The Challenge of Teaching in a Changing Society Chapter 2

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The Challenge of Teaching in a Changing
Society Chapter 2
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Americas Challenges

• A changing population
• The changing family
• The changing nature of
• childhood and youth
• The changing school

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A Changing Population

• 1999
• White 71.9
• Black 12.1
• Hispanic 11.5
• Asian/Other 4.5

• 2025
• White 62
• Black 12.8
• Hispanic 18.2
• Asian/Other 7

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A Changing Population

• of Whites will decline
• Hispanics will outnumber African-Americans
• of Asian/others will dramatically increase

5
A Changing Population

• 1/3 of Americans will be minorities
• of children in population will decrease from
  26 to 24
• Percentage of those over 55 will increase

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Implications for a Changing Population cont.

• Teachers must educate a more ethnically and
  racially diverse population.
• Teachers will have an increased ESL population (1
  in 5 will be an immigrant household).
• Teaching jobs will be in urban areas.
• Teachers will need to bridge gaps between seniors
  and children for schools.

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The Changing Family

• Women are bearing fewer children (so children
  have fewer siblings).
• Parents tend to be older, as adults marry later.
• Family styles are changing

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Family Styles are Changing

• Both parents are working
• 50 divorce rate (1/4 of Americas children live
  in a single-parent household)
• Less focus on traditional family obligations
• In some cases, grandparents are becoming primary
  caregivers

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Divorce

• ¼ of American children live in single-parent
  households (mostly headed by a female)
• Single families headed by women, especially
  African-American women, are more likely to be
  poor
• 2/5 White 3/5 African Am. children will
  experience a second divorce
• 30-40 of all marriages are remarriages,
  resulting in many blended families

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Children of Divorce

• Reduced achievement
• Reduced school completion
• Increase in early sexual activity, child bearing,
  and marriage

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Implications for Schools

• Some say that the transformed American family is
  largely unprepared to meet the challenges of
  raising a child and therefore will call upon
  government health care institutions, schools, and
  voluntary organizations to help.

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Family Influence on Schooling

• Presence of parents at key times (before after
  school) is associated with less negative
  adolescent behavior.
• Children from higher-SES families are more likely
  to do better in school.
• Parent attention, understanding, and love are
  associated will less early sex, smoking, or
  substance abuse.

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Family Influence (Stats from One Study)

• High of high achievers came from 2-parent
  families
• Single-parent households
• Disproportionate of elem. children were tardy
• Large created discipline problems
• K-12 children suspended twice as much
• 40 of school dropouts
• 100 of those expelled

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At-Risk Predictors

• Health problems at birth
• Parents without secondary education
• Family histories of alcoholism or mental illness

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Success Predictors

• Two-parent families
• Healthy family culture with a good work ethic

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How Parents Can Help Children Succeed in School

• Hold high parental expectations
• Reinforce education by encouraging reading,
  showing care about school life, finding study
  area at home
• Need strong, ongoing support from schools and
  teachers
• Formal parent involvement programs

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7 Steps to Good Teacher-Family Partnerships

• Make partnerships a priority
• Plan for the partnership
• Provide parents with regular, positive
  communication
• Find ways to communicate positive messages
• Provide personalized messages through home-school
  journals
• Provide parents with practical suggestions
• Reflect on partnership plan and fine-tune it

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Changing Nature of Childhood

• Economically disadvantaged children
• Children with inadequate supervision
• Abused and neglected children
• At-risk children
• Hurried children
• Disengaged children

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Changing Nature of Childhood and Youth

• Economically Disadvantaged Children
• Disproportionate number are minority
• Receive less medical and dental care
• Live in substandard housing
• Wear cast-off and torn clothing
• Lack affordable day care
• Have fewer educational resources
• Move frequently
• All factors interfere with good school
  performance

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Children with Inadequate Supervision

• Babies in daycare may eventually have insecure
  relationships
• At risk for increased illness
• Latchkey children
• Twice as likely to be under stress
• Call themselves risk-takers
• Have conflict with parents
• Indicate parents are gone too much
• Are afraid alone
• Twice as likely to drink, smoke, and use drugs
• Seek refuge in libraries

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Abused and Neglected Children

• Two million children each year
• Defined as physical or mental injury, sexual
  abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a
  child under 18 by a person who is responsible for
  the childs welfare
• All states have laws requiring teachers to report
  suspect cases

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At-Risk Children

• Many live in a single-parent home
• Unsupervised for long periods
• Low income
• Parents have low level of education
• May have limited English proficiency

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At-Risk Children cont.

• May have siblings who are dropouts
• Perform poorly in school
• May repeat a grade
• Do not expect to graduate

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At-Risk Children cont.

• Can often be successful if
• They are resilient
• Had easy temperaments as infants
• Have a nurturing adult in their lives
• Have a good reading ability by grade four

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Abused or Neglected Children

• Appear different from others in physical or
  emotional makeup
• Parents describe them as bad or different
• Child is afraid of parents
• May have bruises, welts,
• or sores
• Given inadequate food/medications
• Receive inadequate supervision
• Chronically unclean

• Exhibit extreme behavior
• Wary of physical contact with adults
• Exhibit a sudden change in behavior
• Have an undiagnosed learning problem
• Habitually truant and tardy
• Tired
• Chronically tired
• Dressed inappropriately to cover wounds

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Hurried Children

• Children who are rushed through childhood
• Factors
• Television
• Working parents
• Growing materialism

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Disengaged Children

• Bored and just going through the motions in
  school
• Factors
• Negative influence of friends
• Substance abuse
• Signs
• Reading material unrelated to class
• Daydreaming
• Talking with peers
• Doing work for other classes

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The Changing School

• Challenge 1 Foster equality
• Challenge 2 Achieve World-class
• academic standards
• Challenge 3 Support families
• Challenge 4 Celebrate diversity
• Challenge 5 Utilize technology