Chapter 14 Teaching Students Who Are At Risk
14.1 Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following has been associated with poor high school graduation rates?
A) grade retention
B) attending school with many other poor children
C) low socioeconomic background
D) reading at least one year below grade level
E) all of the above
2. Which one of the following statements regarding students who are at risk is false?
A) Children who are at risk do not qualify for special education services.
B) Children who are at risk do not include those children who live in middle-class families
or who live with both parents.
C) Children who are at risk historically have not been segregated from
their age-appropriate, typical peers.
D) Children who are at risk historically have been neglected in the
classroom.
3. ________ may be the number one factor that places children at risk for academic failure.
A) Child abuse
B) Poverty
C) Grade retention
D) Parental divorce
E) Substance abuse
4. Recent research studies have indicated that
A) poverty rates have not improved in the last ten years.
B) there is a great disparity in poverty rates among white, African-American, and Hispanic children.
C) the highest percentage of any age group that lives in poverty is for those eighteen or younger.
D) children under 6 have been particularly vulnerable to poverty.
E) all of the above
5. All of the following situations would qualify a child as homeless under federal law except
A) A child lives in a camp ground because there are no other living arrangements available.
B) A child spends the night in a homeless shelter.
C) A child lives with a neighbor until his parents can find a place to live.
D) A child and his family live in their car.
6. Approximately ________ of all marriages in the United States end in divorce.
A) 50%
B) 70%
C) 45%
D) 20%
7. Research on the effects on children who live in single-parent homes suggests that
A) many children do not experience emotional distress as a result of parental divorce or the absence of one
parent.
B) academic achievement is impacted negatively for most children, with lower achievement associated with the
limited presence of a father.
C) single-parent mothers tend to access support networks more extensively than do fathers.
D) single-parent mothers tend to experience greater financial independence than do fathers.
8. All of the following factors have been associated with a higher incidence of child abuse except
A) family size.
B) low father involvement.
C) poverty.
D) stepfather in household.
E) extended family involvement.
9. Verbal abuse, by itself, can result in
A) lowered self-esteem and school achievement.
B) sleep disorders.
C) autism.
D) intellectual disabilities.
10. Which of the following statements is not a research finding regarding the physical abuse of children and youth?
A) The incidence of physical abuse of children is on the decline in the United States.
B) The incidence of physical abuse of children is on the increase in the United States.
C) Children who are physically abused are more likely to receive failing grades.
D) Children who are physically abused are more likely to exhibit discipline problems at school.
11. The rate for sexual abuse of female children in the United States ranges from ________ to ________.
A) 15%; 32%
B) 8%; 12%
C) 30%; 45%
D) 50%; 60%
12. Sexual abuse of children includes all of the following except
A) attempted intercourse.
B) touching a child’s genital area.
C) using a child in pornography.
D) exposing the child to sexual acts.
E) none of the above
13. When child abuse is suspected, school personnel
A) should set up a conference with the child’s parent(s) to discuss this suspicion.
B) have a moral and legal obligation to report the suspected abuse.
C) should make a special education referral.
D) should discuss the matter with other teachers to gain advice and guidance.
14. Recent research on substance abuse has suggested that
A) drug prevention programs have been effective in reducing substance abuse among adolescents.
B) there has been a recent increase in adolescent substance abuse.
C) adolescent substance is no longer a significant problem in our country.
D) boys tend to use more over-the-counter medications than do girls.
15. Recent studies indicate that almost ________ of high school seniors have used alcohol during the previous school
year.
A) 40%
B) 55%
C) 70%
D) 30%
16. Students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered are one of the most vulnerable and overlooked groups
of students who are at risk. At school, these students may encounter which of the following?
A) verbal harassment
B) alienation
C) physical harassment
D) physical assaults
E) all of the above
17. Juvenile delinquency is highly correlated with
A) substance abuse.
B) poverty.
C) school failure.
D) all of the above
18. Which of the following factors is associated with juvenile delinquency?
A) poverty
B) living in single-parent home
C) school failure
D) all of the above
19. Which of the following factors has been associated with schools that provide effective programs for students
at risk?
