Barriers to Student Learning

2003

The Barrier to Student Learning Project is a collaboration between UCLA's School Mental Health Project/Center for Mental Health in Schools located in UCLA's Department of Psychology (co directed by Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor) and the Alaska Dept. of Education & Early Development. A collection of educational teams from middle schools across the state, sponsored by EED, were given training by Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor on enhancing classroom approaches for Addressing Barriers to Student Learning. The premise behind these trainings was that many students come to school with significant barriers that diminish their ability to maximize the learning opportunity provided to them. The Barriers to Student Learning training focused on helping schools and teachers design learning environments that ensure all students have appropriate opportunities to learn effectively. Many strategies concentrated on creating classrooms that promote diversity, high student motivation, and efficient classroom behavior management. Furthermore, strategies for fostering a learning environment that encompassed the needs of students with commonplace behavior. learning,and emotional problems were provided. Finally, the Barrier to Student Learning training assisted the educational teams in building holistic constructive working relationships with all of the pertinent stakeholders in the educational process which include: families, community agencies, local leadership, other schools, school staff and students, the business sector,and universities and colleges. Following these trainings, Barrier team schools were offered grant opportunities to implement programs to address the Barriers to Student Learning specific to their individual schools. All of the Barrier sites were eligible for mini grants, and three sites were awarded larger 3-year competitive grants to implement more institutional initiatives. The Center for Human Development acted as an evaluator for the three school sites that received competitive funding. CHD worked with the Barriers project administration withing the State Department of Education to develop a Barriers Workgroup and to do evaluation planning. CHD will facilitate the evaluation, training, and consultation. Staff will produce an evaluation report that incorporates the training and development exercises of the project, as well as summary data, findings, and recommendations.

Barriers, teacher effectiveness, student transition, positive relationships

Performing Technical Assistance and/or Training, Performing Research or Evaluation

Education & Early Intervention, Quality of Life

Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees)

Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Other

State

N/A