Best Practices For At-Risk Children: A Research Critique .
Best Practices for At-risk Children: A Research Critique .
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Abstract.
Best practices for at-risk children is a literature review to provide informational background on defining the reasons why children become at-risk for academic failure and to provide statistical information on this subject. The writer Ana McDonald first explains the reasoning as to why it is essential to review literature about this topic. She states that it is important to study practices for at-risk children because some published reports are found to be flawed by poor design and she adds that the consensus seems to be emerging regarding best practices for at-risk children. McDonald argues that poor academic performance is a clear indication of "at-riskness".
This research critique will discuss some background history of at-risk children and some overall practices that could ultimately lead to the success for these students.
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Best Practices for At-risk Children: A Research Critique.
The problem statement is immediately introduced at the beginning of the article. McDonald asks the question who is at-risk? And at-risk of what? The main purpose of her literature is to provide background information that many organizational reports have failed to articulate. She notes that with most at-risk children, there seems to be a mismatch between learner and the learning system. McDonald clearly identifies why "poor academic performance is a clear indication of "at-riskness" (2002). She also states that the concept of academic failure seem to be both cyclical and progressive, meaning that academic failure increases the likelihood that a student will be labeled at-risk of the ultimate academic failure: dropping out.
McDonald's objectives were to identify alternative educational programs and inform the reader of the different types of programs that are out there.