Other causes: 

Many social factors can increase the risk of school failure. These include homelessness, poverty, frequent transfers from school to school, and the inability to speak English. Other circumstances such as truancy, teenage pregnancy, and chronic illness may also affect a student's ability to perform well in school.

Helping People at Risk of School Failure

Students at risk of school failure need to be identified as early as possible in their school careers if they are to receive the necessary help. This task usually falls to the teacher, school counselor, or parents, because many failing students are hostile to or disconnected from the educational system and will not or do not know how to ask for help. Bringing failing students back to school and fostering their success requires recognizing and understanding the reasons for school failure. Parents, teachers, counselors, and mental health professionals can offer help.

Parents can help by taking the following steps:

■ Taking a genuine interest in their child's school life and attending school events

■ Listening to and understanding their child's concerns about school 

■ Taking seriously sudden changes in behavior, sleeping, or eating

■ Intervening for the student when unsafe situations are causing anxiety or school avoidance

■ Setting and enforcing appropriate standards of school behavior

■ Setting realistic goals for school attendance and academic improvement

■ Eliminating barriers to homework completion and school attendance

■ Working as a team with teachers and counselors to get children appropriate help

■ Helping children identify their strengths and pinpointing career options that involve these strengths

■ Getting help in recognizing the reasons for school failure

Teachers can help by taking the following steps:

■ Developing learning plans that support the student's strengths

■ Referring the student for evaluations for possible learning disabilities

■ Providing referrals to programs that offer extra academic help or arranging peer tutoring

■ Teaching study skills and strategies to support learning

■ Encouraging students to participate in school activities, such as sports, plays, or clubs, so that they feel they are a part of the school

■ Arranging a mentor for the student

■ Promoting a tolerant, violence-free school environment

■ Communicating concerns or changes in school performance to parents right away

Mental health professionals can help by taking the following steps:

■ Screening for emotional problems and offering appropriate treatment

■ Listening to the student's concerns about family and school difficulties

■ Performing evaluations for learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

■ Working with the school to formulate appropriate learning strategies for the student

■ Working with teachers and parents to help them eliminate barriers to school failure

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