The purpose of this study is to understand how a policy that provided college-prep coursework for low-skill students may affect instructional organization within schools, and how such effects on instructional organization may have unintended consequences on academic outcomes of high-skill students who were not targeted by the policy. The author…

Researchers have identified ninth grade as one of the most critical periods of time for intervention to prevent the loss of motivation, failing grades, and dropping out of school. This Information Capsule is concerned with the efficacy of ninth-grade centers or academies which isolate ninth-grade students into separate school buildings or in wings…

This study examined a Queensland secondary school where students select a track: Academic, Commercial, or General. Six months into their program, Grade 9 students were queried about their school experience, track choice, peer relationships, and future plans. Responses of the three track groups are summarized, with consideration of sex differences.…

Attempted to determine type of school organization that most benefited ninth-grade students. Results from ninth graders in junior high schools (n=771) and in high schools (n=825) indicated that ninth graders in the junior high school setting participated significantly more in extracurricular activities and achieved significantly higher…

To examine the effects of advancing ninth graders to some form of high school, a suburban Midwestern school district was studied for ninth graders' perceptions of the senior-high environment, noting also their participation in school activities and the use of controlled substances. (JW)

Four operational null hypotheses were assessed in a study of ninth graders placed in junior high schools (grades 7 through 9) or senior high schools (grades 9 through 12). The hypotheses state that there would be no significant differences in: (1) the mean number of extracurricular activities (EAs) in which ninth graders participated, whether in…

When the new superintendent of Orangeburg School District Five was appointed in 1992, he found that Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School graduates did not have the skills to enter the workplace and postsecondary institutions that require high-level academic skills. He identified these three things that Orangeburg would need to do to improve academic…

Junior and junior-senior high schools enroll a large proportion of our early adolescent population. The programs they provide, the services they offer, their administrative practices, and the character of their staffs have far-reaching effects. These programs, services, practices, and staff characteristics constitute the scope of the present…