Essay - Small Learning Communities: the Impact of a Freshman Academy on...

SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES: THE IMPACT OF A FRESHMAN ACADEMY ON NINTH GRADE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

ABSTRACT

***** factors affect the transition of the individual into the environment of the high school including peer-pressure, multi-age classrooms, increased responsibilities, more strenuous coursework, part-time jobs, family obligations, athletic participation as well ***** o*****r extra-curricular activities. Research has suggested that the successful transition of students ***** ninth-grade is highly predictive of the level of academic success of the student throughout all the remaining years of high school, which results in affecting the student's success in life following high *****. It is known that ***** experiencing academic difficulties in the ***** school year also tend to have more absences, ***** office d*****cipline referrals, and lack a feeling of *****ttachment ***** ***** school, which puts them at an increased risk for failing the ninth-grade ***** gre*****ly increases ***** likelihood that these students will drop out ***** high ***** before completion and graduation. In order to address the issue of ninth-grade ***** ***** some schools have created a sm***** learning community, which has been named the 'Freshman Academy'. The objective of this present research is to examine the impact that ***** Freshman Academy has upon ninth-grade student transition. Toward this end, ***** study intends to conduct research in order to determ*****e the degree to which small learning communities, ***** in this case ***** Freshman Academy, has upon the academic achievement of ninth-grade students at a small rural ***** school in Central Florida. The methodology of this study will be both of a qu*****litative and a quantitative nature in order ***** determine ***** success of the ***** Academy in increasing student ***** and attendance in the ninth grade. The data will be collected at the end of ***** 2007-2008 school year from the school records documenting the achievement ***** ninth-grade students ***** the attendance of ***** ninth-grade students. This data will then be compared to the achievement and attendance data for ninth-grade students in the school year 2003-2004 prior ***** the implementation ***** the Freshman Academy.

***** ***** COMMUNITIES: ***** IMPACT OF A FRESHM*****N ACADEMY ***** NINTH GRADE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

***** ONE

***** QUESTIONS

***** questions that ***** research intends to answer are those as follows:

To what degree ***** the Freshman Academy affected student ***** among ninth-grade *****?

To what degree has ***** Freshman ***** affected the attendance of ninth-grade *****s?

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Students who do not successfully transition in***** high school in the n*****th-grade school year ***** at a much *****er risk of academic failure and ultim*****ely at an increased risk of dropping out of high school completely. Academic interventions including small learning ***** decrease the risk of academic failure ***** high school **********. The work ***** Fletcher (2000, p.2) relates that through promotion of "meaningful student involvement, schools can ready student for a lifetime of signifi*****t participation in ********** communities and nation." Fletcher additionally relates ***** providing students a ch*****nce for meaningful ***** at school ***** four specific outcomes: (1) positive effects on the *****