An investigation into critical school factors that foster positive re-engagement for at-risk youth

This study focused on school-related vs. non-school-related factors, investigating not only those school factors which move students to reconnect to school, but also those factors that are perceived as major obstacles to school success. This study examined a middle college high school located in a large urban area in the American Midwest, Midwest Middle College High School (MMC). A descriptive research design was selected to investigate and report on the critical school factors that fostered positive re-engagement for at-risk youth. A descriptive design was selected in order to determine the impact of school-related factors on recent graduates from MMC. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. Data were collected over a six-year period and analyzed for the purpose of describing, clarifying, and interpreting from both the educator and student perspective aspects of MMC's program as it currently exists.; The primary researcher served as the planner and principal of MMC. In order to focus the investigation with those most intimately involved with student disengagement, both educators and students were used as co-researchers. Data were collected through a variety of methods: (a) observation; (b) surveys; (c) school documents (including standardized test results); (d) short-form and in-depth interviews; (e) open-ended questionnaires; and (f) critical incident reports. Many data-collection instruments were created by MMC staff and/or co-researchers for this study. A four-step data collection process was developed and completed for this study. The steps were designed to enhance the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data and to include data from MMC students, staff and National MCHS Consortium member schools.; The study produced seven major findings: (a) both educators and students viewed specific factors as critical to successful student re-engagement; (b) educator and student perceptions are more alike than different; (c) the factors that impact student "turnaround" and student disengagement are primarily school-related and ones over which educators have control; (d) there is a common process shared by students who disengage from and then re-engage in school; (e) males and females perceived several factors differently in relation to impacting student re-engagement; (f) factors that are viewed as major obstacles to student success in school are closely related to the factors viewed as responsible for student re-engagement with school; and (g) of all factors identified the "affective/teacher-related" ones were viewed as the most impacting overall on both student disengagement and successful re-engagement.; As a result of this study, several major conclusions emerged in relation to the critical factors impacting student re-engagement for at-risk youth: (a) school-related factors are critical to student re-engagement; (b) students and educators agree on factors with male and female student perceptions varying; (c) there is a shared process to successful student re-engagement; and (d) the greatest impact lies in the area of educators' affective behaviors. Disengaged youth do successfully reengage in schooling if they desire to change and are supported by caring adults. Educator behaviors and attitudes, school policies, administrative practices, curriculum, instructional methods, school size and class size are all potential factors of student re-engagement. These factors can be purposefully placed and maintained within the learning environment, for they are ones over which educators and policymakers have control.