued

• Micro Level
• Neighbourhood, family, peer and school factor
  Influences
• Social and academic difficulty at school
• Physical, cognitive and mental disabilities
• Students with high levels of independence
• Experimentation with risks (i.e.. drugs, alcohol,
  law)

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Non-school Related Risk Factors continued

• Meso Level
• Influence of inter-relationships between levels
• Household stress
• Limited social support to remain in school
• Home-school culture conflict
• Taking on adult roles (ie. full-time employment,
  pregnancy, child care)

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Attitude towards high school

• Most students leave school because of school risk
  factors. They see school as unrewarding and have
  negative interactions with peers and teachers.
• Many feel that school policies are
  counterproductive to keeping students in school
  or allowing them to return after leaving for a
  period. There seems to be a lack of flexibility
  and passivity on the schools part.

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School Related Risk Factors
Who could you talk to about these factors? Your
teen, a guidance counsellor, a VP or special
education teacher!

• Ineffective discipline system
• Lack of counseling and referrals
• Negative school climate
• Lack of relevant curriculum
• Passive instructional strategies, non-engaging
• Disregard for student learning styles
• Retentions and suspensions
• Lack of assessment and support for students with
  disabilities

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Parental Risk Concerns
Do you feel that you have these concerns as well-
because if you do, youre not alone!

• Student bullying and lack of protection offered
• Lack of supervision and insufficient numbers of
  staff to oversee student functions
• Undiagnosed learning difficulties
• Negative teacher attitudes
• Cultural ignorance and racism
• Lack of communication between educators and
  parents

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Risk Factors Reflective Questions

• What do you feel needs to be the first step in
  decreasing the number of students leaving school?
  
• What school resources would you like to see be
  made available for you, the parent, to help deal
  with these risk factors?

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Protective Factors
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• What factors do you think families can control
  to maximize student success? Discuss.

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Protective Factors in the School

• Communities/schools with anti-poverty/anti-discr
  imination awareness and strategies
• Mixing students of SES backgrounds
• Positive school ethos/climate
• School size (match between individual needs and
  size of school)
• School-home fit
• School-developmental needs fit
• Supportive and inclusive teaching styles
• Relevant and engaging curriculum reflecting
  diversity
• School engagement

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Protective Factors in the Home

• Educational advantage (parental education)
• High educational aspirations and expectations
• School-home fit
• Parental involvement (in school and in general
  life of youth)
• Moderate youth employment (10-15 hours per
  week)

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Protective Factors Reflective Question

• How do these protective factors apply to your
  child, their school and your family?

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Prevention and Intervention
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How can students be prevented from leaving school
early?

• So far an effective strategy hasnt been
  successful

BUT..
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What would an effective strategy look like?

• It needs to be based on the students own unique
  life circumstances and fit their individual needs
• Needs to focus on academic, social and supportive
  activities in order to address the student as a
  whole
• Requires integration of community services to
  enable schools and programs to be responsive to
  the range of needs each student has (Rumberger,
  2001)

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4 Categories that may reduce early school leaving
(Schargel Smink, 2001)

• Early Intervention Strategies
• Provide parental skills training
• Family involvement
• Early childhood education
• Reading and writing programs

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• Basic Core Strategies
• Provide mentors/tutoring
• Service learning by connecting important
  community service experiences with academic
  learning
• Alternative schooling
• Providing out-of-school enhancements such as
  after school and summer school, recreation and
  social programs Give the student options to
  fit their experience!

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• Making the Most of Instruction
• Provide professional development on these issues
  to educators
• Acceptance of diverse identities, learning styles
  and multiple intelligences. Each student learns
  differently!
• Use of instructional technology

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• Make the Most of the Wider Community
• Systematic renewal
• Community collaboration Get everybody on board!
• Career education and workforce readiness
• Conflict resolution and violence prevention

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General Recommendations to Keep Kids In School

• Recognize the strengths, abilities and energy of
  youth

• Make sure they are given decision-making
  opportunities

• Educate adults about the value of youth and
  effective ways
• to work with them

• Respect the rights of youth, and treat them
  fairly and with respect

• Schools are a key place to be interacting with
  youth by providing
• them with information, services and
  opportunities

• Recognize the value of peer-based programs
  Youth are going to
• listen to their friends!

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How should you React ?

• Be open to their diverse needs and interests
• Be flexible and non-judgmental

Schools, agencies and programs need to provide
youth with opportunities to make choices that are
important to them. Decisions have
consequences, some good, some bad. Support them
when they face the consequences from their
decisions and help them in reflecting on the
lessons they have learned and on the successes
they have made!
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Recommendations
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For Parents
Can you think of ways in which family situations
or experiences have negatively impacted your
performance at work? Think about ways these
family situations or experiences may have
affected your child at school.

