Serving Disconnected Youth: How Educators Understand Their Work in a High-Needs Context

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-1 - Diverse Lenses of Engagement: Teachers, Students, Parents

Abstract

Amidst heightened concern for disconnected youth who are out of school or work, second-chance high schools for ‘recovered dropouts’ are on the rise. To assess how educators attempt to serve such students, the present study uses Duncan-Andrade’s (2009) concept of critical hope to examine how thirty second-chance educators in Detroit understand and describe their work. Findings suggest these educators serve students well by providing material resources, yet fall short of providing high-quality instruction, critical inquiry, and solidarity with adults who share their struggles – limitations that are greatly shaped by adults’ views on the local context. The authors suggest that focused changes in a few critical areas could greatly enhance the educational and life outcomes for disconnected youth.

Authors

• Kristy S. Cooper, Michigan State University

• Dorinda Carter Andrews, Michigan State University

• Terry Kyle Flennaugh, Michigan State University