CHARACTERISTICS+OF+TODAY'S+LEARNERS

There is a decline in two-parent households. Between 1979 and 2003, the number of children who speak a language other than English at home increased from 3.8 to 9.9 million. Parents from higher SES households are more likely to have some contact with their children's school. Generation to generation communication has decreased. Current family and empoloyment statistics indicate that large numbers of schoolchildren spend many hours with babysitters and at day-care centers. || || [|Link] || The United States has one of the highest poverty rates in developed nations. 1/4th of our nations children live in poverty. Households with no male present are likely to be more economically impoverished. Rates are continuing to rise of Americans under the age of at 18 from the last 25 years. Many mothers are inable to pay for prenatal care which leads to cognitive and developmental deficiencies. Poor children also to not recieve adequate diets which affects their performance in school and could lead to higher drop out rates among children in poverty. Also impoverished families lack personal computers, newspapers and magazines. Many parents do not set the example of reading or do not read to their children as much as parents from middle or high classes. || || Link || The No Child Left B​ehind Act has helped change the way minorities in education learn in school by: -Seeks to narrow class and racial gaps in school performance by creating common expectations for all. -Requires schools and districts to focus their attention on the academic achievement of traditionally under-served groups of children, such as low-income students, student with disabilities, and students of "major racial and ethnic subgroups". Each state is responsible for defining major racial and ethnic subgroups itself. Many previous state-created systems of accountability only measured average school performance, allowing schools to be highly rated even if they had large achievement gaps between affluent and disadvantaged students. || || Link || If young people you teach do not feel safe, their ability to learn will be impaired. In recent years, incidens such as that at Columbine High Schiil and other have raised serious questions about learners safety in school. Although school violence continues to be a problem, you need to keep the issue in perspective. Efforts to reduce the violent incidents in schools seem to be having a positive effect. From 1992 to 2003 there was a decline in the rate of violent crime at school. || || [|Link] ||
 * Name || Topic || Image || Link ||
 * Ihler, Michael D. || Learners’ Families-
 * Medill, Amber L. || Poverty and Learners-
 * Michel, Casey R. || Minority-Group Learners-
 * Miller, Ashley M. || Learners and Violence-
 * Neiman, Leslie E || Very Young Learners -

When they come into the classroom be there to welcome them and use their names as much as possible. Have three or four teddy bears lined up on your table and ask the tearful looking children to look after ‘Snoopy’ as he is very shy. They will love the responsibility and this will act as a distraction. You should always have the same teddies, or puppets at every lesson as they can serve to introduce new language or explain rules to games etc. Have some quiet children’s music playing while they come into the classroom to make the environment more welcoming. || || [|Link] || Learners with Disabilities : Are given an education with the help of IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act): is a Federal Law that governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to children with disabilities. It addresses the educational needs of children with disabilities from birth to age 21 in cases that involve 13 specified categories of disability. IDEA defines a "child with a disability" as a child. . . with [|mental retardation], [|hearing impairments] (including deafness), speech or language impairments, [|visual impairments] (including blindness), [|serious emotional disturbance]. . ., orthopedic impairments, [|autism], [|traumatic brain injury], other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities; AND, who. . . [because of the condition] needs special education and related services."[|[8]] Children with disabilities who qualify for special education are also automatically protected by Section 504 of the [|Rehabilitation Act of 1973] and under the [|Americans with Disabilities Act] (ADA). However, all modifications that can be provided under Section 504 or the ADA can be provided under the IDEA if included in the student's IEP.Students with disabilities who do not qualify for special education services under the IDEA may qualify for accommodations or modifications under Section 504 and under the ADA. Their rights are protected by due process procedure requirements. || || [|Link] || More children aged 4 and younger die each year from child abuse and neglect then from any other single cause. As a teacher, you will have the legal oblicgation to report any injury to a learner that appears to be nonaccidental. - Physical abuse: signs of physcial abuse may include bruises, welts, burns, bite marks, and other unusual marks on the body; or the learner may be haing what seems to be too many accidental injuries at home. - Neglect: Learners who have been neglected at home may show up at school dirty. They may not have lunch money. They may need glasses and dental care. - Emotional Abuse: Often reflected in extreme or excessive behavior pattersn. Emotionally abused young people may be too compliant and passive; on the other hand, they may be very aggressive. - Sexual abuse: One indicatior of this condition is that a lear's underclothing is torn, stained, or bloody. Or, the learner may experience pain or itching in the genital area. || || Link || These learners can be identified as students that are doing well in school that are at a particularly high-risk to drop out. The charecteristics of student in this category include: - Low acedemic achievers in school - Students with issues with self-esteem - Males in minorities - Students that come from families of low economic status - Students with disiplinary or truency issues This particular group of students experiences failure in school and falls behind their other classmates in school, which then lowers their self-esteem even more. School then becomes a negative atmosphere for them. || || [|Link] || More than half of all learners make at least one school change during their K-12 school years. 30% - 40% of these are not caused by a change in residence by parents or gaurdians. The other reasons are:
 * Roeder, Joseph D. || Learners with Disabilities
 * Shull, Mary-Lyn || Abused and Neglected Learners
 * Stricherz, Abby R. || At-Risk Learners
 * Tvedt, Ryan W. || Learners’ School-to-School Mobility
 * overcrowding in a learner's previous school,
 * class-size reduction legislation thatt may force a learner to change schools,
 * expulsions, and
 * legislation allowing parents and guardians to move their child from one school to another. || [[image:school_mobility_image.jpg width="137" height="206"]] || Link ||