AED 201
Assignment - Characteristics of At-Risk Students
At-risk students are in jeopardy of failing to finish their education with the skills essential to survive in the real world (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005). Considerable economic implications are a problem for students that drop out or leave school (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005). Being at-risk is a problem that both males and females face. Many females drop out of school because they are pregnant, which leaves them with the burden of raising a child on a less than poverty income (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005). The United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the Western industrialized world, even though the teenage birthrate is declining (Kauchak & Eggen, 2005). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), the teen pregnancy rate is 34.3 pregnancies per 1000 young women ages 15-19, which is a record low for this age group. The state of Iowa has numerous programs to help educate teens in the prevention of pregnancy and programs to help pregnant teens and young mothers. Two of these programs are the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Grant Program (CAPP).
Personal Responsibility Education Program is federally funded. PREP is a program that targets the youth populations that are the highest risks for teenage pregnancy and educate them about abstinence and contraception for the prevention of not only pregnancy but also sexually transmitted infections. PREP also educates students on at least three adulthood preparation subjects and life skills (Iowa Department of Public Health, 2012). As stated on the Iowa Department of Public Health website (2012), Iowa’s PREP vision is to make sure “Iowa youth are empowered to make healthy choices and positive decisions regarding sexual behavior as they prepare for a successful adulthood.” Iowa’s PREP focuses on students who
References: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, March 12). About Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/AboutTeenPreg.htm Eyes Open Iowa. (2012). Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) Grant Program. Retrieved from http://www.eyesopeniowa.org/projects_capp.html Iowa Department of Public Health. (2012). Personal Responsibility Education Program. Retrieved from http://www.idph.state.ia.us/hpcdp/prep.asp Kauchak, D., & Eggen, P. (2005). Introduction to Teaching: Becoming a Professional (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. State Data Center of Iowa. (2012, March 29). Iowa Quick Facts. Retrieved from http://www.iowadatacenter.org/quickfacts