September  17,  2015    

Student Voices Webinar

Introduc)ons  &  Welcome  Student  Voices  Project  /Research  Team  

•  James  Wendorf,  Execu)ve  Director,  NCLD  

•  Stacy  Parker-­‐Fisher              Director  of  Learning  Differences  Programme,  Oak  Founda)on  

•  Sheldon  Horowitz,  EdD  ,  Director,  LD  Resources,  NCLD  

•  Marshall  Raskind,  PhD,  Educa)onal  Researcher  

•  Erica  Anthony,  Research/Marke)ng  Consultant     2  

The  Importance  of  Student  Voices  •  The  purpose  of  this  study  was  to:  

•  Listen  carefully  to  young  adults  about  their  experiences  •  Show  what  factors  contribute  to  successful  transi)on  outcomes  for  young  adults  with  learning  and  a@enAon  issues  (LAI)  

•  Iden)fy  opportuni)es  to  help  them  experience  greater  success  and  saAsfacAon  in  their  lives.    

•  The  results  speak  to  a  large  audience  of  young  adults  –  including  those  not  formally  idenAfied  with  LAI.  

•  The  implicaAons  should  impact  the  way  that  we—parents,  educators,  employers,  policy  makers,  organizaAons—provide  support  and  services  to  young  adults  

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Knowledge  Gained  Will  Impact  .  .  .  •  The  ways  that  schools  provide  instruc)on  and  support  services  for  teens  as  they  transiAon  to  and  from  high  school    

•  The  development  and  growth  of  mentoring  and  internship  opportuni)es  

•  Teacher  educa)on  and  professional  development  across  the  helping  professions  

•  The  development  and  implementaAon  of  K-­‐12  policies  •  Ways  for  parents,  educators  and  others  to  directly  engage  and  support  teens  and  young  adults  

•  How  the  public  views  young  adults  with  LAI  •  The  ways  that  organiza)ons  can  share  resources  and  partner  to  increase  impact   4  

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Study  Design  

Student  Board  IdenAficaAon  

•  Ensure  the  research  is  YA  focused,  driven  by  and  guided  by  insights  from  young  adults  

•  Board  had  check  points  throughout  the  research  to  ensure  they  were  ac)ve  advisers  throughout  the  project  

QualitaAve  Research   •  One-­‐on-­‐one  interviews  in  2  ci)es  (Paramus,  NJ  &  Denver,  CO)  •  Sharing  of  results  

Incorporate  QualitaAve  and  Expert  Learning  into  QuanAtaAve  QuesAonnaire    

•  Incorpora)ng:  Mul)ple  qualita)ve  learning  presenta)ons,  Student  Board  Input,  Team/Expert  hypothesis  genera)on,  exis)ng  research  in  the  field    

QuanAtaAve,  NaAonal  Study  •  Deep  dive  into  learning  with  core  team  members,  field  experts,  research  partners  

•  Mul)ple  sta)s)cal  analyses  used  

Project  Process  Overview  

Surveyed  1,200  young  adults  who  graduated  from  public  school  in  the  last  two  years  

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Who  

How  

When  

•  1,221  young  adults  surveyed  •  1-­‐2  years  out  of  public  high  school    •  Ages  15-­‐25  (the  majority  were  18-­‐21)  

•  Sample  demographics  were  reflecAve  of  the  LAI  young  adult  community  

•  Survey  conducted  online  in  English  •  Read  Speak  survey  opAon  provided;  19%  opted  in  

•  Survey  administered  between  August  15,  2014  and  September  8,  2014  

QuanAtaAve,  NaAonal  Study  

The  survey  included  young  adults  with  both  idenAfied  and  unidenAfied  learning  and  a@enAon  issues  

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SURVEY  PARTICIPANTS   DEFINITION  

•  ‘Iden)fied’  young  adults  with  ‘LAI’  self-­‐report  having  been  evaluated  and  received  a  formal  LAI  diagnosis  before  the  survey  

•  ‘Not  iden)fied’  young  adults  were  never  evaluated  or  never  received  a  formal  LAI  diagnosis  but  reported  struggling  with  at  least  one  LAI  issue  

 Young  adults  surveyed  N=1,221   N=816  

%  

20%  

40%  

60%  

80%  

100%  

All   With  LAI  

With    LAI*  (816)  

Without    LAI  (405)  

IdenAfied  (359)  

Not  idenAfied  (457)  

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The  survey  asked  50  quesAons  about  parAcipants’  high  school  experience  

