The Challenge of Improving Urban High School Graduation Outcomes: Findings from a Randomized Study of Dropout Prevention Efforts

This 5-year longitudinal randomized study focused on the effects of a dropout prevention program implemented at two urban high schools. The program incorporated the characteristics of personalization found in previous research to have some positive effects, and typical of the type of programs implemented in many high schools nationwide. The primary program component was the provision of a facilitator for about 60 program students at each school to encourage students regarding attendance, their academic coursework, and personal issues. In particular, the study examined whether at-risk students randomly assigned to the program had better outcomes (particularly attendance, on-time promotion in grade, and high school completion) than those at the same high schools that were assigned to the control group. The article explores reasons for the nonsignificant effects of this program, emphasizing the need for earlier intervention prior to the ninth grade year among at-risk urban students.     

论国外信息化教育研究的发展走势

文章从研究目的与方法、研究范型和研究领域等三方面入手，认为当前国外信息化教育研究发展的现状与走势可以概括为：研究目的和研究方法向多重性和多样化方向发展，研究范型从实证研究向发展研究转型，研究领域向技术、教育和学习理念相交织的时代性方向拓展。这些发展走势对我国的信息化教育的发展有重要的参照意义。     

以色列中学生辍学问题研究

在以色列中学教育中，无论是在义务教育阶段，还是在非义务教育阶段，都存在着辍学现象。以色列中学生的辍学与学生家庭文化背景、教育体制、学生的学校适应性、学生不良行为习惯等因素有关。     

The Effects of Busing and School Desegregation on Majority and Minority Student Dropout Rates

Abstract

This study evaluates the effects of school desegregation by court-ordered busing on the subsequent dropout rate of majority and minority students. Using before and after busing measures of dropout rates, school records and personal interviews, this research finds majority dropout rates are not affected by desegregation procedures. While the dropout rates of bused minority students appear to be identical to those of non-bused minority students, large disparities between minority rates in various bused sectors indicate highly uneven educational experiences of bused minority students. School socio-economic composition and the expectations of teachers concerning student behavior are used to analyze the disparities, with the conclusion reached that the more favorable expectations of teachers at higher socio-economic climate schools produce lower minority student dropout rates. Desegregation produces a positive benefit for this most crucial dimension of minority student educational accomplishment, when the school to which the minority student is bused is one where teachers' expectations are positive and supportive.     

高中会考体验个案研究

目前,高中会考的理论意义与实际效果之间存在着很大差距.通过对2007届部分高中毕业生的会考体验研究发现,学生把会考当作是一种"集体竞抄"的游戏,教师轻视会考并纵容舞弊,考试通过与否靠抽签决定,会考的效度和信度消失,其作为评价手段的检测功能已不复存在.这种考试背离了教育的旨归,有害于学生的德性培养,给教育造成许多消极影响,建议改革或取消会考.     

The Impact of Every Classroom,Every Day on High School Student Achievement: Results From a School-Randomized Trial

Abstract

Every Classroom, Every Day (ECED) is a set of instructional improvement interventions designed to increase student achievement in math and English/language arts (ELA). ECED includes three primary components: (a) systematic classroom observations by school leaders, (b) intensive professional development and support for math teachers and instructional leaders to reorganize math instruction, assessment, and grading around mastery of benchmarks, and (c) a structured literacy curriculum that supplements traditional English courses, with accompanying professional development and support for teachers surrounding its use. The present study is a two-year trial, conducted by independent researchers, which employed a school-randomized design and included 20 high schools (10 treatment; 10 control) in five districts in four states. The students were ethnically diverse and most were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Results provided evidence that ECED improved scores on standardized tests of math achievement, but not standardized tests of ELA achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of differences between math and ELA and of implications for future large-scale school-randomized trials.     

Correspondence Schools in Alaska: Enrollment and Cohort Graduation Rates, 2010-17

ABSTRACT

The State of Alaska, by some measures the United States’ most rural state, has long supported correspondence schools, a popular school choice option available to all students statewide and used primarily by homeschooled students. This paper first explores Alaska correspondence schools in historical context, and then quantifies capture rate, enrollment by race/ethnicity, grade distributions, and cohort graduation rates for the years 2010–17. Findings include a steady increase in the proportion of Alaskan students enrolled in correspondence schools between 2010 and 2017; disproportionate enrollment of Alaskan students identified as White in correspondence schools between 2010 and 2017; enrollment peaks in late high school during 2014–17; and significantly lower 4- and 5-year cohort graduation rates among students enrolled in correspondence schools compared to those enrolled in traditional public schools.     

The Effect of Conflict Resolution Training on Turkish Elementary School Students: A Quasi-Experimental Investigation

This study investigated the effect of conflict resolution training on Turkish elementary school students' conflict resolution strategies. The participants were 54 fourth grade students. A pre-test, post-test, follow-up control group quasi-experimental design was used. Two 4th grade classes were selected out of three eligible 4th grade classes on the basis of Conflict Scenario Written Measure (Johnson, Johnson, & Dudley, 1992) and randomly assigned as control and experimental group. The experimental group consisted of 28 students (17 boys, 11 girls) and the control group consisted of 26 students (15 boys, 11 girls). Those in experimental group received 45 minutes of conflict resolution training twice a week, for four weeks. The results indicated that treatment was effective in changing the conflict resolution strategies used by the experimental group subjects in three different hypothetical situations and this effect was maintained six months after the treatment.     

