Date of Award

4-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Department

Educational Leadership and Curriculum

First Reader/Committee Chair

Schnorr, Donna, Ed.D.

Abstract

This study explored pre-existing quantitative data for 55 students when they were in the seventh grade who eventually attended a continuation high school years later. There were 101 students at a particular continuation high school, and this research explored pre-existing data looking solely at the students who were in the same district while they were in seventh grade. Attendance and grades from the pre-existing data in the district’s software system were analyzed using a descriptive methodology followed by a cluster analysis through SPSS. Attendance findings for the 55 students revealed that nine students (16%) were absent with a frequency of 10 or more days in each semester. Reasons given for some absences were bereavement for four students (7%) and suspensions for 10 students (18%). Eight out of these 10 students (80%) declined in their grades from the first semester to the second semester. Overall, 33 students (60%) declined in their grades from the first semester to the second semester regardless. Findings related to grades looked at the number of Fs over the two semesters of the seventh-grade school year and at the number of Fs earned in each course. Forty-four students (80%) earned at least one F either semester. Language Arts was the highest failed academic class second semester, with 32 out of 55 students (58%), and Computer Applications was the highest failed elective class for 5 out of 9 students (56%) who took this class second semester. Other findings related to grades were that 0 students (0%) failed only the elective, and only 2 students (4%) failed Physical Education. Additional findings through cluster analysis revealed a connection between failing an elective in combination with failing Language Arts: 81.8% first semester (9 out of 11 students) and 83.3% second semester (5 out of 6 students). Using a cross-tabulation, the highest pattern between the two semesters was for 10 students of the overall 55 (18%) with no Fs both semesters, and the second-highest pattern was for 6 students (11%) with no Fs first semester and 1 F second semester.

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