The Difference in Four-Year Graduation Rates of Missouri Public High Schools Utilizing At-Risk Alternative High Schools or Vocational Programs

Michel, Jason

The Difference in Four-Year Graduation Rates of Missouri Public High Schools Utilizing At-Risk Alternative High Schools or Vocational Programs

Öffentlichkeit Deposited

There are negative results that come from students not earning a high school diploma. Individuals can suffer from poor health, low wages, and a higher likelihood of going to prison. Society also experiences negative economic consequences through a higher public cost of social expenses, lower tax revenue, and increased health care costs. Due to these undesirable effects of dropping out, educators seek to find a variety of ways to help students graduate from high school. Two of those methods are an at-risk alternative high school and a vocational/ technical program. These interventions target students considered at-risk due to many factors including socioeconomic status, retention in school, attendance, behavior, and academic achievement. This causal-comparative study examined the difference in four-year cohort graduation rates for Missouri public high schools that do and do not utilize an at-risk alternative high school or a vocational/technical program for the years 2016, 2017, and 2018 as well as the 3-year average over this timeframe. The research conducted will provide data and recommendations to educators to assist them as they try to place students in the best program possible to help them graduate. Statistically significant differences were revealed between schools that did and did not offer an at-risk alternative high school, with a higher mean four-year cohort graduation rate for those that did not utilize this intervention. There were no statistically significant differences between schools that did and did not offer a vocational/technical program, with a higher mean four-year cohort graduation rate for those that did utilize this intervention. This research will not only provide schools with insight into evaluating existing systems, it will present opportunities to create new systems to guide students towards completing high school.

Titel