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•  Family’s  availability  and  willingness  to  help  •  Help  and  support  in  transiAon  from  high  school  to  post-­‐high  

school  job  or  college  •  Mentorship  and  every  day  assistance  and  encouragement  •  ParAcipaAon  in  acAviAes  and  hobbies  •  Ease  in  key  areas  of  life  

•  Employment  status  

•  Experiences  in  and  out  of  the  classroom  •  Grades  and  test  scores  

•  Self-­‐esteem  and  asserAveness  in  the  classroom  sehng  and  in  social  situaAons  

•  The  overall  mindset  while  a  student  in  high  school  

 Family  and  Community    

 

Aetudes  

Educa)on    

Employment  and  Life  Outcomes  

The  survey  also  asked  50  quesAons  about  parAcipants’  post-­‐high  school  experience  

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•  Family’s  availability  and  willingness  to  help  •  Openness  to  LAI  services  •  Help  and  support  on  a  daily  basis  •  Familiarity  with  online  plaiorms  •  ParAcipaAon  in  acAviAes  and  hobbies  •  Ease  in  key  areas  of  life  

•  Employment  status  •  Living  situaAon  •  Financial  and  non-­‐financial  responsibiliAes  

•  Experiences  in  and  out  of  the  classroom  •  Post-­‐high  school  educaAon  •  Grades  and  test  scores  

•  Current  stress  levels  and  coping  techniques  with  LAI  since  HS  •  Self-­‐esteem  and  asserAveness  in  the  classroom  sehng  and  

in  social  situaAons  •  Confidence  in  current  responsibiliAes  •  Overall  mindset    

 Family  and  Community  

 

Aetudes  

Educa)on    

Employment  and  Life  Outcomes  

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The  Learning  

TransiAon  Outcome  Analysis:  SegmenAng  the  YA  Community  

Segmented  YA  Community  

HS  Diploma/  Working  

Towards  GED  

Enrollment  Situa)on  

Experiences  Since  HS  

Employment/Educa)on  Status  

Family/              LAI  History  

Social  Engagement  Aetudes  

Success  Aetudes  

Baferies  (30    Statements)  

Ease/  Difficulty  in  Six  Life  Areas:  Number  and  Types  of  Issues  

Post  High  School    behavioral/situa)onal  

and  aetudinal  data  were  entered  into  the  

Segmenta)on  Analysis  

Overview  of  YA  Post-­‐HS  Outcome  ConAnuum  Young  Adults  are  primarily  segmented  on  their  ahtudinal  mindsets/feelings  about  

themselves  in  their  POST  High  School  lives,  ranging  from  STRUGGLERS  to  NAVIGATORS.  

•  Very  low  self  confidence  

•  Unwilling  decision-­‐makers  

•  Poor  self  advocates  •  Feel  unsupported  by  family  and  community  

•  Have  received  nega)ve  messages  

•  Socially  isolated  and  inept  

•  Well  adapted  and  self  confident  

•  Self  advocates  •  Decisive  •  Feel  supported  by  family  and  community  

•  Effec)ve  at  naviga)ng  rela)onships  

STRUGGLERS   COPERS   NAVIGATORS  

Young  Adult  Post  High  School  Outcome  Con)nuum  

Overview  of  LAI  YA  Post-­‐HS  Outcome  ConAnuum  

Disengaged  Strugglers  (17%)  

Anchorless  Strugglers  

(9%)  

Uncertain  Worriers  (19%)  

Solitary    Copers  (17%)  

Cau)ous    Op)mists  (16%)  

Confident  Navigators  

(22%)  

STRUGGLERS  (26%)  

COPERS  (36%)  

NAVIGATORS  (38%)  

The  three  major  subgroups  of  strugglers,  copers  and  navigators  are  each  sizeable.    YAs  who  fall  into  each  of  the  groups  have  different  needs  and  will  need  different  approaches  to  transiAon  support.  

Distribu)on  of  LAIs  across  con)nuum  

Distribu)on  of  No  LAIs  across  

con)nuum  

LAI/No  LAI  Presence  Across  The  Outcome  ConAnuum  

Disengaged  Strugglers  

Anchorless  Strugglers   Uncertain  Worriers  

 Solitary    Copers  

 

Cau)ous    Op)mists  

Confident  Navigators  

There  are  LAI  and  Non-­‐LAI  Young  Adults  in  every  group  along  the  POST  High  School  Transi)on  Outcome  con)nuum,  although  LAIs  do  have  a  stronger  presence  among  strugglers.  

