Edward F. Vacha

The Social Structural, Family, School, and Personal Characteristics of At-Risk Students: Policy Recommendations for School Personnel.

The following review summarizes the research concerning the characteristics of at-risk students. Surprisingly, at-risk students have not been extensively studied. However, as the discussion of social structure will document, the available research clearly demonstrates that the single most consistent factor characterizing at-risk students is social class. Social class is a powerful determinant of school success, and, as a consequence, at-risk students are disproportionately drawn from families with low socioeconomic status. Fortunately, researchers, especially sociologists, have devoted considerable energy to studying the impact of social class on educational success. While these researchers have not singled out at-risk students for special study, their findings on why students from lower-socioeconomicstatus families do less well in school than children from middle-class families can be extrapolated to the at-risk population. The relatively few studies focusing exclusively on at-risk students support this link. They suggest that the factors underlying the poorer school performance of students from lower-socioeconomic-status families also account for much of the variance between students who are at-risk and those who are not. Accordingly, in this report we will discuss, not only studies of students identified as being at-risk, but also studies investigating the impact of social class on school success.

Risky Firearms Behavior in Low-Income Families of Elementary School Children: The Impact of Poverty, Fear of Crime, and Crime Victimization on Keeping and Storing Firearms

This report examines possession and storage of firearms in low-income urban families with at least one child between 8 and 12 years of age. The data primarily consisted of responses to a survey administered to parents, but these data were supplemented by records obtained from discussion groups composed of children between 8 and 12 years of age. The data were collected from five low-income neighborhoods in a medium sized city in the Pacific Northwest as part of a larger study focusing on the presence of risk factors for substance abuse, violence, and gang activity. All five neighborhoods are known to be plagued by poverty, violence, substance abuse, and gang activity. To make our findings more understandable, we compared our findings from these neighborhoods to similar data from a middle-class neighborhood. Middle-class parents were twice as likely to have firearms in their homes, but were much less likely to keep them loaded and/or unlocked. High rates of victimization, fear of crime, self-protective behavior, and exposure to threats or attacks were associated with keeping firearms for protection and engaging in risky gun behavior in the home.

Educational capital: A proposed model and its relationship to academic and social behavior of students at risk

We examine and review the relationships between variables descriptive of cultural and social capital and the development of a new term: educational capital. While school personnel can use demographic variables to predict outcomes, such predictors do not lend themselves to implementing treatments or programs which may more directly mediate the effects of unequal cultural, social and human capital across the population. To increase and improve the education capital of its constituents, school can: set high expectations, match student skill level with curricular materials, provide home work hotlines, set up peer tutoring programs, develop partnerships with businesses and other community groups, match teacher characteristics with those of the student population, and reduce class size. Likewise, ways that parents might increase their childrens educational capital include increasing attendance, taking part in parent-teacher discussions, helping with homework, participating in extracurricular activities, and transmitting aspirations in parent-child interactions.

The Impact of Poverty, Fear of Crime, and Crime Victimization on Keeping Firearms for Protection and Unsafe Gun-Storage Practices: A Review and Analysis With Policy Recommendations

This article reviews the literature with regard to firearms accidents among low-income, urban children younger than 13. The tendency of low-income families to keep unsecured protection guns may contribute to the higher rate of firearms accidents among low-income children. The evidence suggests that the decision to keep a gun for protection is largely a practical response to the conditions a person perceives in his or her neighborhood. Reducing the consequences of risky gun behavior among low-income families requires policies and programs that eliminate experiences associated with such behavior and that train children to recognize and avoid risky gun situations.

Modifying Children's Responses to Unsecured Firearms and Modifying the Keeping and Storage of Firearms in Families of Elementary School Children: A Possible Role for Child Behavior Therapy.

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the literature on young children (children under 13) at-risk of firearms injuries, and outlines potential strategies for reducing the disproportionate rate of firearms accidents among low-income children. The available evidence suggests that this problem stems from risky gun storage practices common in low-income homes keeping guns for protection, and these practices, in turn, are a response to high rates of crime victimization and fears of crime. The role that child behavior therapy could assume to reduce the risk of firearm injury to young children and other persons due to these unsafe storage practices is the primary focus of this paper.

Informal shelter providers: Low income households sheltering the homeless

Despite the important role they play in preventing homelessness, those who shelter people who can not afford housing of their own have been neglected by researchers. This study examines the characteristics of these low income informal shelter providers. While informal shelter providers were similar to a comparison group of low income households that did not shelter others, there were also significant differences between the two groups. Informal shelter providers were more much more likely to live in single family dwellings, they were more likely to be long-term residents of the community, they were more likely to have experienced homelessness themselves, and they devoted a disproportionate share of their incomes to housing.

Science in Action! Outreach Program Promotes Confidence in Teaching Science

Abstract Leading scientists recognize the need to be proactive about educational reform. To address some of the challenges of teaching K-6 science, our outreach program, Science in Action! (SIA!), pairs undergraduates with K-6 classrooms to do hands-on, inquiry-based science. Our goal is to increase science literacy in our community through developing the science understanding and teaching skills of pre-service teachers, recruit more STEM majors into teaching careers, and promote enthusiasm and curiosity in the science K-6 classroom. We describe Science in Action! and describe the effect participation in the program has on undergraduates. In particular, we asked how participation effects pre-service elementary school teachers, who generally have a limited science background, and science majors, who are in the process of deciding a future career path. Pre-service teachers reported that their participation in SIA! deepened both their understanding of the scientific method and science content, as well as increased their confidence in being able to teach science. The number of science majors seriously considering a teaching career increased significantly after participating in Science in Action!