Warm-Up: Attention Grabber ;)

In this scene from "Easy A" (2010) a high school student is facing a difficult issue caused primarily by a rumor she started about herself that has grown out of her control. She's been called into the guidance counselor's office and is genuinely seeking help, but the counselor's poor listening skills leave Olive uncomfortable sharing the truth and the problem only escalates.

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CED 603 MULTICULTURAL COUNSELINGUNDERSERVED POPULATION: BUILDING SKILLS FOR SUCCESS

Cesar ChaconNational University

Introduction

"When you're a kid, school is your career. And if you go out of business in school, if your business goes bankrupt, if you're not having any success, you're left with almost nothing. You are poverty-stricken. Where do you go from there?“

-- Dr. Mel LevineFounder, All Kinds of Minds

Contents

Overview and Demographics

Theoretical Constructs Program Goals Program Outcomes Program Evaluation Program Brochure Citations

Overview and Demographics

Community Day Schools are schools for students who have been expelled from school or who have had problems with attendance or behavior or have been released by a juvenile detention center.

These schools serve troubled students in many ways. They offer challenging classes and teach important skills. They have counselors and other professionals who assist students.

Demographics Continued:Santa Ana Unified Community Day Intermediate and High School

Student Enrollment

Student Population

96 Students 100% Hispanic

Serviced 250 100% Socioeconomical

ly Disadvantaged

High Transiency Rate

76% English Learners

20% IEP and Identified as

Special Needs

90% Male

Theoretical Constructs

Social skills and/or life skills are behaviors that need to be taught and practiced until the skill can be exhibited fluently and appropriately (Lane et al., 2005).

Skills for Success is a program developed by the Orange County Human Relations Council that focuses on the requisite skill that all students should possess and include both social and academic components to help students achieve success both at school and beyond (OCHR, 2012).

Theoretical Constructs Continued

Teaching these skills is an essential, yet overlooked part of student success. Around the world, Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE) is being adopted as a means to empower young people in challenging situations (Life Skills, 2012).

LSBE refers to an interactive process of teaching and learning which enables learners to acquire knowledge and to develop attitudes and skills which support the adoption of healthy behaviors (Life Skills, 2012).

Program Goals

To develop leadership skills Improve self-esteem Build positive attitudes towards school Become positive role models Develop life skills Increase positive attendance Improve GPA

Program Outcomes

Academic Outcomes Decreased number of D’s and F’s by 185% 100% Continued on to Comprehensive High

School Skills Outcomes

100% of students reported using techniques learned to better handle conflict

Skills Developed Conflict Resolution Organization

Program Evaluation

Procedure Obtain informed

consent from parents and from the students.

Obtain the questionnaire responses of the students before the first skill building class

Obtain ex post facto data from school records on behavior problems and academic success for the program participants

Review the data and draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the skills program

Program Results

Base Data

Post Data

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

F'sD's

Prepared To Deal with Conflict

Pre Post0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Students

Students

F’s and D’s Earned by Students

Program Brochure

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.003.00 2.90

2.30 2.11

1.001.29

1.001.44

0.700.29

Average Number of D's and F's

Santa Ana USD CDS Skills for Success Program

Philosophy oc Human Relations' BRIDGES School Inter-group Relations Program has developed a curriculum that can positively change at-risk students' academic outcomes and, as a result, their lives. The Skills for Success Program helps students who are performing below expectations and assists them in the areas of goal setting, self-esteem, developing communication skills, decision-making, and academic planning. We believe there are many factors that contribute to and influence a student's performance in school, but when at-risk students receive this level of intervention and if they continue to receive follow-up support and encouragement from their school community, they will excel. Those who are engaged in these endeavors learn to take pride in their work in and out of the classroom, to invest in the future of their school and to share their positive experiences with others. Program Description The program begins with a consultation with school administration and a staff coordinator. The consultation provides a program overview as well as an inventory of possible resources and existing programs on campus. Following the consultation, BRIDGES Staff works with administrators and the site coordinator to identify students who might become participants. The identified students are invited to an orientation to the program, after which they may choose to commit to participate. The site coordinator will send a formal letter to the parents or guardians of students who agree to participate for the purpose of confirming their commitment. The class meets one period a week, with the time set on a rotating basis between periods 2 through 4. This rotating basis lets students avoid missing the same class weekly. The program targets periods 2-4 because they suit most class schedules and the program seems to work best when administered before lunch. Preliminary Outcomes The graph on the right shows a data for cohort of middle school students. These 10 students began with an average of 3 D's and F's and ended the program with an average of less than one - many with all C's and above.

