Resiliency and Adolescents at Risk:
Reconceptualizing Schools As Communities

| Understanding | Essential Questions | Knowledge and Skills |

“A consistent yet amazing finding over the last two decades of resilience research is that most children and youth, even those from highly stressed families or resource-deprived communities, do somehow manage to make decent lives for themselves. … In most studies, the figure seems to average 70 to 75 percent.” (Benard, 2004, p. 7)

At the same time, the recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development PISA study reported by Fullan (2003) found that: “Two students with the same family characteristics going to different schools – one with higher and one with lower socio-economic profile – could expect to be further apart in reading literacy than two students from different backgrounds going to the same school.” (p.1)

Thus, for educators working with a highly challenging and challenged group of students, one can be hopeful that most will develop into productive and reasonably happy adults, but, at the same time, schooling does make a large difference in their lives.

This module presents resiliency as a lens to be used in reconceptualizing our schools into communities from which all students graduate using their minds and hearts well. It is based on Dr. Marty Krovetz’s book Fostering Resiliency: Expecting All Students to Use Their Minds and Hearts Well, published by Corwin Press in l999.

| Top of Section | Top of Page | Understanding |

Students are served best in families, communities and schools that are characterized by caring, high expectations, support, and valued participation.

For students to be well served, these same characteristics must be present for the adults in the school.

School leaders can identify the characteristics of such schools, and lead their schools to be such communities.

| Top of Section | Top of Page | Essential Questions |

1. What does a school look like that is focused on fostering resiliency for all students?
2. What’s in it for the adults?
3. How does one lead a school using the resiliency lens?

| Top of Section | Top of Page | Knowledge and Skills |