Empowering Resiliency in Elementary School Students Project by: Katie Dorsey Marla Hiers Cookie Garrett Anne Larrimore Valdosta State University

Did you know… VIOLENCE & DIVORCE STATISTICS 3 million children witness violence in their homes each year. Children who witness violence tend to develop social, emotional, psychological, and/or behavioral problems. Domestic violence affects every member of the family. Children of divorced families face fear, sadness, loss, loneliness, rejection, and anger. The average time needed for children to become adjusted to the effects of divorce is 2-3 years. RETENTION & INCARCERATED PARENT STATISTICS Students that are held back before 8 th grade are 2.56 times as likely to drop out of school before reaching the 12 th grade as those who had not. It is estimated that as many as 15% of American students are held back each year and 30%-50% of students in the US are retained at least once before 9 th grade. Those students at highest risk for retention are male; African American or Hispanic; have a late birthday, delayed development and/or attention problems; live in poverty, live in a single-parent household, parents have low educational attainment, or change schools frequently. In 1999, an estimated 721,500 State and Federal prisoners were parents to 1,498,800 children under age 18.

Did you know… ALCOHOL ABUSE STATISTICS Children of addicted parents are the highest risk group of children to become substance abusers due to both genetic and environmental factors. More than 28 million Americans are children of alcoholics. 11 million are under the age of 18. Family problems that occur because of alcoholism are emotional/physical violence, isolation, stress, and an unstable home environment. 76% of child welfare professionals cite substance abuse as the number one cause of child mistreatment since Children of alcoholics have higher elevated rates of ADHD and ODD. 75.7% of child welfare professionals say that children of addicted parents are more likely to enter foster care. HOMELESSNESS & POVERTY STATISTICS Georgia has a poverty rate of 13.7%, making it one of the largest areas of severe poverty in the United States. The most critical levels of poverty in Georgia occurs in the southwestern corner, and it stretches across Georgia in a northeastern direction until it hits the Atlantic Ocean at Burke County. 36 counties in Georgia have reached critical levels of poverty. Also, out of Georgia’s 20 major cities, nine of them have critical poverty rates. 21,000 people are homeless in Georgia on any given night. More than ½ were unsheltered and the other 43% were in emergency housing or housing for victims of domestic violence. The DOE reported during the 2007/2008 school year, there were 15, 700 homeless children which was an increase of 1,683 children from the previous school year.

What is Resiliency? “Resilience is the ability to thrive, mature, and increase competence in the face of adverse circumstances. These circumstances may include biological abnormalities or environmental obstacles. Further, the adverse circumstances may be chronic, consistent, severe, or infrequent. To thrive, mature, and increase competence, a person must draw upon all of his or her resources: biological, psychological, and environmental.” -Ohio State University Bulletin Biological resources: Proper nutrition, health, safety, and wellbeing Psychological resources: Positive mental health characteristics, stable emotions, positive coping skills Environmental resources: Sense of safety at home and at school, positive learning environments, supportive individuals *How can a school counselor influence these areas?

Resiliency (Cont’d) Children who are resilient are more likely to complete school, develop stable families, enjoy life, secure employment, and gain support from others. (Reed-Victor, 2003) Resilient children are able to cope effectively with difficulties in addition to using individual strength as a basis for achievement. *How can school counselors help children capitalize on their strengths? LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH: KAUAI STUDY 1995

Who is At–Risk? Individuals who do not have appropriate support systems in place to assist them in becoming strong and independent persons across multiple levels (Erford, Newsome, & Rock, 2006) Too difficult to categorize Take steps to ensure that you do not label a student as at risk Risk Factors – Children of parents who abuse alcohol and other substances – Family Situations – Cultural Differences – Age difference – Retention – Community – Poverty – Homeless – Children who witness domestic violence Systems punish rather than rehabilitate

Protective Factors Aggressive students – Strong sense of self, strong relationship with at least one parent, supported by members of social network (Morrison, Robertson, and Harding, 1998) Retention – Extracurricular activities and the opportunity to participate (Randolph, Fraser, & Orthner, 2004) Poverty – Positive sense of self, few stressors, abstain from delinquent activities, positive peer relationships, high functioning support systems (Anthony, 2008). Homeless – Outgoing, active, helpful, productive, curious, and intelligent (Reed-Victor & Stronge, 2002). Schools – Smaller school size, qualified and supportive teachers, challenging curriculum, high expectations, variety of evaluation methods (Stuht, 2008 and Bernard, 1993)

Characteristics of Effective Programs Talent Development – Focus on student’s strengths Concentrate on key developmental hurdles – Keep students from falling behind Effective Strategies – Using up to date, empirically based strategies Coping strategies, anger management

Studies on Programs Bounce Back Program – Increased student knowledge and usage of coping skills, social skills, greater teacher, peer, and parent support. – In school program that emphasized teacher and parent role in supporting students. Be a Star Program – Community Based After-School Program – Decision making strategies, interpersonal skills, self esteem building, and developing favorable attitudes towards self and others as well as providing support for parents

Mentoring and In-Service Peer and/or adult mentoring shown to effect students performance and attitude positively. – Brown’s Personal Experience In-service- Teachers’ attitudes found to affect students’ attitudes, therefore teacher education about resiliency is very important.

Interventions as Counselors Proactive Interventions – Student Assembly – Classroom guidance – Parent/Teacher In service Responsive Interventions – Small Groups – Individual Counseling

Characteristic of Effective Interventions Organized – Star Points Gain and Sustain Attention – Tone of Voice – Mystery – Humor – Personal account – Media Proper Developmental level Relevant Information

Examples of Interventions Student Assembly – Drama Club performs a skit/short play about positive self esteem Classroom Guidance – Respecting Other Cultures Small Group – Deployment Group Students with parents that are deployed

Conclusion Empowering resilience at any developmental level for all students has the same goal; to strengthen and build upon individual strengths and abilities. As school counselors we must continue to strive to not only reach out to students who are at-risk, but make a commitment in incorporating resiliency awareness in the comprehensive developmental school counseling program.

Resources Resilient Kids – NEA Health Information Network – International Resilience Project – Resiliency Quiz – Resiliency in the Classroom – Resiliency in Action –