©2015  RTi  Research  ConfidenAal  Engaging  Student  Voices            16  

65%   59%   65%   67%  56%  

73%   69%  

35%   41%   35%   33%  44%  

27%   31%  

100%   100%   100%   100%   100%   100%   100%  LAI  

Iden)fied  LAI  

Unknown  LAI  

IdenAfied/Unknown  LAI  Presence  Across  The  Outcome  ConAnuum  

Total  LAI    Young  Adults  

Disengaged  Strugglers  (17%)  

Anchorless  Strugglers  

(9%)  

Uncertain  Worriers  (19%)  

 Solitary    Copers  (17%)    

Cau)ous    Op)mists  (16%)  

Confident  Navigators  

(22%)  

There  is  much  more  to  the  LAI  Young  Adult  journey  than  whether  or  not  he/she  has  been  iden)fied  or  is  receiving  services.  

82%  of  why  a  young  adult  is  a  “navigator,”  “coper,”  or  “struggler”  arer  high  school  is  primarily  driven  by  three  factors  

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A  suppor)ve  home  life  

Self-­‐confidence  

Connec)on  to  friends  and  community  

Young  Adult  Experiences  that  lead  to  these  drivers:  

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Connec)on  to  friends  and  community  

•  I  felt  I  belonged  to  my  school  community    •  I  was  self-­‐confident    •  RelaAve  ease  with  social  issues  •  I  was  comfortable  taking  the  first  step  in  making  new  friends    •  I  made  friends  easily    •  When  it  came  to  my  social  life,  I  didn’t  give  up  even  when  things  were  

hard  or  got  in  my  way    

Suppor)ve  home  life  

•  My  parents  always  made  me  feel  that  I  would  be  successful    •  I  had  at  least  one  parent/adult  who  was  able  to  help  me  with  my  

learning  or  a@enAon  issues    •  I  had  at  least  one  parent/adult  who  understood  my  difficulAes  with  my  

learning  or  a@enAon  issues    •  RelaAve  ease  with  family  issues  •  I  liked  spending  Ame  with  family    

Self-­‐confidence  

•  I  was  comfortable  taking  the  first  step  in  making  new  friends    •  RelaAve  ease  with  social  issues  •  I  felt  I  belonged  to  my  community    •  I  made  friends  easily    •  I  tended  to  see  the  posiAves  in  situaAons    •  Comfortable  speaking  up  in  class    •  I  felt  I  belonged  to  my  school  community    

Other  factors  are  strongly  associated  with  young  adults’  success:  IEP  Aming  and  input  (1  of  2)  

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Young  adults  who  receive  IEPs  early  (i.e.  in  elementary  and  middle  school)  are  more  likely  

to  “thrive”  

Young  adults  with  LAI  who  have  IEPs  early  and  have  

input  on  them  are  also  more  likely  to  “thrive”  

*  Strongly  associated  with  posiAve  transiAon  outcome,  but  not  a  driver  of  them  

Other  factors  are  strongly  associated  with  young  adults’  success:  mentoring,  teacher  support  and  others  (2  of  2)  

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Mentoring  

Have  mentor  in  HS  

Teacher  support  

Teacher  understands  my  needs  

Teacher  makes  sure  I  understand  things  

Help  in  academics  

Get  help  in  academics  

Having  key  conversa)ons  

Career  

EducaAon  

Ac)vi)es  

Sports/marAal  arts  

Outdoor  acAviAes  

Group  acAviAes  (Clubs,  groups,  Boy/Girl  Scouts)  

Movies,  etc.,  w/  friends  

Hang  with  friends  

*  Strongly  associated  with  posiAve  transiAon  outcome,  but  not  a  driver  of  them  

The  Role  of  Parents  

•  Daunted  by  all  LAI*  challenges  

•  Does  not  enjoy  parenAng,    

•  Shares  childcare  with  spouse  but  feels  alone,  depressed  

•  Overwhelmed,  stressed  by  child’s  LAI*  issues,  school,  family  pressures  

•  Successfully    manages  all  LAI*  challenges  

•  Enjoys  parenAng,  Shares  childcare  with  spouse  

•  Friendly,  outgoing  

•  OpAmisAc  view  of  child’s  LAI*  issues,  PosiAve  relaAons  with  school,    community,  family  •  Success  Dealing  with  LAI  Challenges  

•  LAI  Impact  on  Child  

*  Learning  and/or  a@enAon  issues  Source:  2012  Parent  Project  

Strugglers  (35%)  

Conflicted  (31%)  

Op)mis)c  (34%)  

Prior  learning  from  work  done  to  understand  the  parents  of  children  with  LAI  was  used  in  this  current  work  to  allow  an  overlay  that  examines  the  relaAonship  of  self-­‐perceived  parental  

“success”  in  coping  with  a  child’s  LAI  to  YA  transiAon  outcome.  

