Introduction
Some of the major issues that should be looked at in solving the issue of underperforming students are to create a conducive environment that supports all the students, assess the culture and climate of the school, community, and the families, encourage the establishment of strong relationships among teachers, administrators, and the underperforming students.
Main body
The school should come up with resources that support such students. They include; personnel resources, political resources, and material resources. Some of the personnel resources that should be implemented should include; staff is trained in the school program that is geared toward improving underperforming students, paid classroom aides, extra staff time, engaging reform advisors to give a lecture to the student on the best way to improve their grades.
Political resources should be provided through affiliation with institutions of higher education and the private sector. These should open pools that provide new teachers and volunteers to aid in the implementation of the program for supporting underperforming students. Also, the school is in a position to generated funds designated for the acquisition of supplies and equipment.
According to Dwyer, C. (2005) the school should also hire wisely to build and maintain a quality teaching team. It should also provide time for teachers to plan for their work. A system should also be put in place to reward dedicated, hardworking teachers willing to help the underperforming students to improve on their studies. The curriculum should be aligned to set high expectations for each student and monitor progress. The school should use technology, research-based method, and Additional multi-media equipment to improve teaching and learning and maximize learning time for the underperforming students. Lastly, the class size should be kept small to help in the management and provision of quality services
However, much cannot be achieved concerning such students without involving the parents, the principal, and the community. The parent and the community should be involved in the planning and implementation of the plan. If some parents are not participating, determine why and what you can do to involve them. A parent should participate occasionally in school assemblies, in parent-teacher conferences, volunteering in school events, classrooms, field trips, or workshops.
The school should enforce academic equity by ensuring students have access to a comprehensive education by providing quality programs of studies in the major Curriculum areas e.g. English, mathematics, science, social studies. This can be done through technical programs where all students will have access to the core curriculum. Through a quarterly review of lesson plans, and teachers providing evidence that there is a high-quality program in all subject areas.
Recommendations
Some of the recommendation provided by the teachers, parents, and research includes; provision of a range of high-quality school preparatory tools for underperforming students; embracing social, cultural and learning style differences in developing learning environments and activities; maintaining enough financial and human resources to enable underperforming students to prepare for, enroll, and succeed in college; assess policies, practices, programs, and institutional effectiveness regularly that are geared toward uplifting underperforming students; Increasing funding for schools with such students who could benefit from policies that minimize class size and maximize instruction time; and lastly, providing professional improvement for administrators, staff and teachers to enable them to improve instructions and research on ways of increasing students’ achievement
References
Childress, S., Elmore, R., & Grossman, A. (2006) How to Manage Urban School Districts. Harvard Business Review.
Dwyer, C. (2005). Leadership Capacities for a Changing Environment: State and District Responses to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Providence, RI: The Education Alliance at Brown University.
Elmore, R.F. (2000). Building a new structure for school leadership. Washington, DC: The Albert Shanker Institute.
Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and Sustainability: System Thinkers in Action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Lusi, S. (1997). The role of state departments of education in complex school reform. New York: Teacers College Press.
Reville, P., Coggins, C.T., Candon, J., McDermott, K., Churchill, A., & Long, B. (2005). Reaching capacity: A blueprint for the state role in improving low performing schools and districts.
Boston: Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy at MassINC.