Interventions for at-risk students: teachers' perspectives

In: http://hdl.handle.net/1993/35453

Abstract

Manitoba's dropout rate was nearly 3% higher than the national average of 8.5%, at 11.4%; this was the second highest rate among the ten provinces. The Government of Manitoba published the six-year high school graduation rate at 83.2% for the end of the 2017 school year (Government of Manitoba, 2017). This suggests the actual dropout rate may be significantly higher. Literature indicates there are several types of interventions schools can use to help mitigate many of the risk factors for students dropping out. Three common interventions in schools are food programs, mentoring programs, and the development of strong, positive student-teacher relationships. The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain an understanding of the perspectives of high school resource teachers in Manitoba regarding these interventions through one-on-one interviews. The resource teachers who contributed to this study reaffirmed the results of previous literature and the importance of these interventions for the at-risk student population. The results indicate Manitoba high schools have not implemented these interventions formally and/or they are not consistent between high schools. This study demonstrates the need for the implementation of formal food and mentoring programs, as well as policies and training for teachers to encourage the development of positive student-teacher relationships, with the end goal of reducing Manitoba's high school dropout rate. ; May 2021