When they hit a hurdle in school, they often freeze or, worse, give up. They don’t always know how to cope, and they definitely don’t always see what’s on the other side of the struggle. That’s where you come in.

You have the power to help students tap into their full potential, even when they feel like school just isn’t clicking. Using the right teaching strategies can make all the difference. You can help students build confidence, develop new habits, and keep moving forward—even when the work is hard.

Key Strategies for Supporting Struggling Students

Encourage a Growth Mindset

Students who are struggling in school often don’t have high self-esteem. The more they struggle in school, the more their brain is telling them that they are no good. One way to unlock a student’s potential is to .

You can do this by sharing stories about people who overcame obstacles and persevered. Talk about how famous people like Albert Einstein, Whoopi Goldberg, and John Lennon all had learning disabilities but overcame them with hard work and dedication and still made history.

Discuss how Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Whoopi Goldberg, etc. all had to learn how to fail before they could succeed. By discussing the many success stories of famous people who overcame great adversity through perseverance, you can make a real impact on a struggling student’s life. Sometimes kids just need to hear that it’s not about being perfect, it’s about pushing forward even when things aren’t easy.

Embrace Failure as a Learning Opportunity

There’s a saying that goes, “If you never fail, you’ll never succeed”. This saying perfectly sums up what we are trying to instill in our youth, especially in our struggling students.

In today’s society, there seems to be an illusion that everybody’s life is perfect, or at least it should be. When you scroll through social media, you’ll see perfect grades, perfect families, perfect everything. For students who are already struggling, that pressure can feel impossible.

What kids don’t see is what goes on behind the scenes. We need to remind them that failing doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Failure means you tried, and when you fail, you must learn to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.

Tell your students that . It’s not a sign to stop, it’s a sign to keep going. When they learn how to fall and get back up, they build resilience. That’s where growth really begins.

Build Authentic Connections with Students

Many struggling students in school can benefit from some encouragement. If students are not getting the encouragement they need from home, then they need to get it from a teacher or a peer. Just a few inspiring words can have a profound impact on a student’s academic performance.

Start with something simple, like the . Take two minutes each day for ten days to check in with a student—no academics, just conversation. Ask about their hobbies, their weekend, and what they like to do outside of school.

The more you know them, the easier it becomes to . The more you know them personally, the better you’ll be able to help them academically.

Show Students How the Brain Learns

Most children who struggle in school don’t realize that their brains can rewire themselves to learn better. When they struggle, they assume something is wrong with them. However, shows that through practice and repetition, your brain becomes stronger. Teaching them about how the brain learns can change everything.

Teach students that everyone learns differently, and it’s important to find the way that their brain works best. Recognizing how they learn can be a huge advantage to their academic success. Students should also think of their brain like any other muscle in their body. The more they exercise it, the stronger and better it becomes.

Let struggling students know that it’s normal to struggle at first, but the more effort they put in, the more progress they’ll make. Understanding how their brains work helps students feel more in control of their own learning.

Break Down Complex Tasks

Big assignments can feel overwhelming, especially for students who are already behind. When they don’t know where to start, they often just shut down. Instead, break things down. Turn one big task into smaller, doable steps.

Give students a checklist or visual organizer they can follow. For example, if they’re writing an essay, help them focus on just the intro first. Then the first body paragraph, then the next, and so on, one piece at a time. Chunking work like this helps students feel like they can finish what they start, making it less overwhelming to deal with.

Utilize

All students learn differently; some need to see it, while others prefer to hear it, touch it, or move around to understand it. Consider adding visuals, physical objects, or movement to your lessons. Let students act out vocabulary words, use color-coded cards, or manipulate math tools.

Let them hear the information in a song or watch a short video to reinforce a concept. These aren’t just add-ons, they’re ways to reach learners who need information explained in a way that clicks for them. When you teach them in a way that makes sense to them, they’re more likely to understand it.

Provide Personal Feedback

Telling a struggling student how they are doing, and if they need to try harder, doesn’t always help them improve. What struggling learners need is specific feedback they can use to actually improve. Instead of saying “This paragraph is confusing,” consider saying, “Can you try breaking this into two shorter sentences to make your point clearer?”