High School Dropout in Proximal Context: The Triggering Role of Stressful Life Events

Adolescents who drop out of high school experience enduring negative consequences across many domains. Yet, the circumstances triggering their departure are poorly understood. This study examined the precipitating role of recent psychosocial stressors by comparing three groups of Canadian high school students (52% boys; M_age = 16.3 years; N = 545): recent dropouts, matched at‐risk students who remain in school, and average students. Results indicate that in comparison with the two other groups, dropouts were over three times more likely to have experienced recent acute stressors rated as severe by independent coders. These stressors occurred across a variety of domains. Considering the circumstances in which youth decide to drop out has implications for future research and for policy and practice.     

Factors that Promote High School Graduation: a Review of the Literature

A high school education prepares young people to participate positively in the economy and in civic life, among other positive life outcomes. However, nearly one in five American high school students does not graduate from high school on time, if ever. Progress has been made on understanding why students fail to complete high school and on raising graduation rates. Previous reviews and syntheses of this literature have focused on identifying factors that put students at risk for dropping out of school. Less is understood regarding what assets can promote high school graduation. Therefore, we reviewed research from the past 25 years on high school graduation, focusing on longitudinal, US-based studies of malleable factors that predict graduation. Through this systematic search, we identified 12 assets in individual, family, school, peer, and community contexts, which predict high school graduation, as well as identified assets for which more research is needed. Implications for policy and practice and directions for future research are discussed.     

A Framework for School Safety and Risk Management: Results From a Study of 18 Targeted School Shooters

Targeted violence continues to pose a threat to school safety. Reported here are the results of a study of 18 cases of school shooters from 1996 to 2012. Variables examined are individual factors and behaviors, family dynamics, and triggering events. Results indicate the need for expanded school-based mental health services, threat assessment, and prevention programming to meet the needs of students at risk of violence. Recommendations for implementing services are included.     

中学德育实效的调查研究——以广东省阳西县第一中学为例

自20世纪80年代以来,德育实效差一直是困扰广大中小学的“难点”问题,并逐渐成为教育理论界的“热点”问题之一。德育实效是指德育工作成功率,或者说是预期目标任务的到达度与完成率。它包括德育效果和德育效率两个方面,它实质上就是德育的现实功能与期望功能的吻合程度。     

Role of Family Background,Student Behaviors,and School-Related Beliefs in Predicting High School Dropout

ABSTRACT

The authors' purpose was to test a parsimonious model derived from social cognitive career theory (R. W. Lent, S. D. Brown, & G. Hackett, 1994 Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79–122. doi:10.1006/jvbe.1994.1027[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and expectancy value theory (J. S. Eccles & A. Wigfield, 2002 Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109–132. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135153[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that integrates groups of variables (demographic background, student behaviors, and school-related beliefs) with the goal of predicting high school dropout in a nationally representative sample of 15,753 high school students. Structural equation modeling was used to test the effect of the various predictors on students' dropout status 2 years later. The model fit the data very well, and the results indicated that socioeconomic status, academic performance, parental involvement, and absenteeism were most predictive of high school dropout. In contrast, social cognitive constructs (self-efficacy and subjective task value) added little explanatory power. Implications for high school dropout prevention programs are discussed.     

The Complexities of Operating Multiple Small Schools in a High School Conversion

School reformers hope that converting comprehensive high schools into collections of small schools will produce results similar to those realized in freestanding small schools. Three themes—personalization, professional community, and shared decision making—exemplify the early successes in conversions. But the challenge of sustaining these gains reveals a host of complications that were not anticipated by funders or early adopters of the reform. In particular, the arrangement of a “multiplex” high school can generate tensions between operating autonomous (or, more frequently, interrelated) small schools and maintaining many of the traditions and structures of the comprehensive high school. Examples of supports and inhibitors to small schools reform are highlighted.     

Inclusionary and Exclusionary Secondary Schools: The Effect of School Culture on Student Outcomes

This study examines the impact of secondary school culture on the dual student outcomes of academic achievement and engagement with the institution attended. Elements of school culture were identified, specifically the roles played by administrators, the professional teaching staff, and the adolescent peer group. A mixed-method research design was employed with the primary research instrument taking the form of a survey questionnaire that was distributed to 268 Grade 11 students attending two composite secondary schools in a mid-sized Canadian city. The results demonstrated that institutional culture had a limited impact on student academic achievement but a significant influence on students' perceptions of engagement with their schools.     

从一个高中生的角度看社团建设对高中生的影响

目前,高中社团建设越来越受到重视,高中三年是人生中至关重要的三年,除了课堂学习以外,高中生还要用丰富多彩的社团活动主动营造全面成长的天地,参加社团活动使当代高中生锻炼了能力、展现了自我,提高了素质,缓解了学习和心理压力,提供了全面发展的舞台。     

Toward Effective and Compelling Instruction for High School eCommerce Students: Results from a Small Field Study

This paper describes an instructional development effort to create effective and compelling instruction for eCommerce students. Results from a small field study inform the development project. Four high school students in an eCommerce course completed the standalone tutorial developed to teach them how to create a web page in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). The four participants were also interviewed in an attempt to determine what motivates them to learn. Researcher observations of completed web pages indicated that the tutorial helped the four participants learn introductory HTML tags and, except for one revealing instance, they mastered the content without instructor assistance. Future work to develop an automated system for determining and correcting learner misconceptions evident in dysfunctional hyperlinks would provide additional support to learners. Lastly, this paper discusses implications of the field study results for the design and implementation of effective and compelling instruction.