Topic: Improving Minority Males school performances
Minority High School Male students (from the two largest groups – African-American and Hispanic American) perform below the national average in both Math (74%) and Reading (19%).
National Average: 527
Asian American: 611
Hispanic American: 470
Native American: 496
National Average: 282*
White American: 285
Asian American: 287
Hispanic American: 266
Native American: 269
*Nationally, High School Male student’s reading scores are 10% lower than Female students.
Poor school attendance (Lateness and family funding for personal care)
Non-parent involvement (Parent neglect in academic achievement)
Not prepared for High School (Below middle school academic skill levels in Math and Reading)
How the 100% Graduation Rate Program Address the Problem:
- We held 12 after-school training sessions on Economics and the U.S. Legal System for 9th graders.
- We collected each student’s report card, from the 9th to the 12th grade.
- We sponsored 3 annual field trips with the students and their rival high school, from the 9th grade to the end of the 12th.
- We develop a quarterly academic progress group chart, at the start of the 2nd marking period of the 9th grade.
- We met with each student’s guidance counselor at the start of the 10th grade.
- We met with each student to discuss their academic needs at the beginning of the 10th grade.
- We held 18 after-school Social Skill and study training sessions for 10th graders.
- We did not allow students with a below C average, to attend their high school program field trips.
- We called each student’s parent if a student had any subject, grade below C, beginning at the start of the 3rd marking period in the 10th grade.
- We help students in finding summer employment after the 10th grade; if they did not have to attend summer school.
- We met with students and their teachers, if a student had a below C average, starting in the 11th grade.
100% Graduation Rate Program Results:
Camden, New Jersey – **Program Participants Group B (105) compared to Program Sample Group A (105)
The Male Program participants had a 35% higher Grade Point Average of C or Above, at the completion of high school. Compared to the City’s sample group of males – 91% (96 out of 105) to 56% (59 out 105)
Each year, the City’s two largest high schools – Camden High and Woodrow Wilson – Guidance Departments selected 15 incoming high school freshmen for the program. These students were classified as at-risk, based on having grades below C in Math and/or Reading, or had a poor student behavior problem.
The students were then randomly assigned to a Program Group- A (Non-treatment) or Group B (Program Treatment) – based on their seating during the program’s orientation.
School Districts develop career path curriculum tracks to:
- encourage students to seek careers with their related subject interest, starting in middle school
- expose 4th grade students to professional career day workshops
- implement a digital system to assure student’s parent have access to their child’s quarterly report cards starting from k thru 12.