Inquiry Project

“ Education remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. Albert Einstein” is a quote that resonates with me. My inquiry project concerns how attending a summer preparatory program encourages students to stay in school. The project will examine High School 101 for our Indigenous students at Billings Senior and similar national projects. 

Some of the questions for my research project include the following: 

Does High School 101 reduce the chances of dropping out of high school

How many students participate in this project 

How many students start in High School 101 and graduate in 4 years or less

Which protective factors are most important to prevent dropout

            Is High School 101 beneficial to our students?

       What do I want to learn?

-          Benefits of 101

-          Does it help at-risk students graduate high school?

-          What does the program have to provide?

-          List of research base programs in MT and the nation

-          How to provide a culturally responsive approach in the program

   Protective factors:

-          Community

-         Culture

-          Family - biological or made

- Connections to a teacher or staff member

My biggest question that needs to be answered is how we motivate students to stay in school even when things get tough.  After reading various articles on grade nine transition programs, nationwide students attending a transition program are doing better than those who chose or were not selected to attend.  Unfortunately, the highest dropout rate occurs between 9th and 10th grade because students fail courses and can’t catch up. The demands of high school tend to stump students that are at-risk and were not given the tools to succeed. Participating in a 101 program ensures that students are taught a variety of study skills, how to use their time wisely, where to go for help and a mentor throughout their school time. 

First, I interviewed Brandon Covers Up to find out about High School 101 and what he thought about the program. Mr. Covers Up and Mr. Bottrell have been part of the program for many years. Mr. Covers Up also works with the graduates of High School 101 throughout the school year. He checks in with the students creating an environment of trust with the students. Throughout my reading this is one of the protective factors that encourages students to stay in high school. Students that struggle need a trusted adult to talk to in order to stay in school.

“When supports for time management, social skills, and maintaining an academic focus are provided, students experience an easier transition and are more likely to have success in ninth grade and beyond.” - The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement

Four effective transition programs should include:

1. Ensuring collaboration between eighth- and ninth grade building personnel

2. Providing targeted early intervention to support academic recovery for failing students

3. Making available to students and families pertinent  and consistent information about the academic, social, and organizational similarities and differences between middle school and high school; 

4. Offering information on the curriculum, facilities, safety, and discipline of the high school

Students that feel disconnected from their peers and teacher tend to drop out at a faster rate than students who are involved in school activities.

Overall all the research agree that the transition from middle school to high school is very drastic for students. Students that have not been adequately prepared will feel overwhelmed, and start losing motivation to continue. Add to that that a student that is not successful in their courses now starts to get behind and the end  result is usually dropping out. 

Some of the programs within my research recommend the following steps:

1- Have high school students visit with the 8th grade class about their experiences.

2- make sure that at the time of enrolling into courses parents and students are familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the student. That way the student is placed in the correct course.

3- have the students visit the high school and sit at some of the courses. Allowing the student to see the expectations.

4- classroom sizes tend to be much larger than what they had at the middle school. The high school is also larger creating a sense of being lost 

Looking at the research an ideal High School 101 program would meet with the students prior to starting school to get them ready to start high school. This summer camp would teach study skills, organizational skills and create a cohort of students attending the same school. Once school starts then the cohort would meet once per week to start and check-in with the students to see that they were doing well. It also would create that sense of community that may be missing at a big school. After the first couple of months depending on how the students are doing then the weekly meeting could be changed to bi-monthly or monthly meeting, allowing for the students to continue having that support but with less constraints. The adults in the cohort would continue to monitor the students until they completed their freshman year. 

Research has shown that when students feel connected to an adult at the school and has created a group of friends with similar values the graduation rates increases. 

According to a study done at Fort Mill High School in South Carolina “The transition from eighth grade to ninth grade is perhaps the most challenging and highly consequential shift during a student’s high school years.” So Fort Mills established a ninth grade transitional model to assist students facing new challenges for the first time. High School 101 is a required 1 credit course for all incoming freshmen. 

Resources

Allen, D. (2011, May). Lost In Transition: A Grade Nine Transition Program Using Articulation Acrivities. ProQuest LLC.

Artis, S. (2009). Moving from ordinary to extraordinary: The Teen's Guide to High School Success: Strategies for preparing for college and Scholarships. iUniverse, Inc.

Gateway, C. W. I. (2020). Protective factors approaches in child welfare. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Gopher, C. (2022). In Montana American Indian Student Achievement Data Report.

McCarthy, G. (2015). American Indian Education. Mentoring American Indian Students in an Urban High School, 54(3), 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756810-0189

McCarthy, G. A. (2017). Protective Factors that Enhance the Resilience of American Indian Students in Graduating from Urban High (dissertation). ProQuest, Ann Arbor, MI.

National Society of High School Scholars. (n.d.). 7 tips for academic success in high school. National Society of High School Scholars. Retrieved May 2, 2023, from https://www.nshss.org/blog/7-tips-for-academic-success-in-high-school/

Oakes, A., & Waite, W. (2009, May 1). The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement.

Smink, J. (2008). Dropout prevention. PsycEXTRA Dataset, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/e574452011-001

Vieira, P. D. (2017). Designing A Grade Nine Transition Program: An Exploratory Case Study. ProQuest LLC.