Starting Jan. 1, 2020, the term “at-risk” was replaced with “at-promise” in the California Education Code due to Assembly Bill 413, authored by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles.
“The label ‘at-risk youth’ comes from a mindset of deficit, and focuses on what children lack,” Jones-Sawyer said in a news release in 2019. “As a state, we need to move away from this mentality that tells our children they are likely to fail. We must start referring to our youth as ‘at-promise,’ which focuses on a child’s immense potential to succeed in all aspects of life.”
Rio Norte Junior High Principal Brenda Bennett said that shift has helped to increase the number of students who have improved their grades since the school adopted “at-promise” meetings in the fall of 2022.
According to data presented at last week’s William S. Hart Union High School District governing board meeting, Rio Norte increased the number of meetings from 38 in the 2022-23 school year to 53 this past school year, and roughly 75% of students showed improvement each year. Of those, 23% in the first year qualified for specialized support and 19% qualified the next year.
Bennett used examples of students’ grades jumping up from failing or just passing, to being firmly in the passing zone or even exceeding that.
The goal, Bennett said, is to hold at least 60 meetings this school year.
The program found its way to Rio Norte after Gina Burns, a counselor at Rio Norte, heard Victor Rios, a sociology professor at UC Santa Barbara, speak on the topic during a TED Talk.
“That kind of inspired Gina,” Bennett said. “When she took it back to her team, it inspired the team to really kind of start reshaping the conversations with students who may need further support or may be struggling in areas and really kind of flipped the idea of a student struggling as to what promise do they hold and what supports can we put in place, working together with teachers, the counseling team and the parents in order to benefit these students.”
During those meetings, students are provided by their counselor with a folder that includes a “tips for success” sheet that focuses on study skills, time management, organization strategies and goal-setting.
The meetings are also attended by parents or guardians, who are told how they can help with supporting positive habits at home.
“This is where the counselors put a lot of time into really helping the family and the student identify not just the big goals, but really focusing more on drilling down on what are these small goals that are attainable and kind of teaching the students how to make a goal attainable so that they can see some success,” Bennett said.
After the initial meetings, counselors then check in on those students weekly and follow up with the parents, providing additional resources if needed.
Counselors also keep track of the successes and celebrate them with incentives and student store dollars. Students and parents are also praised for sticking to plans and reaching goals.
“As the students are meeting goals or even getting close to their goals,” Bennett said, “they’re ensuring that there’s positive praise for the accomplishments they’re making and what they’re getting close to. But they’re also giving that positive praise to parents, because parenting can be really difficult and our parents also need to hear they’re doing a good job, and we know they’re doing the best that they can.”
Board member Erin Wilson said she isn’t surprised that the program is working after reading up on how “at-promise” can have a positive effect on students.
“What I really appreciated, as I was reading about it, is the consistency and follow-through,” Wilson said, “and it’s actually educating students on, you know, ‘This is how you succeed. This is how you are able to bring those F’s up to B’s and A’s.’”
Board President Linda Storli said she was interested in how parents are integrated into the program, as she knows from her time as a teacher that it isn’t always easy.
Bennett said not all parents get involved, nor do all students who are identified get involved, either.
“With the parents, I think a lot of it has to do with how the teachers and counselors, especially the counselors when they’re making that initial call,” Bennett said, “that this is about the promise and the potential that we see in your child, and we want to help them and build on successes they can have.”
