STUDENT RETENTION RATES AT VISTA REAL PUBLIC CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL Presented by: Kristine Drew University of Southern California December 2014 PROBLEM OF PRACTICE High schools are continually challenged with the problem of maintaining their student retention rates. Constant push to increase retention impacts both schools and the community. Research questions: What are the knowledge, motivation, or organization causes that might prevent the students of Vista Real from achieving their goals? What are the recommended solutions to close the knowledge, motivation, or organization gaps that prevent the students of Vista Real from achieving their goals? GOALS The current ADA for Vista Real is 981. The goal for Vista Real is to reach an ADA of Goal set by central office. Admin. receives progress updates each learning period. MEASURED GAPS When subtracting the current level of achievement from the desired level it reveals that the gap is 100. Retention and enrollment rates can be inconsistent. Goals of the stakeholders in Vista Real: Organizational Goal The goal for Vista Real Public Charter High School is to reach an ADA of 1081 by increasing retention Main Stakeholder Goal: Students Each Learning Period, students of Vista Real will demonstrate that they have acquired passing grades and earned 2 credits for each week of the Learning Period. Teachers All teachers will hold students accountable for turning in 2 credits each week. Admin All admin staff will lead and support an environment of excellence. Counselor The counselor will guide 100% of the students in reaching the organizational and stakeholder goal. Parents All parents will encourage their student(s) to turn in 2 credits a week. RESEARCH The Cost of Dropouts cost federal and state governments hundreds of billions of dollars in lost earnings, welfare, and medical costs (Johnston, 2011, para. 6) Government investment is lost when students drop out Why Students Drop Out School size (Prefer smaller schools) Academic organizations (Structure of curriculum is important) Social organization (Students need social support) Ways to Prevent Dropouts Student bonding to school environment Partnering with parents Create meaningful relationships RESEARCH Alternative Schools Remedial Focus/Type III = Vista Real Type III is for students who need a type of remediation; academic, social/emotional, or both Providing implications and perceptions for school change Humanistic approach of emphasizing positive growth Students report greater satisfaction in alternative school setting Improved school attendance, higher academic performance, and decreases delinquent behavior RESEARCH Meaningful Teacher Student Relationships Positive regard increases student cognitive function Meaningful relationships provide a foundation that is essential to learning Association between teacher support and the success of a student METHODS Sample & Population Students and staff of Vista Real Data Collection Surveys ASSUMED CAUSES VALIDATED CAUSES Validated through student and teacher surveys Focus cause is organizational Need to create positive connections with students Provide best educational opportunity Follow-through with personalized learning instructional approach SOLUTIONS Peer Groups Reflect on progress Feedback from other students Former graduates come as guest speakers Involving Parents Connect through social media resources SOLUTIONS Advisory groups for students Directed by the counselor & other teachers Create valuable relationships with adults Important roles in students lives SOLUTIONS Staff collaboration of teacher student relationships Professional development Student social emotional development Reviewing survey data Learn about specific strategies EVALUATION Level 1 Reactions Surveys will be administered to students and teachers regarding how they feel about the solutions being implemented. If the implementation of the solution is effective then the surveys will reveal positive feelings towards the solutions. In addition, the surveys will show that teachers and students see the solutions have helped in closing the gap Level 2 Learning Results from this level will demonstrate that the solutions resulted in changes to the identified gap. In order to identify if those changes occurred the assessment will be direct in its implementation. For instance, observations and interviews will be conducted. For the evaluations there will be a rating scale so as to organize the data appropriately. EVALUATION Level 3 Transfer The evaluation process for this level will include looking to see if teachers and students are applying what they have learned. Teachers will be taking the best practices from professional developments and transferring that knowledge to their instructional practice. In addition, the skills will also be demonstrated through their interactions with students. Students will be able to self-report their progress and demonstrate how the advisory groups and other intervention steps are working for them. Level 4 Impact The evaluation system used for level four will reveal whether the gap is being or has been closed. The way to evaluate this will be to look at the ADA numbers and the credit completion numbers of students. If the gap is being or has been closed then Vista Real will have reached their ADA goal or show progress towards that goal. CONCLUSION Important to retain students in high school Clearly, this case study applies to other school settings and can be useful to those in similar contexts. Even though independent study schools are the minority, the ideas can be transferred to a comprehensive school setting on a larger scale. Things like encouraging motivation and creating meaningful relationships is always important. Through this case study it is obvious that retaining students takes work, and that like other school problems many people are already aware of the problem but are not sure of how to solve it. However, it is essential to acknowledge problems and then go through the proper process to identify causes, validate those causes, and then create solutions. Although it will take time and effort, Vista Real can begin to retain students more effectively with the gap analysis framework. IMPLICATIONS Implementing solutions will Improve retention Increase teacher effectiveness Increase student effectiveness Students will feel a sense of belonging Improve the culture of Vista Real NEXT STEPS FOR VISTA REAL Collaborate on presentation Review the suggested solutions Create a Timeline for implementation of solutions Create measures that will hold all stakeholders accountable for implementing solutions Continue to use the Gap Analysis Framework for review of gaps, causes, and solutions REFERENCES Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Blooms taxonomy of educational objectives. New York, NY: Longman. Aspy, D. N., & Roebuck, F. N. (1972). An investigation of the relationship between student levels of cognitive functioning and the teachers classroom behavior. The Journal of Educational Research, 65 (8), Berstein-Yamashiro, B. (2004). 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