Home: Proposal
About: Analysis of Need, Current Efforts, Demographics
People: Students, Parents, Teacher, Advisors
Courses: Descriptions and Schedule
Logistics: Homework, Grades, Rules
Money: Cost and Funding of Program
Outcomes: Habits of Mind, Projections, Proficiencies
Timeline: Blog of progress with visuals!

MAKERTEENS meets Needs

Rational why this program is needed

Evidence suggests smaller learning communities can boost student achievement, improve attendance rates, decrease disciplinary referrals, and raise self-esteem. (Kemple, 2006)

In the typical 40 hour week workplace, a supervisor manages a group of workers, all day, all week. Conversely, in a large high school, students can “fall through the cracks” as they shuffle between 5 or more supervisors during a work day. For example, a quietly sullen student could go undetected the full day, a passive-aggressive student could balance a shoulder chip for 50 minutes as the teacher avoided conflict. A class clown could deflect responsibility or feign incompetence for a short disruptive period, with all actors relieved knowing that the gig will soon be up. Students practice these behaviors function to evade work. Students at-risk hide in fear of being rejected, covertly pleading to be known and respected by an adult. A solution is a full day with the same teacher to greatly diminish student ability to smoke screen fears and weaknesses. Although initially painful and time consuming, the results are worth the effort. Under continuous, intensive, relentless care, pretenses fall away, authenticity surfaces, and the whole person can be rehabilitated, in the truest sense of forming beneficial habits.

Additionally, viable cross-curricular project-based learning is more feasible and coherent when delivered by the same teacher who strategically integrates learning opportunities within the dynamic flow of group and individual needs. This relevant education, within a positive environment aimed to meet individual needs, will diminish the frequency of students who feel alienated and disengaged from school. A smaller learning community strengthens relationships.

This alternative school provides the IEP team with another possible least restrictive environment (LRE) in their continuum of placement options. The U.S. Department of Education defines an alternative education school as ”a public elementary/secondary school that addresses the needs of students which typically cannot be met in a regular school and provides nontraditional education which is not categorized solely as regular education, special education, vocational education, gifted and talented or magnet school programs” (U.S. Department of Education, 2002, p. 55).

The alternative education teacher is not a lone ranger but is seen as a team member who collaborates by blending RTI (Response to Intervention) and individual PBIS student supports and interventions for students with significant behavioral needs in the wraparound planning process. Student, Family and school staff work together to form the student’s education plan and profile (EPP) to help students pursue their personal, educational, career interests, and post-high school goals.

MAKERTEENS delineate entrepreneurial plans as employers, prepare resumes as employees, and practice for college admission interviews in order to effectively thrive in any potential contingency.

Potential Barriers

A self-contained alternative education program within a traditional school has the intrinsic danger of stigma. Additionally, the risk factors from inappropriate peer associations may be compounded. Disengagement with “normal” school activities can accelerate the tendency to drop out of school. A concentration of impulsive youth with negative attitudes can feed on each other in an escalation of poor behaviors and general rebelliousness. For the uninitiated, being regularly exposed to delinquency may be a gateway to illicit substance abuse, pornography, foul language, and a host of other behaviors in a type of prison yard training ground. Teacher awareness of such potential to downward spiral, empowers the teacher to nip problems in the bud, redirect negative energy, maintain firm expectations and supports for success, and immediately trouble shoot the function of counter-productive behaviors by collaborating with parents, colleagues, and students as appropriate. In order to provide a dynamic threashold of positive peer leadership, up to 40% of students who enter the program are without a history of deliquency, significant trauma impacts, credit deficiencies, and low gpa.

Philosophy of Education

According to social constructivist theory, the group defines the paradigms of reality and sets expectations. A purely discovery based constructivist approach is inefficient use of time and makes ineffectual progress. The romantic notion that students can solely guide themselves is rejected. However, with training, students move toward self-directed group discussion within a context of mutual respect and encouragement from academic teammates. Likewise, individuals are given strategies for self-monitored productive learning.

Myths to change behavior:

Education creates behavior change. ~ No, Information is not enough. Information needs to be tangible, personalized, and interactive.
You need to first change attitudes in order to change behaviors. ~ No, behaviors change attitudes, not typically the other way around.
People know what motivates them to take action. ~ No, the powerful influence of social norms are often subconscience motivators.

It is not a myth that well structured learning environments offer appropriate scaffolds toward predefined outcomes.

Accountability based on roll modeling Habits of Mind and Best Practices

The state of North Carolina (Public Schools of North Carolina, 2001) did a longitudinal, in-depth evaluation of their alternative education programs spanning more than five years. Their findings are similar to those of other researchers. According to this report, successful alternative education schools have the following characteristics:

Strong sense of purpose and mission
Caring and committed staff
Dynamic leadership
Collegiality with faculty and students
Family-like atmosphere of respect
Low teacher/student ratio allowing more individual attention
Hands-on/experiential learning
Individualized and personalized learning
Emotional, physical, and academic needs of students addressed
Flexibility
Focus on academic standards
Creative strategies for course offerings
Significant parent involvement
Strong community connections.

In addition to itemizing time and expenses as per state requirements, student progress toward program goals is regularly assessed. Data which identified an at-risk student, such as truancy, low grades, and office referrals, are collected and evaluated. Baseline data is provided by those who are aware of student history and likely trajectory without effective intervention. In collaboration with the school counselor, administrator, parent, and community services, individualized outcomes are identified, tracked, and reported.

Attendance Laws

ORS 339.010 School attendance required; age limits. Except as provided in ORS 339.030, all children between the ages of 7 and 18 years who have not completed the 12th grade are required to attend regularly a public full time school of the school district in which the child resides.

ORS 339.020 Duty to send children to school. Except as provided in ORS 339.030, every person having control of any child between the ages of 7 and 18 years who have not completed the 12th grade is required to send such child to and maintain such child in regular attendance at a public full time school during the entire school term. Violations are punishable, upon conviction, by a fine of not more than $100 or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 30 days or both. Students who fail to maintain regular attendance in school may have either their driving privileges suspended or the right to apply for driving privileges suspended. Any parent who fails to maintain their child in regular attendance or who fails to send a student to school within three (3) days of notification by the district that their student is not complying with compulsory attendance requirements may be issued a citation by the district for the student’s failure to attend school. Violation is a Class C violation of law and is punishable by a court imposed fine up to $150 as provided by ORS 339.925. For the purpose of computing irregular attendance, an unexcused absence for a period during a portion of the day will be considered a half days absence. Additionally, a parent or other person lawfully charged with the care or custody of a student under 15 years of age, may be found by the courts to have committed the offense of failing to supervise a child who has failed to attend school as required. Violations, as determined by the court, may be punishable by a requirement to complete a parent effectiveness program approved by the court and/or a fine of not more than $600. http://www.fernridge.k12.or.us/elmirahs/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/EHS-handbook.16-17.pdf

The U.S. Department of Education defines an alternative education school as ”a public elementary/secondary school that addresses the needs of students which typically cannot be met in a regular school and provides nontraditional education which is not categorized solely as regular education, special education, vocational education, gifted and talented or magnet school programs” (U.S. Department of Education, 2002, p. 55).

Prohibits Discrimination

The MAKERTEENS program is committed to providing a learning and work environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed/religion, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status or age, in admission or access to participation in its programs and activities, pursuant to federal and state laws including, but not limited to, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.