This way, you are both encouraging and clear. Let them know exactly what they’re doing well and where they can improve. Personalized feedback helps students see the path forward, as well as showing them that you’re paying attention.

Struggling in school can be frustrating for both you, as the teacher, as well as the student. As long as you encourage a growth mindset, teach students that it’s okay to fail, show them how we learn, and take the time to really connect with them, then they’ll eventually be able to reach their full potential.

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Finding ways to support the diverse groups of students in your classroom can be one of the biggest challenges a faces. From their academic needs to their social and emotional ones, education is about supporting the whole child—not just their reading and math scores. One particular group of students that requires much thought, planning, and attention are at-risk students.

What is an At-Risk Student?

The term “at-risk students” is frequently used to describe students who are academically struggling and have a higher probability of failing daily work, tests, or dropping out of school altogether.

However, the term also encompasses students who face specific life circumstances that contribute to their struggles. These learning-related factors can adversely affect their educational performance and overall success. Examples of such factors include:

• Socioeconomic challenges: Homelessness, poverty, or unstable home environments.
• Family issues: Having parents in prison or other family-related problems.
• Health and wellness: Chronic health issues or emotional distress.
• Behavioral issues: Violence, disciplinary problems, or truancy.
• Learning disabilities: Undiagnosed or unaddressed learning differences.

The EdGlossary notes that at-risk students face many challenges beyond simply failing their classwork. Addressing these underlying issues is crucial for their success.

Challenges At-Risk Students Face

At-risk students face numerous challenges, often on a daily basis.

• Academic struggles: They may not understand whole-group lessons and require scaffolding and small-group instruction to re-teach concepts at their specific level. Whole-class lessons can leave them feeling overwhelmed, confused, and defeated.
• Lack of confidence: Due to repeated academic and behavioral setbacks, these students often have low self-confidence. They need constant reassurance and encouragement from their teachers. A teacher’s belief in their potential is vital to and work toward their goals.
• Negative relationships: For many at-risk students, interactions with teachers and administrators are often negative, which erodes trust and makes the school environment feel hostile rather than supportive.

Ways to Support At-Risk Students in the Classroom

Supporting at-risk students requires a multifaceted approach that addresses their academic, social, and emotional needs.

Prioritize Relationship Building

with at-risk students is one of the most impactful things a teacher can do. By fostering these connections, you can gain their trust and create a supportive environment.

• Get to know them personally: Ask about their interests, family, and hobbies. This shows you care about them as a person, not just a student.
• Share about yourself: Reciprocate by sharing things about your own life, which helps them see you as a person and not just an authority figure.

Incorporate a Democratic Classroom Model

A democratic classroom model gives students a voice and a sense of ownership, which is crucial for engagement and buy-in. When students feel their opinions matter, they are more likely to participate and take responsibility.

• Collaborate on rules: Let students help create the classroom rules and consequences. They are more likely to abide by rules they helped establish.
• Offer choices: Provide choices in how they demonstrate their learning (e.g., a written report, a presentation, or a video). This empowers them to take ownership of their education.
• Involve them in design: Allow students to have a say in the classroom layout and design, making the space feel like a community they helped build.

Use a Check-In/Check-Out System

The check-in/check-out system is a powerful tool for building relationships and decreasing disruptive behaviors. It connects a student with a trusted adult in the school (other than their classroom teacher).

• Morning Check-in: The student checks in with a designated adult at the start of the day. They review a goal sheet and discuss any challenges from the previous day. This sets a positive tone and helps them prepare for a successful day.
• End-of-Day Check-out: The student checks back in with the same adult at the end of the day to review their progress and reflect on how the day went. This provides closure and ends the day on a positive note.

The system should be customized to meet the individual needs of each student.

Maintain a Communication Log with Parents

Open communication with parents or guardians is essential for student success. A communication log keeps everyone in the loop and ensures a consistent support system between home and school.

