Freshman grades relate to academic outcomes, yet limited research explores which students face the highest risk of course failure. With logit analysis using a five-year Arkansas dataset (n = 164,688), we find that economically disadvantaged ninth-grade students are more likely to fail a course than their more privileged peers. This disparity…

This dissertation examines the impact of school counseling small group interventions on at-risk first-time high school freshmen, focusing on their attitudes toward academic challenges and perceptions of noncognitive mindsets and behaviors. Utilizing a qualitative comparative case study methodology, the research explores the dynamics of a Fresh…

This quantitative study examined the impact of a multi-subject double-dose STEM intervention on the academic achievement of underprepared 9th-grade males. The intervention consisted of heterogeneously grouped core classes of Algebra 1 and biology accompanied by a second multi-subject (Algebra 1 and biology) support class. This nine-week study did…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, ex post facto study was to examine the effectiveness of school counselor check-ins on ninth grade on-track data, focusing primarily on at-risk students during the first semester of their freshman year. This study was designed to measure the effect school counselor check-ins delivered three times during the…

Prior research has found the transition to high school to be a critical time for ninth-grade students. This mixed-methodology study investigated the experiences of a school-based team that provided programming and various support to ninth-grade students using the teaming model. The study utilized the following methods: 1) interviews, 2) historical…

The aims of this study were twofold: to describe associations between mentoring relationship quality (MRQ) and student academic adjustment in a formal mentoring program involving teachers as mentors and academically at-risk students as mentees, and to explore the mediating and moderating effects of student mastery goal orientation on these…

The Twilight School at Danbury High School in Connecticut helps students who are in danger of failing their freshman year to get back on track. In its first year, the program offered special credit-bearing after-school courses in biology and English to students who failed those classes in their first semester. The smaller class sizes and informal…

This article introduces credit recovery (CR) programs to school counseling. Traditionally the school counselors' role in CR has been limited to referring students who are, or who have, failed courses. Based on our own findings from a study of a large Midwest high school (N = 2,000) CR program, we make specific recommendations for school counselors…

Background: Despite recent national data describing reductions in dropout and increasing graduation rates, the number of students who persist through four years of high school without earning a diploma has remained steady. Although reduced dropout is a promising trend, persisting but not graduating may not be meaningfully different from dropout in…

High school freshmen in accelerated courses have known risk and resiliency factors that should be considered within systematic efforts to monitor and promote student academic and emotional well-being. This study created and evaluated a multi-method approach to identify students in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses…

High school freshmen in accelerated courses have known risk and resiliency factors that should be considered within systematic efforts to monitor and promote student academic and emotional well-being. This study created and evaluated a multi-method approach to identify students in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses…

In 2018, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) developed an indicator for being "on track" at the end of a high school student's freshman year. As part of the district's overall strategy for improving graduation rates, school administrators currently use the Ninth Grade On-Track indicator as an early marker of progress towards…

This study focuses on at-risk students entering 9th grade in Cambridge, MA and ways to increase their connectedness and science learner identity. At-risk students were invited to participate in a research-based, summer intervention program called Rise Up for four weeks prior to entering 9th grade in the fall. Students were grouped into three…

The authors examined the predictive nature of attentional biases and initial grade point average of ninth graders dropping out of high school. Attentional biases are cognitive shifts in focus that are linked in both time and context toward stimuli perceived by an individual as threatening. Data were collected from 68 high school freshmen (45.6%…

In 2014-15, the high school graduation rate reached a record high of 83 percent (U.S. Department of Education 2016). Despite the gains, over half a million students still drop out of high school each year (U.S. Department of Education 2015). High schools have adopted various strategies designed to keep students who are at risk of not graduating in…