Affiliations: [a]
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| [b]
Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Graham Rifenbark, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut, 249 Glenbrook Rd., Storrs 06269-3064, CT, USA. E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Proposed frameworks of college and career readiness include aspects of school climate perceptions and behavioral engagement. School climate initiatives emphasize the importance of healthy learning environments; while behavioral indicators tend to be used to identify students at-risk for disengagement, established early warning systems include few, if any, behavioral indicators. A promising and useful screening mechanism that combines behavioral indicators along with school climate perceptions may enhance identification of adolescents at risk for disengagement, academic failure, and dropout, and may ultimately improve college and career readiness. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported adolescent perceptions of school climate and extant high school academic and behavioral data to create an index score which could be used as an early warning system for student disengagement. METHODS:To accomplish the stated objective, we employed structural equation modeling to estimate a multiple indicators multiple causes model using a sample of high school students (n = 5039) with and without disabilities. Extant school data included grade point average, attendance, tardies, and office discipline referrals, while school climate was measured using the Georgia Brief School Climate survey. RESULTS:Findings show evidence of a robust Adolescent Behavioral Index when controlled for disability status as those with disabilities are expected to have lower index scores indicating greater risk for school disengagement. CONCLUSION:Implications for research and practice are focused on the Adolescent Behavioral Index as a mechanism for systematic data collection that may underlie early warning systems in high schools specifically when designing college and career readiness interventions for adolescents and when identifying students who may be at risk for disengagement.
Keywords: Early warning system, high school, behavioral indicators, multiple-indicator multiple-causes model, school climate, special education