In a sample of 25 high school participants the group started with an average of 2.85 D's and F's; that average decreased to 1.0 D's and F's at the program end. This site also reported that all the students who completed the program stayed in school and did not have to be transferred to continuation school. Additionally, the first group of 9th grade students that completed the program all graduated on time.

Skills for Success Curriculum Outline Lesson 1: Program Introduction. Students learn the program goals and process. A short activity to gets them acquainted with one another. Ground rules designed to provide a safe space are established. Pre-Surveys are administered. Lesson 2: Self-Esteem/Identity. Students examine their roles in society, their families and school, the personal attributes that make them unique, and how these affect their academic performance. Lesson 3: Cycle of Violence. An introduction to an analysis of why violence exists in the community and the punitive cycle it creates for youth when not addressed properly is offered. Students have time to share reflections about their school community and work to identify the root causes of their personal struggles. Lesson 4: Conflict Styles. Students are lead through group and individual processes that help them identify their attitude about conflict and their conflict style. Lesson 5: Managing Conflict. Options for addressing group and/interpersonal conflict are explored. Participants must solve problems as a team and role play positive responses to conflict. Lesson 6: Goal Setting. Students create worksheets that help them set their short and long-term goals and break them into the smaller steps that are required to reach their goals. Lesson 7: Cost of Living. What are the realities? The "Cost of Living" lesson simulates the true cost of living after high school. The purpose is to lead to an understanding of the importance of education as a foundation for achieving multiple goals and creating realistic expectations. Lesson 8: Decision Making. This session helps students examine the link between their personal values and their decision making process. Lesson 9: Principal Visit. This essential session gives the Principal a chance to connect with students. The principal presents graduation requirements and walks students through their transcripts to determine what they need to do to graduate on time. It also gives the students an opportunity to see their Principal in a different setting and see that s/he cares about each of them as individuals. Lesson 10: Listening and Communication Skills. This session on mindful communication and listening skills teaches students how to recognize their own communication styles and ethnocentric biases, how to be sensitive to the context of others and how to appreciate differences in communication. Lesson 11: Reaching Your Goals. Staff conducts one-on-one sessions with students to help them assess their long-term plans and next steps for reaching their goals. Lesson 12 (optional): Capstone Retreat. Students are rewarded with an all-day human relations retreat facilitated by BRIDGES Staff. Students will engage in a reflection process where they evaluate and update the plans they have made in the program and are challenged to expand the scope of their plans to include their contributions to their community and the people they impact day-to-day. This retreat can also help students to transition into the BRIDGES Program where applicable. Graduation: Program Evaluation and Graduation. Students celebrate their accomplishments and are invited to share a verbal reflection on their experience. Certificates of Completion are given and students provide a written evaluation of the program. Post-surveys are administered.

Citations

Lane, K.L., Menzies, H.M., Barton-Arwood, S.M., Doukas, G.L., & Munton, S.M. (2005).

Designing, implementing, and evaluating social skills interventions for elementary students: Step-by-step procedures based on actual school-based investigations. Preventing School Failure, 49 (2), 18-26.

Orange County Human Relations (2012). OCHR, Retrieved from http://www.ochumanrelations.org/

Santa Ana Unified School District (2012). SAUSD, Retrieved from

SARC

Life skills (2012). Life Skills, Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/lifeskills/

Questions/Discussions

Are there any questions?

Thank you!

The END…