“I’m not getting any F’s”: what “at risk” students say about the support they need

When one enters teacher Steven Hesperian’s room during fourth period the overwhelming impression is that everyone is very busy. The room is large and sunny, with many windows, a bank of computers, and individual student desks arranged in casual groupings. On a typical day, some students are sitting by themselves and others are sitting in small groups. A few students are at the computers, others are working with Janelle Barry, the Chapter I instructional aide, and some have left for the library, the computer center, or other teachers’ classrooms. Almost without exception students are engaged in school-related tasks.