• Create positive family dynamics which are
  important to staying in school and academic
  success
• The experiences a student has at home has a
  direct impact on the student at school and their
  performance even if you are experiencing a
  divorce, loss of job, change in lifestyle, make
  sure to listen to your teen and have regular talks

Through these talks Make sure you ask what is
going on in their lives Show an interest Be
involved and stay involved. Let them let you
in! Have realistic expectations is your child
going to receive As if they struggle with
classes in language or math? Accept what they
can do Provide direction and guidance Open
communication with the school and stay connected
Teachers cant help your child if they do not
know about changes at home or of situations which
will impact the student at school and
their
ability to stay in school.
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Your Childs School and Teachers

• The following are questions to consider about
  the people who are educating your child.
  Educators should have a wide realm of resources
  available to them. If they dont, hop on board
  and ask until there is follow through!

Are your childs teachers keeping in contact with
you? Can you ask them to recommend community
agencies that can help? Do they understand that
childrens needs are different depending on the
child? Do they understand diversity and are they
knowledgeable about the various kinds of
diversity affecting children today? Do they
listen to what you have to say? Do they
understand the significance of bullying, racism,
discrimination? Do they understand and accept
different lifestyles and life plans? Is proper
teacher training provided for the teachers in the
area of cultural competence? Does you child feel
welcome, respected, encouraged, and
psychologically and physically safe at school?
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Is your childs school being flexible
to your childs needs?

• Your childs school needs to be aware of the
  circumstances which may be playing a role in
  your childs ability to stay in school and on
  learning.
• Is your childs school aware of possible teen
  parenting issues or that they may have a part
  time job in order to provide for a pregnancy or
  child?
• Are there personalized instructional strategies
  available for your child if needed?
• Do they offer alternatives to suspension and
  expulsion considering that students are already
  having difficulty staying in school
• What links exist between the community and the
  school (local community centres, drop in centres,
  lesbian/gay organizations, young parents
  associations, AA for teens, mental health
  agencies, Native Canadian organizations and other
  ethnic/cultural associations)
• Do they offer a wide range of extra curricular
  activities based on student demand?
• Have they expanded and changed or broadened their
  approaches to school culture based on the student
  body and culture?

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What is the relationship like between
your child and school/teachers?
Are the teachers prepared for the warning signs
that your child could exhibit if they are
considering leaving school? How are they
prepared?

• Students do better in school when they feel they
  are understood and can form good relationships
  with their teacher(s). The following are ways in
  which schools can provide a better relationship
  with students and keep them in school.

Has your childs teacher or school contacted you
with concerns about them leaving school? Should
they have by now? Have they provided your child
with resources for assessment, counseling, and
other needed intervention? These may not be ones
that you are aware about due to confidentiality
issues, however it is good to contact the school
to find out what they policy is with regards to
giving out these types of resources and
help. Are you able to go to your childs school
to watch or volunteer? Have you seen other
parents doing this? Does your child have a
mental or physical disability that the teachers
need to learn more about? Are they open to
receiving professional development about these
types of issues? Does your child feel that they
are part of the culture of the school and that
they belong?
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Recommendations from other youth
Is there a young adult or a teenager who has quit
school who your child could talk to? Perhaps the
school has some suggestions. Often youth are
more likely to listen to their peer group.

• Can you believe that the message that youth are
  giving other youth is to stay in school?
• Youth who have left school may be have the best
  recommendations for your child if he or she is
  considering leaving school. If you can arrange
  to have your child meet with someone who has left
  school, they may make a world of difference! The
  message that comes from other youth is to stay in
  school!

Messages coming from other youth that they could
share with your child Tell the teacher the way
you learn best Be yourself, no matter what other
people say Explore other schools if this type is
not working for you Ask for help and use any
support given Avoid alcohol and drugs Dont be
intimidated by teachers and try to avoid those
who are problematic Change schools if you need
to PERSERVERE DESPITE CHALLENGES
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Conclusion
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• What have we learned from this study?
• What are the implications for policy and
  practice?
• What are the implications for further research?

