Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Dennis Triplett
Committee Member
John Reynolds
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic achievement, administrator, biology, classrooms, commitment, credits, discipline, disciplinary interventions, English, first-time ninth grade students, freshmen, high schools, house plan, integrated lessons, learning setting, math, modified scheduling, ninth grade academy, ninth grade retention, Nova Southeastern University, parental inclusion, portable classrooms, reform, relationship building, retention, schools within a school plan, schools within-schools (SWAS), scheduling, skills concentration, social studies, statistical evidence, student success, teachers, team planning, units, worsening trends
Abstract
Problems with ninth grade retention, discipline, and achievement and the attempts to correct those problems were examined as a part of the practicum assignment for Nova Southeastern University. The creation of a ninth grade academy patterned around research describing schools within- schools (SWAS) served as the vehicle for reform aimed at correcting these dilemmas. Statistical evidence revealed that our retention and discipline rates school wide were worsening, particularly among freshmen. Consultation between the researcher and the school principal lead to the creation of a new learning setting whose priority was to reverse the negative trends we were seeing through new approaches and commitment to the cause.
The ninth grade academy was formed in August of 2002. The academy served approximately 130 first time ninth grade students through a team of six teachers and one administrator. Academy students spent three periods out of four attempting to earn credits or units in English, math, social studies and biology. The academy was housed in a series of portable classrooms that were side-by-side and somewhat isolated from other classrooms. Academy students attended classes in other parts of the campus during their last period. This reform attempt included efforts in team planning, parental inclusion, integrated lessons, disciplinary interventions, skills concentration, modified scheduling, and relationship building between teachers and students.
Teachers in the academy were committed to providing an environment in which their students could succeed. Although terminal objectives were not met, some progress was seen in the first year of the program.