ERIC Number: ED303529
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1986-Nov
Pages: 124
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Way Out: Student Exclusion Practices in Boston Middle Schools. A Report by the Massachusetts Advocacy Center.
Wheelock, Anne
Practices of attendance, suspension, and non-promotion in middle schools in Boston (Massachusetts) encourage at-risk students to drop out. School policies and practices, student data, and interviews with at-risk students were reviewed to determine which practices encourage disengagement from school. Personal narratives are included. Major findings include the following: (1) one out of every five students does not attend school 85 percent of their time enrolled; (2) the percent of non-promoted students has increased; (3) one out of every 10 students is suspended annually; (4) Black and Hispanic students have higher rates of absenteeism, non-promotion, and suspension than the general school population. The McKinley Middle School is used as an example of the failure of the Boston schools' policies on suspension. Reform should include the following: (1) flexible scheduling; (2) interdisciplinary teams; (3) exploratory interdisciplinary curriculum; and (4) guidance counseling. Successful programs include the following: (1) RECAP; (2) Boston Student Human Services Collaborative; (3) cluster organization; (4) Project Promise; (5) Mackey Mosaic Summer Institute; and (6) Learning by Earning/Caring by Sharing. Recommendations are included for long-range reform and changes in specific policies and practices. Statistical data are included on numerous tables. The appendixes include the following: (1) a Summary of Data Collected; (2) an Explanation of the Data; and (3) a list of additional sources of information. A bibliography by topic of 68 references is also included. (FMW)
Descriptors: Academic Failure, Attendance, Attendance Patterns, Demonstration Programs, Dropout Prevention, Dropouts, Educational Change, Grade Repetition, High Risk Students, Middle Schools, Minority Group Children, Personal Narratives, School Activities, School Holding Power, School Organization, School Policy, Secondary Education, Student Promotion, Suspension, Urban Schools, Withdrawal (Education)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Community; Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: Carnegie Corp. of New York, NY.
Authoring Institution: Massachusetts Advocacy Center, Boston.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A