The Rural Early Adolescent Learning Program: Project REAL

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The Rural Early Adolescent Learning Program
Project REAL
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Background

• Carolina Longitudinal Study (4th grade into
  adulthood)
• --Correlated risks linked to low achievement,
  school failure, and dropout
• --Supportive teacher relations and school
  engagement as protective factors
• School Engagement Project / Developmental
  Pathways of Rural African American Youth (5th
  grade into high school)
• --Deep South, extremely high poverty (over 50
  below poverty level)
• --Reflected findings of the CLS
• Project BEST Transition to middle school
• Rural Competence Support Program
  Inservice/consultation
• Intervention Specialist Training 50 annual
  turnover

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Project Aims

• To promote rural students academic achievement
  and school adjustment during early adolescence by
  addressing academic, behavioral, and social
  factors
• To support rural teachers with high
  concentrations of subgroups of students who are
  at-risk of achievement difficulties (e.g.,
  poverty, special education, minority, ESL)
• To promote parental involvement and support

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Initial Research Sites

• Two rural districts in Appalachian Mountains
• --Virginia, West Virginia
• --20 below poverty, over 50 free reduced
  lunch
• --Significant depopulation in last decade
  (closing of mines)
• --High concentrations of low-achieving youth (not
  making AYP)
• Two Intervention and two control middle schools
• --11 feeder elementary schools
• --Equivalent on standardized tests and other key
  variables
• --Randomly selected to condition
• --Correlated risks

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Intervention Components

• Academic Engagement Enhancement
• Competence Enhancement Behavior Management
• Social Dynamics Training
• Parent Involvement
• Needs of Latino/a immigrant youth

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Intervention Delivery

• REAP leaders Summer Institute
• Inservice training
• Directed consultation weekly teams alternating
  between academic and social / behavioral
• Parent Involvement (in development, planning to
  have 2-3 meetings around parent generated issues)

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Research Design

• Randomized control trial
• Phase 1 (years 1 and 2)
• --Dual cohorts in VA WV
• --Face-to-face in year 1, phasing to technology
  delivery
• Phase 2 (years 2 and 3)
• --Single cohorts in Midwestern states (year 2)
• --Single cohorts in Southern states (year 3)
• --Face-to-face (summer institute) and technology
  (videoconferencing)
• Phase 3 (year 4)
• --Single cohorts in Western states
• --technology delivery for all components

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Planned Research Sites

• Phase 1 Virginia and West Virginia
• Phase 2 Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, North
  Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota
• Phase 3 Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Texas

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Project REAL Academic Engagement Enhancement
Component
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Aims of The Component

• To provide teachers with easy-to-implement
  organizational strategies designed to assist
  adolescent learners ranging from time management
  to organizing oneself for learning
• To provide research-based strategies appropriate
  for adolescents who struggle with reading in the
  areas of vocabulary development and comprehension
• To provide teachers with academic strategies for
  enhancing inclusion and differentiating
  instruction to meet a wide variety of learning
  needs

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Topics and Content of Academic Engagement
Enhancement

• Organizational strategies, setting up a routine,
  time management, learning strategies, homework
  strategies, test-taking strategies, use of
  rubrics for setting expectations and evaluation
  
• Vocabulary development
• Reading comprehension and questioning techniques
• Adaptations for instruction, materials, task
  requirements, assessment materials
• Closure, review and homework strategies

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Project REAL Behavioral and Social Component
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Aims of The Component

• Foster consistency across 6th grade teachers in
  terms of behavioral expectations, classroom
  management, and disciplinary practices
• Reduce gulf between elementary and middle school
  in terms of structure and expectations
• Promote social contexts that minimize bullying,
  social aggression, and interpersonal conflict

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Topics and Content of Behavior Management
Component

• Structure, consistency, and behavior specific
  language
• Using problems as an opportunity to teach new
  skills and to foster responsibility for ones
  behavior
• Instructional support strategies that reduce
  noncompliance
• Establishing schedules and reinforcement
  strategies that naturally reward productive
  classroom behavior and inhibit difficulties
• Fostering communication between administration
  and teachers (i.e. coordinating classroom
  management and disciplinary practices)

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Topics and Content of Social Dynamics Training
Component

• Classroom leaders and students who are models of
  productive classroom behavior
• Identifying classroom peer groups
• The influence of peers on classroom behavior
• Using class leaders and peer groups to support
  positive and productive classroom engagement
• Awareness of and intervening with bullying and
  social aggression