Katherine Solario is working as a first-year teacher in a low-income, low-performing school district where there is little parental involvement. She is concerned about the negative social environment in which her students live and the effect it has on them. They live in multiple family homes, have dealt with broken marriages, have bounced in and out of foster care, or have been victims of abuse. Some of the parents are in gangs and many are single parents. Even though her fellow teachers are discouraging, Katherine is determined to confront these issues directly with her students. "Part of my responsibility is to raise the awareness of my students, to present all sides of these issues with guest speakers and visits to Social Services, community colleges, and jail," she states.
How can she work toward achievement and performance by these distracted students?