Transition to High School School “Choice” & Freshman Year in Philadelphia RESEARCH FOR ACTION FEBRUARY 2010 RESEARCH FOR ACTION Research for Action (RFA) is a Philadelphia-based, nonprofit organization engaged in policy and evaluation research on urban education. Founded in 1992, RFA seeks to improve the education opportunities and outcomes of urban youth by strengthening public schools and enriching the civic and community dialogue about public education. For more information about RFA, please go to our website, www.researchforaction.org. Learning from Philadelphia’s School Reform This report is one of a series on Philadelphia high schools. For education researchers and advo- cates, supporting and improving our public high schools is one of the most critical goals, as well as one of the most daunting challenges. RFA is committed to conducting research that can help identify the strategies that can make the biggest difference for high schools. Through mixed method, multi-year studies we examine: initiatives to improve persistently low-performing high schools, efforts to increase teacher effectiveness, supports for struggling learners, and access and readiness for college and career. RFA’s work on high schools is supported by grants from the William Penn Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Ford Foundation. This report is available for free on the RFA website—www.researchforaction.org—or in hard copy, $5 per copy shipping and handling. The policy briefs based on this report are available for free on the website. Other recent RFA publications focused solely or in part on high schools include: Christman, J. B., Brown, D., Burgess, S., Kay, J., Maluk, H. P., & Mitchell, C. (2009). Effective organizational practices for middle and high school grades: A qualitative study of what’s helping Philadelphia students succeed in grades 6-12. Philadelphia: Research for Action. Gold, E., & Evans, S. A. (2008). Blueprint for secondary education in Philadelphia: The planning process, 2006-2008. Philadelphia: Research for Action. Hartmann, T. A., Reumann-Moore, R. J., Evans, S. A., Haxton, C., Maluk, H. P., & Neild, R. C. (2009). Going small: Progress and challenges of Philadelphia's small high schools. Philadelphia: Research for Action. Acknowledgements The authors of this report wish to thank the many individuals and institutions that contributed to and supported this research. The research would not have been possible without the financial support of the William Penn Foundation. In addition, we are deeply appreciative of the time that central office, regional, and school leaders spent with us, sharing their insights about Philadelphia high schools. We owe special thanks to the School District of Philadelphia’s accountability and research offices for providing us with district data sets important to this study. RFA colleagues were critical to bringing this report to fruition. Jolley Bruce Christman and Sukey Blanc assisted with data collection and analysis. Senior RFA staff provided feedback to an early draft, and RFA interns Maggie Larson, Stephanie Rosen, and Meagan Steiner assisted with data management, coding and transcription. Judy Adamson, RFA Managing Director, directed design and production of this report. Feedback from three anonymous external reviewers contributed significantly to refining and clarifying the report findings. The authors alone, however, are responsible for any shortcomings in the report. Finally, thanks to our editor, Nancy Bouldin, who assisted in making this report clearer and more accessible, and to Judy Lamirand of Parallel Design for her contribution to the design of the report. Transition to High School School “Choice” & Freshman Year in Philadelphia Eva Gold Research for Action Shani Adia Evans Research for Action Clarisse Haxton University of Pennsylvania Holly Maluk Research for Action Cecily Mitchell Research for Action Elaine Simon University of Pennsylvania Deborah Good Research for Action RESEARCH FOR ACTION Copyright © 2010 Research for Action Abstract The School District of Philadelphia’s tiered system of selective, nonselective, and charter high schools, and the process for high school choice, has created real variation in the degree to which high schools can successfully meet the needs of ninth graders. Research has shown that the ninth grade year is critical in determining a student’s likelihood of graduating from high school. This mixed-methods study examines the transition to high school in Philadelphia, which we define as including the eighth grade high school selection process and students’ experience in their ninth grade year. In our analysis of eighth grade applications to district-managed high schools for the 2007-08 school year, we found that most District eighth graders participated in the high