A) zero tolerance policies
B) strong disciplinary programs
C) emphasis on social relations, including parental involvement and relationships between staff and students
D) presence and involvement of security guards on school grounds
14.2 True or False
1. Children who are Hispanic or African American have a greater chance of living in poverty than do white children.
2. Approximately 20% of children in the United States do not have health insurance.
3. Approximately 5.5 million children are regularly hungry and another 6 million face chronic food shortages in our
country.
4. Federal law requires that every school system provide an appropriate education for homeless students.
5. School personnel may not know that a child is homeless. This may be because parents may fear having their
child removed from them if they alert school personnel of their situation.
6. Slightly less than half of all children have working mothers in the United States.
7. The number of single-parent homes headed by a father is on the increase.
8. Child abuse and neglect occur primarily in poor families.
9. In most instances, child neglect is relatively easy to recognize.
10. The number of child abuse cases is decreasing.
11. Females over the age of 15 are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than are females younger than the age
of 15.
12. Educators who do not report child abuse and neglect can be punished under federal and state laws.
13. One of the most negative outcomes for teens who are pregnant is dropping out of school.
14. The rate of teenage pregnancy has increased in recent years.
15. A mother’s level of education has been identified as a factor determining the likelihood a young woman may
get pregnant.
16. After-school programs are ineffective for at-risk students.
17. Students who are at-risk need to be retained during the early years until they are ready to progress in school.
18. Addressing the needs of at risk students requires a team effort.
19. A high rate of mobility negatively affects students’ academic achievement and peer acceptance.
20. The absence of a father in the home negatively impacts students’ academic achievement.
21. Emotional abuse is easier to identify than physical abuse.
22. The substance that youth use most is alcohol.
23. At-risk youth should be retained.
24. A disproportionate number of minority male students are expelled each year.
14.3 Short Answer
1. The ________ Act (2001), part of the “No Child Left Behind Act” of 2001, is the federal law that
defines “homeless children and youth.”
2. ________ involves unreasonable demands placed on children by parents, siblings, peers, or teachers, and the
failure of parents to provide the emotional support necessary for children to grow and develop.
3. ________ involves beating, strangulation, burns to the body, and other forms of physical brutalization.
4. ________ refers to situations in which a child is exposed to situations that pose a substantial risk of harm.
5. ________ is defined as behavior that violates the rules and regulations of society.
6. A person who has been forced from his or her home and crossed an international border for safety is a __________.
14.4 Essay
1. Choose two (2) of the groups described in your text who are at risk for school failure. Describe the issues that place
students in each of these groups at risk, and discuss the implications for educational programming.
2. Poverty has been described as a critical factor highly associated with school failure. Discuss the research on
poverty, paying particular attention to issues related to hunger, health care, homelessness, and educational
programming. Discuss the implications of poverty for the classroom.
3. You have been appointed to coordinate a child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention program in your
school. Describe in detail the components of your program, and provide helpful suggestions for teachers.
4. Elders (2002) remarked that most children who are poor will be members of the “Five–H Club.” What did Elders
mean by this statement?
5. Discuss the implications for the classroom when children are hungry.
6. Schools must consider the involvement of non-custodial parents in the education of children. Discuss at least four
(4) ways that school personnel can solicit the involvement of the non-custodial parent.
7. Discuss some of the issues that may confront a child when his or her sibling dies.
8. When a parent dies, the child must deal with the death in three (3) significant ways. Identify these issues, and then
discuss the many different ways children may respond to a parent’s death.
9. Describe at least five (5) of the problems that are often exhibited by children who are victims of abuse.
10. Identify at least five (5) characteristics of children who are emotionally abused.
11. Identify at least five (5) symptoms common among children who have been sexually abused.
12. Give at least three (3) examples of child neglect.
13. Identify at least five (5) characteristics of students who abuse substances.
14. Describe at least three (3) strategies educators can use to intervene in teenage pregnancy situations.
15. Describe at least five (5) strategies for helping students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.
16. Discuss three (3) specific challenges of homeless children.
Chapter 14 Teaching Students Who Are At Risk
14.1 Multiple Choice
14.2 True or False
14.3 Short Answer
14.4 Essay
3. General components:
