What is NAREN?
What is NAREN?
The National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN) is a private, non-sectarian, non-profit educational agency dedicated to both promoting the success of at-risk youth in our schools, and supporting the educators who work on their behalf.
Because of its unwieldy body and disproportionately small wing size, scientists studying ærodynamics once stated that, technically, the bumblebee should be incapable of flying.
And yet fly it does.
Many people -- including far too many educators, counselors and social workers -- believe that trying to educate and train at-risk kids is a waste of time because they will never amount to much anyway. Many of these kids do still learn to fly despite the great weights they often carry inside them. Fly, many most certainly can and do; and fly, they all most certainly could, with better informed and more supportive educational stakeholders.
Our goal is to guide more at-risk kids into manifesting the abilities we know they possess and, for those that need help, teach them to fly solo, inspiring them to soar toward their highest dreams.
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Who Is at-risk and of what?
Who is At-Risk?
There is serious debate over exactly what the term "at-risk" means. Some deny there is need for such a term. The National At-Risk Education Network defines "at-risk" youth as:
* At-risk of dropping out of school;
* At-risk of not succeeding in life due to being raised in unfavorable circumstances.
Youth At-Risk of Dropping Out of School
Facts we know:
According to figures from the Children's Defense Fund, 1 of every 8 school children will not graduate. The United States Census school enrollment projections for the year 2000 were 53,445,000 children. This means that the population currently at-risk of dropping out could be as many as 6,680,625 children. The financial future of high school dropouts is grim. Charts illustrating significant differences in potential monetary success can be found on the About NAREN page.
Youth At-Risk from a Bad Start
Facts we know:
* Over 1,000,000 of the 3,092,000 children reported for child abuse and neglect to CPS agencies are verified in the U.S. each year, and one can only guess how many go unreported or are true but unverified. Without a doubt the actual numbers of abused and neglected children are much higher.
* 13,500,000 children live in poverty -- or about one in five (18.9%).
* 512,000 babies are born to teen mothers each year.
* 2,100,000 children are arrested each year.
* An estimated 1,600,000 United States children have an imprisoned father and 200,000 have an imprisoned mother. Most children with incarcerated parents live in poverty before, during, and after their parents' incarceration.
* In 1999, 26% of 12th graders, 22% of 10th graders, and 12% of 8th graders, had used illicit drugs in the previous 30 days.
* In 1999, 31% of 12th graders, 26% of 10th graders, and 15% of 8th grade students reported having five or more alcoholic beverages in a row in the previous 2-week period.
* Every 5 hours in the United States another youth commits suicide. Besides the tragic loss of another young individual, the act of suicide itself devastatingly impacts dozens of friends and relatives left behind.
All the children included in the above statistics (and more categories not listed) come to school carrying their burdens and issues with them. It is safe to assume that many of the children represented in the above figures are, indeed, at-risk of having decreased horizons of success. By default our schools have become the focus of efforts to address at-risk issues. Schools readily admit they are both inadequately informed and inadequately prepared for this immense task, but this has not stopped many of them from making the noble effort.
How NAREN Proposes to Make A Difference
The National At-Risk Education Network will make a significant contribution to increasing the success of at-risk children in the following ways:
Action Goals
* Disseminate Critical Information Regarding At-Risk Education;
* Provide Support for Educators Working With At-Risk Children;
* Provide Networking Opportunities for At-Risk Education Stakeholders;
* Assist Communities in Planning, Developing & Implementing At-Risk Educational Programs;
* Provide Staff Training for At-Risk School Personnel;
* Research Prevention & Intervention Methods, and Best Practices & Programs for At-Risk Education; and
* Produce At-Risk Education Conferences.
Goal Vehicles
* NAREN Web Site & NAREN Newsletter (Goals 1, 2, 3);
* Research Center for At-Risk Education (RCARE) (Goal 6);
* NAREN Teacher Training Center (Goals 2, 3, 4, 5);
* Conference Planning & Production Staff (Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 7); and
* Formation of NAREN State Chapters (Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7).
Optimal Long Term Goals
* Develop certification standards for at-risk education programs;
* Share at-risk education research and information internationally.
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