Ninth Grade Transition: Practices Used by New York State High School Principals to Support Student Achievement During Ninth Grade
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St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Doctoral Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 5-2011 Ninth Grade Transition: Practices Used by New York State High School Principals to Support Student Achievement During Ninth grade Dana Boshnack St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Boshnack, Dana, "Ninth Grade Transition: Practices Used by New York State High School Principals to Support Student Achievement During Ninth grade" (2011). Education Doctoral. Paper 30. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/30 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ninth Grade Transition: Practices Used by New York State High School Principals to Support Student Achievement During Ninth grade Abstract New York State high school principals are implementing a variety of practices to support ninth grade transition. Principals from across the State of New York were surveyed to identify the practices that are being implemented and the practices they would use if afforded the necessary resources. This state-wide study sought to gather information regarding characteristics of schools, their districts and the likelihood that schools with similar characteristics would choose similar organizational practices. A k cluster analysis was used to identify three cluster groups based on the practices being implemented by each respondent. The three clusters were categorized using the following labels: Extenders, Collaborators, or Low Implementers. A multinomial logic regression model was then used to determine the likelihood of demographic variables having any correlation with the groupings. This analysis revealed Low- Implementers as more likely to be schools with less than 25% of their students receiving free and reduced priced lunch (FARPL). Results of this study are relevant to educational leaders and policy makers seeking to identify practices most commonly used to support ninth grade transition and those practices principals would want to implement if afforded the necessary resources. Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Guillermo Montes Second Supervisor Marie Cianca Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_etd/30 Ninth Grade Transition: Practices Used by New York State High School Principals to Support Student Achievement During Ninth grade By Dana Boshnack Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Ed.D. in Executive Leadership Supervised by Dr. Guillermo Montes Committee Member Dr. Marie Cianca Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College May 2011 Dedication This is dedicated to my husband Chris and our five children: Curteis, Cameron, Marissa, Deasia and Ariana. ii Biographical Sketch Dana Boshnack is currently an assistant principal at Hilton High School in Hilton, New York. Ms. Boshnack attended SUNY Cortland from 1986-1990 and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Elementary Education in 1990. She attended Nazareth College and earned her Masters in Art Education in 1997. She attended SUNY Brockport and received her Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration in 2005. Ms. Boshnack began doctoral coursework at St. John Fisher College in May 2008, in the ED.D. Program in Executive Leadership. Ms. Boshnack pursued her research in secondary education and ninth grade transition under the direction of Dr. Guillermo Montes. She received her Ed.D. in 2011. iii Acknowledgements The faculty and staff at St. John Fisher have provided me with ongoing support during the past three years. I would like to thank Dr. Marie Cianca who served as both my drill sergeant and number one encourager. I especially want to thank my dissertation chair Dr. Guillermo Montes whose knowledge, enthusiasm and unwavering patience was the foundation for my success. I would like to thank the Hilton Central School District, especially the following district leaders: Dave Dimbleby, Brian Bartalo, Dr. Barbara Surash and Dr. Steve Ayers. I would also like to thank my mentor, Dr. Judy Howard and my colleagues, Tim Dobbertin, Dave Leahy and Scott Wilson for their support. I would like to thank my friends in Cohort III, especially Wendy Fritz. And lastly, I would like to thank my parents for their on-going support and understanding during this program and throughout my life. iv Abstract New York State high school principals are implementing a variety of practices to support ninth grade transition. Principals from across the State of New York were surveyed to identify the practices that are being implemented and the practices they would use if afforded the necessary resources. This state-wide study sought to gather information regarding characteristics of schools, their districts and the likelihood that schools with similar characteristics would choose similar organizational practices. A k cluster analysis was used to identify three cluster groups based on the practices being implemented by each respondent. The three clusters were categorized using the following labels: Extenders, Collaborators, or Low Implementers. A multinomial logic regression model was then used to determine the likelihood of demographic variables having any correlation with the groupings. This analysis revealed Low-Implementers as more likely to be schools with less than 25% of their students receiving free and reduced priced lunch (FARPL). Results of this study are relevant to educational leaders and policy makers seeking to identify practices most commonly used to support ninth grade transition and those practices principals would want to implement if afforded the necessary resources. v Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii Biographical Sketch ........................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... xi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................ 1 The Importance of Ninth Grade .............................................................................. 2 Ninth Grade Failure Rate ........................................................................................ 3 Transition Programs ................................................................................................ 4 Universal transition programs ................................................................................. 4 Targeted transition programs .................................................................................. 5 Accountability Indicators ........................................................................................ 6 Gaps in Our Current Knowledge ............................................................................ 7 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................... 8 Research Questions ................................................................................................. 9 Significance of the Study ........................................................................................ 9 Summary ............................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ........................................................................................11 vi Introduction and Purpose ...................................................................................... 11 Critical Point of Intervention ................................................................................ 11 Pivotal Year for Graduation .................................................................................. 12 The Ninth Grade Bulge ......................................................................................... 14 Drop Out Rates ..................................................................................................... 14 At-Risk Students ................................................................................................... 15 School Structures .................................................................................................