• Daily or weekly notes: Use a notebook or a goal sheet to jot down quick notes about the student’s day—both successes and areas that need improvement.
• Encourage parent feedback: Leave space for parents to comment or ask questions. This back-and-forth communication can be more effective and convenient than a game of phone tag.
• Provide incentives: You can offer a small incentive for the student returning the signed communication log, which encourages responsibility and follow-through.

By implementing these strategies, teachers can effectively support at-risk students, helping them not only to excel academically but also to feel like valued and contributing members of their classroom community.

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As a teacher, it often seems easier to help a struggling student out, rather than use teaching strategies to give them the tools to get through it. We often have to fight the urge to give the student the answer or tell them what to do because we have 20 other students that need our help too. However, it is part of our job to keep our struggling students working so that they can learn and recognize what hard work is all about. It’s important for them to learn the lesson of persistence and perseverance. Here are 10 simple teaching strategies that you can use to help your struggling students so they can become more independent workers.

1.  Fight the Urge to Tell Students the Answer

As mentioned earlier, sometimes it is just easier to give the struggling student the answer rather than taking the time to give them the tools to find the answer themselves. However, as a teacher, this is something you should not do, ever. It is your job to teach the student and give them the tools that they will be able to take with them for the rest of their lives. This means fighting the urge to give them the answer just to save you time with your other students.

2. Give Students Time to Think of the Answer

Research has shown that between asking students a question and calling upon a student to answer the question. If teachers give students just a few seconds more to really think about their answer, they’re much more like to give and answer and provide elaboration.

3. Allow Student to Explain Their Answers

How many times have you asked a student a question to repeatedly get the answer, “I don’t know”? Encourage students to come up with an answer, even if they are unsure. Teach them how to explain to you how they got their answer. Once you find out how they got their answer, it will be easier for you to figure out what they are doing wrong. Require that all students must come up with an answer and be able to explain how they got it.

4. Write Down All Directions

Struggling students can often have a hard time paying attention and remembering things. If you give them oral directions, they may have difficulty fully remembering them, which means they will struggle to know what to do next. Make sure that you always write down everything that you want the students to do on the front board so there are no excuses from any student and they always have a resource that they can refer to.

5. Teach Perseverance

Teach students that when the going gets tough, they must keep on working. This means when they get stuck on a question, they need to try out a few different strategies until they get it. A simple way to do this is to keep a few tips and strategies listed somewhere in the classroom, preferably on a wall where all students can see it from their desks.

6. Teach Time Management Skills

Struggling students have a hard managing their time and daily tasks because oftentimes it feels overwhelming to them. Teach students how to manage their time and their tasks by having them write down their whole schedule for one day. Then, have students estimate how long they think it will take them to do each task that they listed. Go over the list and discuss how much time should be spent on each task. This activity will help them understand that time management skills are essential, and that they must take ownership of their learning in order to keep them from struggling in school.

7. Take it One Task at a Time

Sometimes the easiest way for a struggling student to understand a concept better is to take it one question at a time. If you find that you have many struggling students, then this is the best option for the whole group. For example, if students are doing small group work, instead of giving them a list of 10 questions to answer together all at once, have them answer one question at a time, and after each question, have them regroup as a whole group before allowing them to go onto the next question.

8. Ask Questions that Require Students to Think

Struggling students need to practice thinking on their own. Take the time to ask questions that make about their answer. Teach them how to make inferences and not just blurt out any answer that comes to mind. The more they take the time to think about their answers, the easier time they will have when trying to come up with solutions to the answer.

9. Yield the Chronic Hand Raisers

Students who are having a hard time often get the urge to raise their hands and ask for help frequently. To stop this from happening, you should come up with a strategy that will allow students to move on when they get stuck on a question. Some teachers find that sticky notes or red and green flip cards are an effective technique. Other teachers find that limiting the number of times a student is allowed to ask a question for each lesson works well too.

10. Give Students Encouragement

Effective teachers encourage students and to do well in school. They take the time to praise them and tell them that they can do anything when they put their mind to it. Be that teacher, the teacher that tells them they can do it!

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