Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Student dropout has been called a silent epidemic in the U.S. Over the past 50 years, the U.S. has fallen from having one of the highest graduation rates among the world's developed countries to ranking close to the bottom (22nd out of 27 countries). Most of these dropouts occur in low-performing schools in low-income neighborhoods and disproportionately affect the nation's minority students. Almost 2,000 high schools across the U.S. have been categorized as "dropout factories" because they graduate less than 60% of their students and account for over 50% of the students who leave school every year. About 32% of minority students attend "dropout factories" compared to only 8% of white students creating widening issues of equity and inclusion. Dropout increases the risk of living in poverty and impoverishes the nation. On average, students who drop out earn $30,000 per year less than students from the same socioeconomic states that graduated by the time they are in middle adulthood. Over half of high school dropouts are on public assistance and each dropout will create a cost to taxpayers exceeding $300,000 over their lifetime. Additionally, nearly 83% of incarcerated persons are high school dropouts. In short, dropout causes incalculable human suffering and staggering economic costs.United We Can (UWC) is a research-based prevention program designed to help address the nation's dropout epidemic by bringing together three key areas that have been shown to promote academic achievement among youth. First, UWC works to reduce barriers to and encourage family engagement in the child's education. Parents or guardians and youth attend a series of workshops together that use instruction, interactive activities, and guided reflections to aid parent involvement in their child's schooling. Second, UWC pairs students with success coaches with students to help them learn the social-emotional learning skills (e.g., problem-solving, emotion regulation, goal-setting, critical thinking), that prepares them to learn and thrive in school. Third, UWC creates a space for youth to affiliate with other like-minded students to create the necessary positive peer supports that will help them avoid more problematic behaviors. This space occurs during field trips designed to aid youth in career exploration as they develop their future possible selves.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
100%
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
This project proposes to increase academic performance and reduce high-risk behaviors among economically underprivileged youth who are at risk of not completing high school. The United We Can! program model will be implemented, which includes a five-week family workshop series, weekly one-on-one coaching, and a Summer Youth Academy for at-risk youth. An interrupted time-series design will be used to evaluate key outcomes of the project. This project promotes the CYFAR outcome "Teens," and will demonstrate increases in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behavior necessary for fulfilling contributing lives.Program description. This educational evidence-based program helps to accomplish the NIFA goal of equipping youth who are at risk of not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, and contributing lives through strong land-grant/community partnerships. To accomplish these outcomes, UWC addresses three primary aims known to impact academic attainment and workforce preparation:improving parental involvement in school,enhancing youth self-efficacy and social-emotional learning, andcreating a sense of belonging among a group of positively focused peers and to a positive social institution (school).
Project Methods
United We Can (UWC) is a research-based prevention program designed to help address the nation's dropout epidemic by bringing together three key areas that have been shown to promote academic achievement among youth.Family Engagement. Families attend a series of meetings in which we use fun activities and games to help parents become more involved in their child's schooling, learn general parenting skills, become more comfortable with the U.S. educational system, and learn how to advocate for their child's success. In addition to increased school engagement, the sessions: (a) help parents network with others in a way that reduces social isolation, (b) regain a sense of control over their and their child's future, and (c) cultivate the hope necessary to successfully cope with stress and practice positive parenting.Youth Personal Agency. This component empowers youth to take control of their own future. Youth are assigned to a success coach who works with them to develop a personal success plan focused on educational goals and critical life skills. Coaches are young adults who are enrolled in college or have recently graduated. Coaches monitor students' academic progress using data provided by the school on absences, grades, and behavior problems. When challenges arise, coaches use the challenges to help youth develop life skills such as emotion regulation, goal setting, critical thinking, problem-solving, and other attributes of positive youth development (e.g., personal care, study habits, and time management). Coaches also maintain regular contact with parents to help foster strong parent-adolescent relationships and to encourage and empower their involvement in their child's academic achievement.Positive Peer Affiliations. Youth participate in regular activities (monthly during the school year and weekly during the summer) designed to provide a space in which they can bond with each other and develop a sense of belonging with a group of like-minded peers. Activities focus on exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related career opportunities. A final summer outing takes youth to a major college campus. Here youth begin to envision themselves completing a four-year degree by interacting with professors and students in specially designed workshops on diverse topics such as DNA sequencing, robotics, social science data collection, and videography.