The Summer Success Academy:A Successful Learning Environment

Amir Ahmadi and Michael Howard

Introduction

What is Summer Success Academy (SSA)?– Modeled after similar programs– Students with two or more developmental needs– Structured community environment– 9 hrs of credit– 5 weeks

Introduction

Goal of the Talk:– point out the factors that encouraged the success

of the program (excellent achievement)– Look at research on effective education that has

been done to address students’ needs– Outline specific factors shown to work in

addressing these specific needs to point out the differences between MSU’s Summer Success Academy and its regular semester program

The ResearchAre low level of mathematics skills of entering first year college students caused by the poor quality of teachers, poor math programs, or a lack of resources at the high school level?

The achievement gap “is not explained by school factors that impinge on the opportunity to learn mathematics,” but instead are indirectly impacted by family socioeconomic status (SES) factors (Reeves, 2009).

The ResearchEffective Schools Movement• 1966: The Coleman Report• 1970s – 1980s: Effective Schools Research• 1980s: Effective Schools Movement• 1982: Ron Edmonds– Six characteristics of effective schools

• 1985: Lawrence Stedman

The ResearchSocial Capital and Organizational Theory• 1987: Coleman’s work on social capital

The ResearchSocial capital - a concept used in

sociology, business, and organizational theory that seeks to explain the opportunities and resources available to individuals found in their surrounding social network, which includes both the family and the surrounding community.

The ResearchSocial capital - a concept used in sociology,

business, and organizational theory that seeks to explain the opportunities and resources available to individuals found in their surrounding social network, which includes both the family and the surrounding community.

Coleman proposed that obligations, norms, and expectations are important forms of social capital that contribute to academic success (1988).

The Research• Similarities between Effective Schools

Correlates and Social Capital and Org. Theory– The factors of effective schools heavily emphasize orderly

environment, along with the high expectations and strong leadership, and point very clearly to the importance of social capital and organization.

• JAMES Q. WILSON SAYS: “ORGANIZATION MATTERS.”

• Achievement Accountability Structure

Methodology

• Six-Factor Model:• Strong Leadership• Teachers with High Expectations• Emphasis on Basic Skills• Maintain Good Order and Discipline• Evaluate Students Regularly• Devote a Large Amount of Time to Study

Note: Lawrence Stedman, “A New Look at Effective School Literature,” Urban Education 20 (1985): 305

Student

Leadership Teachers’ Expectations

Skill Level

(Achievement)

Evaluation

Study Time (devotion)

Leadership

Teachers’ Expectations

Skill Level

(Achievement)

Evaluation

Study Time (devotion)

Achievement AccountabilityStructure

Achievement Accountability Structure

• SC - Administrators and Instructors• SC - Teachers and Students• SC - Students and Tutors– Importance of peers for accountability

Hawkes Learning System

Hawkes Learning System

BENEFITS with structure:• Portability and Flexibility – encourages– outside work,– student interaction,– and emphasis on basic skills

• Instant Evaluation (student progress report)• Easy Monitoring of Students Achievement– Class grade reports– Student progress reports– Quick access to students’ status

Hawkes Learning System

Draw Backs without structure:• Portability and Flexibility – discourages

– outside work, lab time is not used enough– student interaction, feelings of isolation– and emphasis on basic skills, students get “stuck in a rut”

• Instant Evaluation (student progress report)– Discourages teacher/student interaction– Students don’t come to class

• Easy Monitoring of Students Achievement– Poor attendance forces teacher to spend hours tracking down

students who are behind.

Learning Environment

• Amir’s Tutoring experience– Lodging/Dining/Social life– John and Bob

Single Term ComparisonRegular Semester - Spring ’08 Summer Success Academy ‘09

Total number of students 94 32

Number of As, Bs, or Cs 40 31

Number of Us 8 0

Number of IPs 19 1

Number of Es 27 0

Average number of absences per student

6** 0

Average total lab time per student

<1hr per week 5.9 hrs/wk (5 wks)= 29.5 hrs

Average assignments completed

66.2% 100%.

Percent completing the course 42.4% 97.0%.

**This number is loosely calculated, due to the inability to determine who should be, or not be considered in the calculation (e.g. never attended, attended very little, etc.).

Single Term Comparison

Factors Regular Semester - Spring ’08

Summer Success Academy ‘09

Leadership Limited Emphasized, Focused, Many

Teachers’ Expectations* Low Mostly High, Some LowBasic Skills Emphasized EmphasizedEvaluation Regular, but Limited Regular, EmphasizedTime to Study Available, Limited Use EmphasizedOrder and Structure Very Weak/Disorderly Emphasized

* This does not refer to expectations on individuals, but the overall group.

Conclusion

• During a regular semester, it is difficult to maintain the needed structure that students who come from low SES areas need. SSA provided this.

• It was “too hard.”• Future programs will be different.

Questions/Comments?