Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Maryanne Roesch
Committee Member
Sandra Eidson
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic success, activities, administrators, adolescents, advisory classes, advisory contracts, advisory programs, at-risk students, attendance, behavior, communication, cooperation, developmental characteristics, discipline referrals, Georgia, grade 6, grade 7, grade 8, learning activities, maturation process, mentors, middle schools, Milledgeville, Oak Hill Middle School, parents, positive learning activities in a caring environment, promotion, referrals, retention, student attendance, student behavior, student-teacher relationships, students, teacher-student advisory programs, teachers, young adolescents
Abstract
This applied dissertation focused on the study of a teacher-student advisory program for 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students at Oak Hill Middle School in Milledgeville, Georgia. The population that was targeted for study was middle school students who were at risk of failure. Teachers were assigned an advisory class of 12 to 15 students at a specific grade level and mentored these students daily for a 40-minute period throughout the 2002-2003 school year.
Advisors and administrators, who were knowledgeable of the developmental characteristics of adolescents, worked together to review and select activities and materials for use during the advisory period. Positive Learning Activities in a Caring Environment provided a view of the components of the advisory program to assist students through the maturation process. Students, parents, and teachers signed an advisory contract supporting the interaction and communication segment of the advisory program.
Data that were collected from student attendance, discipline referrals, and promotion and retention records were examined. An analysis of the data led the researcher to conclude that the advisory program had a positive impact on student attendance, behavior, and academic success. The increased level of cooperation and communication among students, parents, and teachers contributed to the success of the students.