51%  

27%  

53%  

71%  

28%  

34%  

31%  

21%  20%  

38%  

16%  8%  

The  RelaAonship  Between  Parent  Success*/YA  TransiAon  Outcomes  

Strugglers  (117)  

Conflicted  (85)  

Total  Parent/  YA  Pairs  (344)  

Op)mis)c  (137)  

Navigators  

Copers  

Strugglers  

Young  Adult  Segments  

(80)  

Parent  Segments  

There  is  a  clear  relaAonship  between  parental  ability  to  cope  with  a  child’s  LAI  and  the  transiAon  outcome  of  that  child.  

*  Self  perceived  success  Note:  Only  LAI  Young  Adults/Parent  Pairs  interviewed  in  this  research.  

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Implica)ons  

Parents  Educators  Funders  &  Program  Providers  

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Implica)ons  for  Parents  •  Help  your  child  to  believe  in  themselves,  to  develop  confidence  and  

not  to  give  up  when  confronted  with  challenges.    

•  Encourage  your  child  to  parAcipate  in  acAviAes  that  build  and  reinforce  a  sense  of  belonging.  

•  Help  your  child  understand  the  nature  of  their  LAI  and  become  an  effecAve  self-­‐advocate    

•  Be  an  acAve  partner  with  school  personnel  

•  Be  on  constant  alert  for  negaAve  messaging,  and  take  acAon  when  it  occurs.    

•  Connect  with  other  parents—there  is  power  in  community  

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Implica)ons  for  Educators  •  Recognize  the  characteris)cs  of  each  group  (“strugglers,”  

“copers,”  “navigators”)  to  plan  and  implement  intervenAons  and  supports  

•  Look  beyond  IEPs  and  504  plans  to  understand  who  the  young  people  are  and  what  they  need  to  succeed  

•  Ensure  that  all  students  with  LAI  are  provided  with  opportuniAes  to  develop  and  enhance  social-­‐emo)onal  competencies    

•  IdenAfy  and  address  the  needs  of  all  students  who  struggle  with  LAI—before  they  experience  frustra)on  and  failure  

Implica)ons  for  Funders  •  Students  with  LAI  represent  20%  of  the  public  school  popula)on.  The  opportuni)es  for  supporAng  these  students  are  significant,  as  are  the  risks  of  ignoring  them.    

•  Funding  should  support  all  teachers  in  general  educa)on  seengs—where  students  with  LAI  are  primarily  educated  

•  Special  educaAon  research  and  evidence-­‐based  pracAces  must  be  shared  across  all  educa)onal  seengs  

•  Helping  students  to  become  confident  and  effec)ve  self-­‐advocates  is  a  key  to  •  Success  in  school  for  all  students  with  LAI  •  Successful  postsecondary  transi)on.  

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Implica)ons  for  Program  Providers  

Understanding  the  characteris)cs  of  young  adults  with  LAI  should  inform  ac)vi)es  in:  

•   Public  policy  development  and  advocacy  •  Juvenile  jusAce  •  Young  adult  leadership  development  •  Mentoring  •  Workplace  policies  and  culture  •  Public  awareness    •  TransiAon  and  support  services  in  higher  educaAon  and    •  Teacher  preparaAon  

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Recommenda)ons  •  Build  in  access  to  tools  such  as  Understood.org  to:    

•  Help  build  parental/caretaker  knowledge  about  LAI  •  Foster  confidence  in  supporAng  their  child  •  Promote  feelings  of  opAmism  about  their  child’s  journey  through  school  and  beyond.    

 •  Help  students  with  LAI  to:    

•  Become  more  engaged  in  their  school  and  general  communi)es    •  Develop  strong  rela)onships  with  peers  

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Next  Steps  

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Next  Steps  

•  Share  the  Student  Voices  findings  with  colleagues,  friends  and  young  adults  with  LAI  

•  Engage  organiza)onal  allies  to  use  the  Student  Voices  research  in  their  programs  

•  Dive  into  the  data  and  ask  new  ques)ons,  make  changes  in  our  thinking  and  pracAces  that  reflect  what  young  adults  have  told  us  about  what  ma@ered  most  to  them  during  this  Ame  in  their  lives    

•  Contact  NCLD  at  studentvoices@ncld.org  with  comments,  quesAons    and  suggesAons