We have all the elements identified by The National Institute on the Education of At-Risk Students. The pieces are only part of the structure. Literacy is essential given the needs of the population to function outside of the school when finished. Extra help is only truly available in smaller school and classroom settings. I am amazed at our school how well a student will work when given that little extra bit of attention.
Parental outreach is especially hard in the secondary level.
Parents too often have checked-out of the students life. Sometimes this is for the best but not always. This is one of our NCA goals . Social Skills are important to all of us and the at-risk student may or may not have had a familial situation where these social morays were developed.