School personnel can create a caring and supportive environment for at-risk students by involving students in the process of designing that envi­ ronment. Because the adult perspective is often different from that of an ado­ lescent, especially when it comes to the peer group, it becomes necessary to educate the adults in the building about the components of that perspective and how it affects the learning process. To make the information specific to the culture of a specific school, either a survey or interviews must be done with students. Surveys and interviews should be designed to answer the fol­ lowing questions:

♦ Who attends your school? (The answer to this question is found in demographic and attendance data.)

♦ What do they believe in? ♦ What do they think is important (priorities)? ♦ What are their future goals? ♦ What experiences have they had? ♦ What do they expect from school?