Right Motives, Wrong Methods

by Craig J. Boykin

Learn how to help at-risk students succeed. It’s clear that students from poverty are often at a disadvantage when it comes to education, and educators can find it challenging to help such students become positively engaged in their own learning. Students from poverty often need more help engaging in the classroom. Above all, Craig J. Boykin advises educators to avoid giving up on “difficult” students by deciding that certain students “can’t be taught,” and provides powerful examples of at-risk students succeeding in large numbers in supportive environments. He also admonishes, "If you don't teach it, don't punish students for not doing well at it!”

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of information about the authors life in to his book. The back cover states that he mixes his experience with research. I found no research stated in the book except his own experience. The suggestions he shared are worth considering. Many teachers try to apply these attempts to show at-risk students their potential. Often, there is a cut in teacher time available because of “data driven instruction” which is student test data from District chosen test platforms. This striving for standardization diminishes the student as an individual. It pushes students to achieve a theoretical threshold of accomplishment and ignores historical research and knowledge of child development.
In 2026, teachers are being bombarded by demands from School Boards to ban books, refuse to hear teacher input, and diminish thoughtful lesson planning while encouraging teachers to use lesson plans created by Artificial Intelligence. Students and teachers are in a crossfire without understanding how to navigate through this minefield. Many of the suggestions made by Boykin have been discarded by District administrators as frivolous pampering that impedes student learning. What a mess!