Since 2001, a small group of researchers from three Canadian provinces has engaged in a study to better understand educators’ conceptions of “at riskness” and how varying conceptions might have an impact on the educational experiences and outcomes of students. The three provinces within which this study occurred are British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia.

The Study

The study was initiated in part because researchers were aware of increasing numbers of students either being labelled “at-risk” or “living under conditions that place them at risk of educational failure” (Imsher, 1997). Maynes (1996,1999) states that as the middle class declines in number (60% of the population in 1973 and 44% in 1996), an increasingly large proportion of children may be considered “at-risk.” Recent claims are that 20% of American children are living in poverty, while in Canada the numbers have been cited as high as 25% for urban centres and 19.9% nationally (Ross, Scott & Smith, 2000; Maynes, 1999) Although initiatives for educational reform and new programs to address the problems continue to proliferate, many suggest that predominant ways of thinking about both the students and the programs designed to help them achieve school success rely largely on “deficit thinking (Anyon, 1997; Fine, 1990; Kanpol, 1997; Valencia, 1997).

Alarmed by these statistics and by many of the deficit related comments and practices we ourselves had seen in public schools, we conceived of a study that included class-room observations, analysis of field-notes from these observations, surveys of educators and students, and interviews with students and educators during a three-year period. The approach was intended to ensure a systematic investigation to:

• determine how theorists and practitioners construct and understand the notion of “at-risk” students,
• identify the strategies and/or programs used by educators to address the needs of “at-risk” students,
• understand the approaches adopted by various educators to “at-risk” students.
• identify students’ responses to these approaches,
• ascertain what factors contribute to/detract from the academic success of students who are traditionally unsuccessful, and
• make recommendations to educators and policy-makers.

Having completed the data collection and analysis, we are now in the process of writing up our findings and compiling reports.  Once these are completed, they will be made available here, so check back soon.