MR GEOFFREY F FOUNTAIN wrote:
>
> I was a "listener" in a conversation the other day with a group of people
> on an education foundation board. They were discussing "kids at risk" and
> cause(s) of this social issue. One suggested conducting a teacher's
> survey or having a teacher's forum to probe further into understanding the
> causes, with the assumption teachers close to kids at risk would have a
> good understanding of the causes.
...snip...
> Any information on this issue (insights, research references, etc) would
> be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Geof--
There is a lot of literature--however, you probably have excellent
resources in your community that you could consult with (and include in
your dialog. This will require more effort, and be more painful, than
conducting a survey--but it will also be more exciting and have more
meaning than a survey will ever have.
In my community, the following types of organizations have people who are
working continuously with "kids at risk" and they usually have a great
deal of expertise (and advice):
Community mental health center (Children's therapists/case managers)
Youth chemical dependency treatment center (CD counselors)
Police department (Police specializing in juvenile crime)
Juvenile court and detention facilities (judges, guards)
Youth athletics (coaches)
Kids (the ones who are identified "at risk" and the kids who seem
successful)
I think that the dialog you create with these actors will eventually
change your community by enhancing communication--and your efforts will be
linked, in a positive fashion, to the efforts of the whole community.
-- Richard C. "Doc" Holloway, Limen Development Network - olypolys@nwrain.com" An institution is but the lengthened shadow of a man."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>