Promising Solutions for the Least Productive American High Schools

Freshman Year Dropouts: Interactions Between Student and School Characteristics and Student Dropout Status

“…However, elements of the communal model can also be found in some public schools. Recent restructuring practices have attempted to turn some large, more impersonal public high schools into smaller learning communities by physically segregating groups of students within a school or by splitting a large school into several separate small schools (Ayers et al, 2000;Cotton, 2001;Jordan et al, 2000;Legters et al, 2002;McPartland et al, 2002). Coupled with instructional reforms (e.g., interdisciplinary planning, team teaching, student mentoring), the downsized and restructured school environment provides public school students with a learning environment similar to those offered in private schools.…”