The National At-Risk Education Network

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 some school personnel, believe that attempting to train and educate at-risk kids is a waste of time because "they will never amount to much anyway." At times, even some dedicated educators, counselors, and social workers feel helpless and inadequate in reaching the at-risk population due to lack of resources, funding shortfalls, insufficient training, or other impediments to providing appropriate services. Many at-risk kids, with the help of committed professionals, do still learn to fly despite the great weights they often carry with them.

Our goal is to support educational stakeholders in helping at-risk kids develop their natural abilities and soar toward their highest dreams.

Become a State Coordinator!

Would you like to join NAREN in its efforts to help at-risk kids? Become a coordinator for your state (or any of the outlying areas)! See our NAREN State Coordinators page for more information on the duties and responsibilities for coordinators, and what qualifications are required, not to mention the advantages and privileges that our coordinators enjoy!

If becoming a coordinator for your state (or outlying area) sounds right for you, then proceed to our How to Start a NAREN State/Territorial Chapter page for the application form.

Quality At-Risk Education Programming Seminars

The 2006-2007 schedule for Quality At-Risk Education Programming Seminars will be announced soon. There will be several in different cities nationwide — consult our NARENnews page for upcoming announcements!

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

Every day in America*:

• 4 children are killed by abuse or neglect
• 1 young person dies from HIV infection
• 5 children, or teens, commit suicide
• 8 children are killed by firearms
• 181 children are arrested for violent crimes
• 383 children are arrested for drug abuse
• 181 are arrested for violent crimes
• 2,383 children are reported abused or neglected
• 1,153 babies are born to teen mothers
• 2,411 babies are born into poverty
• 2,261 children drop out of high school every school day (1 of every 4 high school freshmen fails to finish high school in four years in the USA — multiply that by 180, and the annual figure astounds!)
• 4,356 children are arrested

This is every day! Multiply these figures (except for the dropout numbers) by 365 if you can bear it. Also:

• 9,200,000 children are without health insurance
• 12,423,000 children live in poverty

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.

*These statistics are from Children's Defense Fund 2008.

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.

There is no doubt that our communities are battling to protect their young people, and in many cases it is literally a matter of life and death. It is NAREN's goal to assist educators and educational systems to reach the at-risk population and help them to not only survive but to succeed in life.

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