High School Student Stress and School Improvement

Enabling students, teachers, and parents to become more informed about stress during adolescence can improve student emotional and social support. This article documents the growing problem of student stress and resulting effects on mental health. Students (Grades 9-12) at one public high school in the southern United States were invited by the principal to complete an anonymous online poll about sources of stress in their lives. The intent of the school principal was to use the findings to strengthen student support and contribute to the Continuous School Improvement Plan. Results of the 17-item Stress Poll are presented by frequency and percentages for the 349 students and compared by gender responses (females n = 172, males n = 177). Results indicated the most prominent student stresses at school involved worrying about getting good grades in required courses, not understanding some of their courses, being unable to concentrate, and having poor time management practices. Students felt that teachers should collaborate to reduce undue student stress by avoiding overloading and letting students make mistakes without affecting grades. Outside of school the main stress was getting along with relatives;in addition, parents should set more reasonable expectations for academic achievement. Students felt that workshops about stress could improve understanding and influence their parents and teachers.

Tutoring Support and Student Voice in Middle School

This article examines the persistent problem of student literacy, the range of tutoring solutions, and implications for peer teaching in cooperative learning teams. Possible school reforms that reflect practices in other countries with high student test scores and peer norms in support of tutoring are described. An online poll was completed by 190 adolescents to share perceptions about tutoring at their middle school. Given the powerful impact of peers on adolescent socialization, it was not surprising that findings showed students who needed tutoring most denied their academic problem, tried to avoid embarrassment from peers, and did not request assistance. Poll responses revealed absence of a peer norm to motivate engagement in tutoring without sacrifice to personal status. If a lesson or curriculum subject was difficult, the students asked friends for help more often than they asked teachers. Analysis of gender differences showed that if students told friends they planned to request tutoring, females were more likely to give encouragement than males. Female students also showed greater willingness than males to volunteer as tutors for assisting learning disabled classmates, English as second language learners, and peers in their cooperative learning groups. Results of student voice as expressed in the online Tutoring Poll contributed to the school continuous improvement plan. Tutoring recommendations for school districts to consider are explained.