By Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and District Superintendent, SHCOE

In my previous post, “Overcoming Educational Trauma with Smart Horizons Career Online Education,” I introduced the concept of educational trauma as when “one-size-fits-all” academic systems lead to students having poor experiences and dropping out.

Reverse the cycle by boosting confidence

When we established Smart Horizons Career Online Education, it was with the idea of re-engaging adults back into the educational system and providing them with real-world, applicable skills to prepare them for the world of work. By understanding how students experience traumatic events and how they express their lingering distress, educators can better respond and design educational programs that address the trauma of origin. Here’s how.

Problem #1: Education lacks relevance to students

Solution: Make it applicable

At Smart Horizons Career Online Education, we have what we call an “upside-down” program model. Students start with their chosen career major first, before moving on to the core academic subjects. This means their first exposure to coursework is in an area that they have chosen (vs. being told it’s what they “have” to take), that interests them, and that they can apply to their real lives and careers. If you start them off in the same subjects they have “failed” previously, they are already coming in with fear, self-doubt, and a history of “I can’ts.” By reversing this, they’ve already experienced successes and built their sense of confidence by the time they get to the core subjects.

Then, we take the core subjects and make those applicable, too. For example, our students learn not just equations and formulas, but how to use them to solve common real-world problems. They learn financial literacy, money management, taxes, etc. They learn communication skills, how to thrive in a diverse society, and how to create a resume. As adults or young adults facing “adult” realities, most of our students are thirsty for this practical knowledge.

Problem #2: Culture of failure

Solution: Focus on success; build upon wins

Many students who were unable to complete high school have been told, either directly or indirectly, that when it comes to school, they are failures. We believe that every student has the capacity to succeed when provided the right learning tools.

We don’t use “Fs” in our grading system. And we have lots of “benchmarks” so that students are constantly experiencing small wins and gains. Competency-, evidence-based learning means that our students must “show” they understand the material before they can move forward in a course. When they struggle with a topic, they are redirected to review the information in a new way.

It’s amazing how this culture of “success” can turn their mentality around. One of our academic coaches, Mary Corso, said it best: “The biggest reward working with populations that have experienced educational trauma is witnessing the transformative power of the right kind of education. When students stop seeing themselves as failures, their entire personality changes.”

Problem #3: Lack of Support

Solution: Provide academic and motivational support

The big Smart Horizons Career Online Education game changer is the human support element. Our academic coaching and student engagement model offers a high level of encouragement and motivation—and a personalized approach. We monitor student activity and performance constantly and have a series of interventions based on engagement parameters.

While online delivery provides the convenience that our students need to balance jobs, families, and life responsibilities, we ensure that online does not equate to “alone.” We strive to make students feel valued, capable and empowered. In addition, the program can be delivered through local workforce boards, public libraries, career colleges, corporations, school systems, and even correctional institutions, to provide a blend of onsite and online support that further increases student success.