Student Alienation & Engagement

School Safety Project Marie A. Sutton

EDU-615-B1 April 12, 2013

• Negative school climates and student experiences may lead to the eruption of violence in schools

• Alienated students may harbor hostile and aggressive ideation • Alienation may occur even in schools that are generally positive

because of lack of awareness or concern about certain individuals and sub-groups who are outcasts from the mainstream school culture

• In the wake of incidents of school violence, there is a growing desire to create school climates and communities that reduce the risk for victimization and violence

(Hyman & Snook, 2001)

The Safety Issue

"Now more than ever, I think it's important to re-affirm that real education is not something that is done to someone but is rather what happens between people in community. This sense of relationship, this sense of belonging is one of the most precious things we foster in our pupils, and it's something that society at large seems to have forgotten.”

(Harman, 2012)

“Engagement is the opposite of alienation”(Newmann, 1989)

Engagement1 Alienation3Disengagement2

•Participation•Connection•Attachment•Integration

•Isolation•Separation•Detachment•Fragmentation

VS.

(Joselowsky, 2007; Newmann, 1989)

1 “Engagement has been found to be one of the most robust predictors of student achievement and behavior in schools… regardless of whether students come from families that are relatively advantaged or disadvantaged” (Clem & Connell, 2004).2 Disengagement “is especially acute for middle and high school students” (Newmann, 1989).3 Alienation not only adversely affects the quality of student life, “but it is an underlying factor in other school problems such as violence, vandalism, and poor achievement” (Newmann, 1981).

bullying

Three factors:1)Oppositionalitya pattern of adversarial relationships, particularly with authority figures

2)Hypervigilancethe student is forever on edge in what s/he experiences as an unsafe, hostile school climate

3)Hopelessnessfeeling of lack of control over the environment and situation, leading to depression and risk of violence to self (self-mutilation, suicide) and/or others

Student Alienation Syndrome

(Hyman & Snook, 2012)

Develops where… students and educators, overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously, foster climates that either perpetuate or ignore physical and psychological assaults on children.

peer harrassment

sarcasmteasing

School Learning Environments

Traditional Approaches • Students viewed as “recipients” of

education or learning • Teachers “deliver” curriculum • The teacher as “the sage on the

stage” • Student input either not solicited or

not acted upon • Curricula and instruction are not

designed to accommodate students’ different learning styles or interests

• Teaching “to the middle” • Authoritarian model utilizing different

forms of punishment

More Recent Approaches • Recognition that engagement

improves student learning and the quality of students’ school experience

• Students viewed as stakeholders in their learning

• Students are authentically engaged as co-constructors of their learning experience and environment

• Teacher as facilitator – “the guide on the side”

• Instruction is differentiated and makes connections to student interests and the real world (Joselowsky, 2007; Tomlinson, 2001)

What can schools do to engage youth?

Develop a welcoming environment in a community of support Connect youth with caring adults and peers Give youth clarity about what they need to do now and a clear path to the future Develop essential and meaningful content Encourage youth participation and voice Reduce the pressures both within and outside of them that threaten their success

In summary, create a school culture & climate that provides a sense of belonging, direction, and purpose, and that makes students want to learn, take initiative, and seek out opportunities to learn and to lead

(Campbell, 2010; Joselowsky, 2007; Youth Development Project, 2008)

A Framework for Youth Engagement: Strategies for Engaging Students

Climate and Culture of the

Learning Environment

…their own learning

…their peers’ learning

…improving educational opportunities

…thecommunity

Source: Framework for Success for All Students (2006)

All students need to be engaged in…

Summary of features of a community of engaged students

continuity in relationships

meaningful roles

experiences that build

skills and knowledge

high expectations

enga

ging

acti

vitie

s

References (1)

Campbell, D. E. (2010). Building positive relationships. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/

article/building-positive-relationships-students/

Framework for Success for All Students (2006). Collected papers from the technical support team for the

Schools for a New Society Initiative and Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York, NY: Carnegie

Corporation of New York. Retrieved from

http://annenberginstitute.org/sites/default/files/product/274/files/SNS_cogs.pdf

Harman, R. (2012). Children are alienated in materialistic society, warns headteacher Richard Harman (posted

April 30, 2012). Huffpost Students UK. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/04/30/children-are-alienated-materialistic-society-richard-

harman_n_1463728.html

Hyman, I. A., & Snook, P. A. (2001). Dangerous schools, alienated students. Reclaiming Children and Youth,

10(3), 133-136.

Johnson, L. S. (2009). School contexts and student belonging: A mixed methods study of an innovative high

school. School Community Journal, 19(1), 99-118.

References (2)

Joselowsky, F. (2007). Youth engagement, high school reform, and improved learning outcomes: Building

systemic approaches for youth engagement. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP

Bulletin, 91(3), 257-276.

Klem, A. M. & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and

achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262-273.

Newmann, F. M. (1989). Student engagement and high school reform. Educational Leadership, 46(5), 34-36.

Newmann, F. M. (1981). Reducing student alienation in high schools: Implications of theory. Harvard

Educational Review, 51(4), 546-564.

Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA:

ASCD.

Youth Development Institute (2008). Promising practices in working with young adults. Retrieved from

http://www.ydinstitute.org/resources/index.html