Educational support encompasses a wide range of resources and guidance that help students navigate their learning journey. This can include tutoring services, study groups, and other in-school programs. It can also include family involvement and community programs.
It is a regulatory requirement that students with disabilities have access to their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means they should be educated alongside non-disabled peers to the extent possible.
Student Success
Student success is a broad term that encompasses the academic achievement and holistic growth of students during their education. This includes everything from their interpersonal relationships to their access to resources.
A growing number of colleges and universities are instituting student success systems to help their students thrive academically, professionally and socially. These programs offer a variety of services, from tutoring and mentoring to career and mental health counseling.
Institutions also employ a range of strategies to boost academic performance, including high impact practices (HIP) such as internships and field experiences, first-year seminars, research and capstone projects, study abroad opportunities and service learning projects. These long-term experiences often provide the most lasting and meaningful educational benefits for students.
However, the current hegemonic framing of student success encourages many institutions to invest a disproportionate amount of their resources into facilitating academic definitions of student achievement. As a result, it is important for researchers to examine alternative definitions of student success when conducting their research.
Family Involvement
Family involvement is a key component to students’ long-term educational success. It builds a foundation of learning, reinforces classroom concepts, and establishes a consistent connection between the home and school environments.
Educators and families must work together to create meaningful partnerships founded on respect. Families provide a valuable understanding of their child’s unique needs and challenges, while educators bring expertise and training to support student success.
Parents who are involved in their children’s education have higher academic achievement, improved attendance rates, and more positive social behaviors than those whose parents do not participate in school activities.
Schools can foster family engagement by promoting opportunities for volunteering, providing access to digital communication platforms, and hosting parenting support groups. This way, families can participate in ways that align with their schedules and personal interests.
School Resources
School resources are essential to fostering a supportive learning environment. They can range from physical tools to financial support. Inadequate resources can hamper student learning, leading to underperformance and disengagement. Addressing these needs requires effective resource management strategies.
The right educational materials can increase students’ understanding and engagement, allowing them to better grasp important topics and gain a deeper knowledge of various subjects. These resources can include interactive lessons and games, supplemental materials, and online resources.
Several websites provide educators with free educational resources. For example, the eponymous media outlet National Geographic offers free lesson materials and teacher guides for integrating content into interdisciplinary teaching. The New York Times Education Department provides teachers with articles, quizzes and writing prompts to help students explore current events and real-world issues. Educators can also access educational tools through open educational resources (OER) sites like OpenStax and New Path Learning. These sites offer peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks and teaching materials.
Community Programs
Communities are a critical component of education support and often include initiatives that provide services like food, health care and job training. These programs help individuals develop the skills they need to succeed and break out of the cycle of poverty.
Community workshops are dynamic learning experiences that equip participants with knowledge and skills they can use in everyday life. These workshops can range from financial literacy to parenting skills, empowering individuals to take control of their lives and achieve their goals.
Tier 3 supports are tailored to the specific needs of each grantee. For example, New Mexico’s program involves a virtual ECHO (Emerging Communities in Collaborative Organizational Research) session that brings together community school coordinators, principals and teachers to learn more about collaborative leadership strategies.
This level of support also includes regional gatherings to connect community schools across the state and a website that provides resources, presentations and research studies on community schools. It also involves collaboration with local boards of cooperative educational services, which are regional education agencies that work with groups of districts to offer support.