Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Nyaradzo Mvududu

Abstract

Graduating high school is a critical juncture for students to achieve. High School dropouts are more likely to have fewer job opportunities than high school graduates, increasing risk for poor health and incarceration. The target district used the academic learning class (ALC) as an intervention to support high school seniors classified as at risk due to failure on the High School Assessment Plan (HSAP). The purpose of this study was to determine the association between at-risk students who participated in the ALC and on-time graduation. Guided by action theory, an ex post facto design using secondary data, was employed to determine if there was an association between the variables of participation in the ALC intervention and graduation. The sample included a secondary data set of 174 records of high school students who met the criteria of failing one or both parts of the HSAP and who received the intervention of the ALC class. Data from a sample of 166 records were analyzed through SPSS. Results of the chi-square test did not indicate statistical significance, Ï?2(1, N = 166) = 1.27, p = 0.26, suggesting that there was not sufficient evidence to conclude existing of an association between participation in the ALC and graduation. Further research is recommended with more than 1 intervention to ascertain the association between specific high school interventions and graduation. Determining the association between an intervention and graduation will lead to social change as improving graduation rates helps bridge the economic gap between high school graduates and dropouts.

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