LISTENING TO WHAT YOUTH HAVE TO SAY IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT? IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?

SETTING THE CONTEXT: PRETEST 1. What show has been among the top 5 cable shows for 5 years and running? 2. In The World Is Flat, the 4th most Googled item for april of 2004 was? 3. $8, 777,221,240,095 ($29,200 per citizen) refers to? 4. What ___% of students report, as 9th graders, wanting a high school education? 5. The employment rate of all dropouts is ____ that of peers who finish high school 6. A life of crime costs over $___ million What percentage of adult services or public schools actively recruit school dropouts? 70% to 80% of whom are school dropouts? $380,000 more to $1.3 million more refers to _______ Last month, OSEP reported an ‘official’ graduation rate of ____%

INSIGHT INTO IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL: FIVE POINTS OF EMPHASIS IDEAS from the perspective of former and current students SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA EFFECTIVE TEACHING (from all students) SUMMATION OF HOW KFC RELATES TO WHAT YOU DO NEXT WEEK RED PAPER CLIP and your 3 rd chance to get a ‘free’ dinner

PART ONE: WHAT FORMER STUDENTS HAVE TAUGHT US 75% REPORT ‘DROPPING OUT’ BEFORE 8 TH GRADE 75% LEAVE ASAP LESS THAN 5% REPORT TALKING TO SOMEONE AT SCHOOL ABOUT DROPPING OUT TEACHERS AND STUDENTS REPORT VERY DIFFERENT REASONS FOR STUDENTS DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL ( PUSH V. PULL CONCEPT ) NO INTEREST IN COMING BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL, YET OVER 67% REPORT AN INTEREST IN FURTHER SCHOOLING THEIR JOB OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIMITED BEYOND BELIEF NEARLY 50% OF ALL GENERAL EDUCATION DROPOUTS EARN A GED OR A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

WHAT MOTIVATES YOUTH TO BE IN SCHOOL? PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ( 3 to 5 times as influential as any other motivation) SOCIALIZING WITH PEERS ( 2 times as influential as the remaining 3 motivations) Miscellaneous Participate in School Activities Please another adult (parent or teacher) Note: These results have held across studies on in school students, general and special education, and those who have dropped out.

CURRENT STUDENTS’ BEST PART OF HIGH SCHOOL? SOCIALIZING WITH THEIR PEERS PARTICULAR CLASSES (useful, relevant, successful) POSITIVE INTERACTIONS WITH TEACHERS (stress individual contacts or ones that generate successful learning) SPORTS

THE WORST PART? PARTICULAR CLASSES AND SCHOOL WORK (FAILURE, TOO HARD, LACK OF PERCEIVED RELEVANCE). INTERACTIONS WITH PARTICULAR TEACHERS (negative, demeaning) LOSS OF PERSONAL FREEDOM TO MAKE CHOICES (while in class & school)

WHAT WOULD HELP YOU TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SCHOOL DROPOUTS – A CHANGE IN TEACHER ATTITUDE OR TEACHING STYLE; BETTER INTERACTIONS WITH TEACHERS CURRENT STUDENTS – ACCESS TO MORE ACADEMIC SUPPORT, MORE RELEVANT CLASSES & MORE ENJOYMENT IN SCHOOL (group activities, hands on learning)

PART TWO: FOSTERING SUCCESS IN HIGH SCHOOL ALGEBRA (MATH) Math is reported by nearly 70% of our students as being their least favorite class (nearly 50% of all students) For Math they see the work as too difficult, too complex, not relevant to their lives, and boring Algebra is the cornerstone class for post- secondary schooling Universal Design for Learning (Access, Engagement, & Performance)

THE CONTEXT FOR SEEING IF UDL CAN WORK IN ALGEBRA CLASSES During one semester, student perceptions of 14 UDL-based interventions (8 were technology based) 714 total responses (12% special education) What did they like best about the 14 interventions? It was fun or enjoyable (35%) Miscellaneous (13%) The technology in some way (12%) Collaborating with peers (11%) No response or nothing (10%)

CONTINUED … What did you like least? Activity was boring (25%) Nothing (40%) Technology (12%) In comparison to your other academic classes (strongly disagree to strongly agree): More enjoyable – 4.35 Learned more important information – 4.06 Information will help me more on the EOC – 4.14 I stayed more on task – 4.21 I worked harder – 4.17 Want more of these type interventions: 95% yes

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL MATH UDL inspired instructional activities generated very high rates of reported satisfaction, including perceived relevance, enjoyment, and helpfulness (as compared to their other academic classes) Students WANT to be engaged in relevant learning, experience a level of enjoyment, and be successful It can WORK There are lots of resources out there to do this kind of stuff

UDL FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF TEACHERS Change in high schools and adults is TOUGH High school settings have changed little over the past 30 years (think JAWS) Most high school teachers do NOT buy into the idea of student engagement as the key to success and school completion Few teachers or administrators buy into the idea of student feedback as means of evaluation (but for these that do it has been amazing) Most teachers are reluctant to change their habits or beliefs (despite offerings of money, technology, and data)

PART THREE: WHAT IS ‘GREAT’ TEACHING ACCORDING TO STUDENTS We have asked over 10,000 students and former students to tell us about their best high school teacher Over 85% of their descriptions fall into one of three areas – positive or individual encounters, helped me to learn in some way, and I KNEW THEY CARED ABOUT ME Less than 2% of students have described it as someone who was easy and less than 5% have not responded (did not have a best teacher or opted to not answer)

DEFINING GREAT TEACHING IN HIGH SCHOOLS How do schools define it? How do you define it? Impact of letters and conversations with these ‘great’ teachers Are students correct? (if yes, how are we recognizing it)

PART FOUR: KFC AS A WAY FOR IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL

SEVEN THINGS TO START DOING NEXT WEEK THAT WILL KEEP YOUTH IN SCHOOL ACCESS TO SUPPORTIVE ADULTS AND ROLE MODELS THAT ALIGN W/ CAREER AMBITIONS (Personal development) ACKNOWLEDGING GREAT TEACHING ENGAGEMENT IN THE NON-ACADEMIC SIDE OF SCHOOL (peers, sports, school groups) POSITIVE TO NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE RATIO LINKING SERVICES TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR CONSUMER HELPING TEACHERS IDENTIFY STUDENT STRENGTHS INTERVENTIONS OR SERVICES THAT MATCH YOUR UNIQUE SITUATION

IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE? We think so

ONE RED PAPERCLIP