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Early School leaving

• Is the result of disengagement and alienation
• Is not only restricted to typically high-risk
  individuals (race/class)
• Involves multiple causes
• Is related to school and non-school related
  variables
• Requires diverse prevention/intervention
  strategies unique to that student

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Implications for the Education System

• Based on the research data these general
  principles should be kept in mind when developing
  prevention/intervention strategies

1. Be more understanding - Be accepting of
youth culture - Listen to what students
have to say - Be fair and respectful

• Be more flexible
• Account for adult roles of youth
• (work, parenting)
• Include variety of extra-curricular
• activities
• Provide alternative approaches to
• school structure

3. Be more proactive - Create school
culture of "belonging" - Improve
parent communication/ involvement
- Provide resources for intervention
(assessment, counselling)
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Implications for Policy and Practice

• Successful initiatives will require broad focus
• Focus should include academic, social, and
  supportive activities
• Allow youths to make decisions about future goals
• Educating adults about effective ways of working
  with youths
• Greater recognition/consideration of diversity of
  youth experiences, needs, and backgrounds

These findings and recommendations can be used to
help shape the current Ontario Student Success
Strategy.
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Implications for Further Research

• Issues
• No universally accepted definition of "early
  school leaver
• Studies use single indicators vs. multiple ones
• Studies focus on family background and overlook
  role of school climate on disengagement
• Lack of research that deals with early school
  leaving and criminal justice system
• Methods for determining leaver rates vary and are
  often unstated
• Lack of research on resilience and protective
  factors

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Can we make a difference?

• Early school leaving is a process that begins
  well before withdrawal.

This process is multidimensional and unique for
each student.
Future research will hopefully give us a better
understanding of the complex causes to early
school leaving.
Parents must realize that family support and
parental involvement are important to student
success.
Educators must work on creating a school climate
that supports youth learning and culture.
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• By working together parents and educators
• can
• make a positive difference for early school
  leavers!

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About the seminar creators

• Sarah Smart

Lisa Coville
Lisa Mast
Louise Dewaele
Maia Petrovic
Kelly MacDonald
Sarah Smart is a Special Education teacher who
currently works in a Behavioural Intensive
Support Program with at risk students in grade
3-5. She has been teaching in a Behavioural
program for six years. Sarah is responsible for
training teachers new to Behaviour programs for
the Northwest quadrant of Toronto District School
Board. Prior to working as a teacher, she was a
Social Worker at a Children's Mental Health
Center working with children under 12 with
externalizing behaviour disorders. She developed
and implemented Ontario's first evidence based,
gender specific treatment protocol for aggressive
girls and their families.Sarah currently lives
in Etobicoke with her husband, son (age 4) and
daughter (age 6). She is training for her third
1/2 marathon and second triathlon.
Louise Dewaele has taught a Primary General
Learning Disability Class for the past three
years. Louise built the PGLD class from the
ground up, as it had just come into her school.
Prior to that, Louise taught the TREADD class in
the same school. During that year, Louise made
the first 'official' IEP for a Section 19 student
using the IEP engine. After that, all section 19
students were placed in the IEP system and Louise
conducted a workshop to train section 19 teachers
on how to use the IEP engine.Prior to teaching,
Louise worked with children and adults who had
autism and behaviour challenges from the time she
was 16.Louise will be teaching a 'regular' grade
2 class in September, but is and always will be a
Special Education Teacher at heart and will go
back!
Kelly MacDonald is a Special Education and
Geography Teacher in the Secondary Panel, who
currently teaches with the Waterloo Region
District School Board. She has been teaching
for 9 years, and will assume the Headship role
in Special Education next year. She has taught
many levels, many grades and many different
subjects, ranging from physical education to
science. She also is actively involved in
coaching and co-leading the Student Council at
her school. Kelly currently lives in Kitchener
with her husband, and 2 year old son. She plays
competitive fastball and loves all games!
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Resources

• Final Report Early School Leavers
  Understanding the Lived Reality of Student
  Disengagement from Secondary School
• Prepared by Community Health Systems Resource
  Group The Hospital for Sick Children For the
  Ontario Ministry of Education and Training,
  Special Education Branch Toronto, Canada May 30,
  2005
• Model Causes and Consequences of School
  Departure http//www.sdc.gc.ca/asp/gateway.asp?hr
  en/cs/sp/hrsd/prc/publications/research/1995-00001
  5/page03.shtmlhswnc
• Article Unemployment Rate for High School
  Dropouts Double that of University Graduates
  http//www.thecanadianteacher.com/?p456
• Poem Lee, Leon Thomas. Stay in School.
  Poemhunter.com

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• Stay In School
• Stay in school, don't be a foolA dropout gets
  left outA dropout gets pushed outShow me your
  name, what does it meanShow me your ring, you're
  in the sceneWithout an education there is no
  beginningWith education you are winningStay in
  school, student maintain your coolIt's so hard
  to get a job now daysWithout education just be
  on your wayShow me your car, what does it prove?
  Show me your diploma, you're in the grooveYou
  don't have to be smart to finish schoolBut you
  are a square if you are not thereDropout, you
  can start backStudents that are in schoolYou
  are on the right trackYou can stand around the
  cornerWatching the school bus go byYou know
  deep down inside you want to cryIt is good to
  stop drinkingIt is good to stop smokingWhen you
  are thinking about stopping your educationMy
  friend you better start thinking
• Leon Thomas Lee

The End