Boosting student achievements is a goal for everyone

By Allison Heidron
    With the recent headlines surrounding student achievement in our community many are asking what to do now. There is plenty of blame, anger and disappointment to go around but at times like this, what we need is hope and a magic spell that will make everything better. I do not have a spell but I do come to you with hope. Several other communities have found themselves in a similar position and have successfully turned their communities around with something called the 40 Developmental Assets.
    In the past several decades, a great deal of knowledge has emerged on the many things kids need in their lives to grow up successfully. What has come from that research is a realization that we must broaden our vision of healthy development to include community structures such as family, schools, congregations, youth organizations and more. Search Institute in Minneapolis addressed this need and through over 50 years of research, comprised a list of 40 essential building blocks all youth need in their lives in order to be successful. Those building blocks are known as Developmental Assets and are concrete, positive experiences, and qualities that are essential to raising successful young people.
    Asset building is not a new program or philosophy! It is all about relationship building! Youth need relationships with many positive adult role models, caring schools, opportunities to serve, and communities filled with people and places that value them. The 40 Developmental Assets are broken down into 8 asset categories which include support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive identity, social competencies, and positive values.
    I am sure many of you are asking why our community should care about building assets at a time when our school achievement scores should be the primary focus. What you may not realize is that student achievement has a direct relationship to Developmental Assets. According to Search Institute national surveys, only 9 percent of youth with a total of 0-10 of the 40 assets are experiencing school success while 54 percent of young people with 31-40 assets are finding success in school. The more assets we can put into a young person’s life the greater number of thriving indicators they experience including school success.
    In October 2008 an Attitudes and Behaviors survey was completed by 7th and 10th grade Houlton High School students. The survey was given to allow Houlton youth a voice about how they feel about their communities, schools, families, friends, substance use and to measure the number of Developmental Assets in their lives.  Ironically Houlton youth reported having only 20.1 of the 40 Developmental Assets. Although that is a start it is clear that Houlton youth need more assets in their lives to help promote positive behaviors.
    Not only do assets promote positive behaviors but they also protect from risk-taking behaviors such as alcohol, drug use, violence and early sexual activity. According to the Houlton Attitudes and Behaviors survey, youth with only 0-10 assets participated in 10.9 of the 24 risk taking behaviors identified. Youth with 31-40 assets participated in only 0,2 of the 24 risk-taking behaviors. Wow is right! Youth in Houlton with more Developmental Assets are thriving and staying away from risky behaviors. Need I say more?
Our local survey has shown that the difference between troubled teens and those leading healthy, productive lives is strongly affected by the presence of Assets!
    Developmental Assets increase with value over time, they provide a sense of security, they are resources upon which a child can draw on again and again, they help youth make wise decisions, choose positive paths and grow up content, caring and responsible. Finally Assets are cumulative, meaning that the more assets a young person has, the better.
The most exciting news is that ANYONE can build assets! It is not complicated, and most do not cost money. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, a community member, religious leader or simply just an adult who wants to help kids, you can build assets.
    Asset building is a positive approach to youth development. It is not about crisis management although youth who have these assets face fewer crises. It is not about stopping and preventing problems, although young people who have these assets face (and create) fewer problems. Instead, it is about investing in the young people in our community, increasing their exposure to positive activities and instilling values and skills that will guide them from the inside.
    Building assets is not a quick fix for our current achievement scores as it takes time and commitment from individuals and communities. What asset building will do is give us the skills, language and proven strategies to reach young people today. We are worried about the young people in our community. We have seen the stories and facts of teen pregnancy, school failure, violence, and substance abuse. For too long we have felt powerless to help because nothing seems to be working long enough, hard enough or for enough kids. We no longer have to feel that way! Developmental Assets work! You can make a difference in a young person’s life! Start by smiling at youth and learning their names, listening to their stories, jokes, and feelings, encouraging them to help others, asking them for their opinions, telling them what you like about them, encouraging them to think big and sending them a text or email just to say they are special.
    As disappointing as the achievement test results may be I leave you with a traditional greeting of the Masai people of Kenya and Tanzania…“Kasserian ingera?”   Instead of saying “How are you?” they greet with “How are the children?” The typical response is, “Sapati ingera” (“All the children are well”). What would your response be? Perhaps some of the children are well? Is that good enough? Do our children deserve more? The reality is that all may not be well with our children but it can get better. Change is possible, and the power rests in the asset building abilities of the people and places of community that join together to embrace, invest in, and engage with young people as resources and gifts.   
    This article was brought to you by Aroostook Substance Abuse