school selection process, but fewer than half of them were admitted and enrolled in any of their chosen schools. Further, comparing across types of high schools, we found first, that the choice process contributes to system stratification, with low-income students, Black and Latino students, students who need special supports, and boys concentrated in nonselective neighborhood high schools and Whites, Asians, and girls concentrated in special admission high schools. Second, we learned that the choice process creates distinct challenges to the neighborhood schools’ ability to support ninth graders. Enrollment at neighborhood high schools does not settle until the school selection process settles in late summer, and then continues to shift through the fall due to geographic mobility and returns from the juvenile justice system or other schools. Late enrollments undercut the ability of the neighborhood high schools to prepare for incoming classes, and contribute to changes in course schedules and teacher assignments after the school year begins, which cost important instructional time. Finally, we found that despite widespread acknowledgement of the importance of the freshman year, competing district agendas often mean it is not a priority in district and school planning. Freshman year interventions are often implemented piecemeal, without the professional support teachers need to adopt new practices, and without the assessments needed to know if they are effective. We argue that if low-performing neighborhood high schools are going to “turn around” or improve, it will require not only building school capacity but also implementing changes to the broader systems of district policy and practice in which these schools function, including the high school selection process. Table of Contents Abstract Introduction: Transition to High School 1 The Importance of Freshman Year Transition 2 Transition to High School in Philadelphia: A Closer Look 3 About this Study 4 Relevant Timing for Philadelphia and the National Debate 7 Chapter 1: Context of the School District of Philadelphia 9 History of High School Choice and the Development of a Tiered System of High Schools 9 Ninth Grade Interventions: The Talent Development High School Reform Model 12 Redefining the High School Transition 15 Chapter 2: High School “Choice” in Philadelphia 16 The Philadelphia Application and Admissions Process 18 Application Patterns and Enrollment Outcomes in Philadelphia’s Selection System 22 Entering Ninth Grade 28 How Students and Parents Experience High School Selection 31 Conclusion 48 Chapter 3: Interventions to Support Ninth Graders 50 How Selection Practices and Enrollment Patterns Impact Interventions 52 Intervention 1 - Student Orientations: Establishing a Single School Culture 54 Intervention 2 - Ninth Grade Academies and Ninth Grade Teacher Teams 58 Intervention 3 - Double Dosing of Math and English: Accelerating Student Learning 65 Intervention 4 - Use of Individual Student Data 74 Intervention 5 - Strategically Assigning Strong Teachers to Ninth Grade 86 Conclusion 92 Chapter 4: Conclusion 94 Reforming the High School Selection Process 95 Other School Conditions and Freshman Year Interventions 97 Recommendations 99 References 103 Appendix A: Philadelphia’s Tiered System of High Schools 109 Appendix B: Differences Among High Schools by Admissions Type 111 Appendix C: Methodology 112 Sample Selection for Qualitative Data Collection 112 Qualitative Research Methods and Analysis 116 Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis 117 Quantitative Sample Size 118 Variables Examined 119 About the Authors 124 At a Glance: Philadelphia High Schools by Admissions Category 31 Neighborhood 13 Citywide Admission 27 Charter Schools with High Schools High Schools High School Grades Audenried Bok Arise Academy Bartram Communications Technology Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Carroll Constitution CHAD (Charter High School for Edison Dobbins Architecture and Design) Fels Douglas Community Academy of Philadelphia FitzSimons Mastbaum Delaware Valley Charter Frankford Motivation Eastern University Academy Franklin, Benjamin Philadelphia HS for Business & Technology Esperanza Academy Furness Philadelphia Military Academy at Elverson Franklin Towne Charter Germantown Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds Freire Charter School Gratz Randolph Hope Charter School High School of the Future Robeson Imhotep Institute Charter Kensington Business Swenson Mariana Bracetti Academy Kensington CAPA Maritime Academy Charter School Kensington Culinary 16 Special Admission Mastery – Lenfest Campus King High Schools Mastery – Pickett Campus Lamberton Academy at Palumbo Mastery – Shoemaker Campus Lincoln Arts Academy at Rush Mastery – Thomas Campus Northeast