"Risk Management" in Context: Policy Meanings of the Term "At-Risk" and Administrative Responses to "At-Risk" Students

• Main Author: Placier, Peggy
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.1988
• Subjects: Administrative Policy; Administrator Attitudes; Comparative Analysis; Differences; Elementary Secondary Education; High Risk Students; Institutional Characteristics; Local Norms; Potential Dropouts; School Districts; School Organization; School Size; Teacher Attitudes

This paper discusses a study of at-risk students in two highly contrastive schools, located in different districts, in order to illustrate the comparative perspective on how district and school characteristics might influence the definition of and response to at-risk students. The study is linked with a larger cultural context through an investigation of the occurrence of the term "at risk" in the educational literature over the past 10 years. The characteristics of the Suroeste School District and the Raintree School District (Arizona), the schools within each district, and the administration personnel within are contrasted. These district and school differences are then compared to the responses of each district to at-risk students. The differences between these school systems in their definition of at risk and their responses to at-risk students are discussed. In general, the smaller schools and the smaller, less centralized district, were less rigid in both identification of students and response to the educational difficulties. A bibliography with 12 references is included. (JS)