Evidence shows that different approaches to serving vulnerable students at the high school level can make a significant difference in explaining why students with similar achievement levels upon entering high school successfully complete or drop out (Lee and Burkham 2003; Croninger and Lee 2001; Roderick 2003). Several studies suggest that how schools support vulnerable students during their transition to high school and help them to address the academic, social, and emotional challenges that they often encounter in the 9th grade are particularly important (Allensworth and Easton 2007; Neild, Stoner-Eby, and Furstenberg 2008).
This report identifies factors distinguishing the schools that best serve Black and Latino males. We first determine which schools contribute the most to Black and Latino males graduating with a Regents Diploma in four years, and then examine the characteristics that distinguish these schools. Among the stronger patterns observed in the analysis, it appears that schools with higher expectations for students and more supportive school climates contribute more to the achievement of Black and Latino males.
Key Findings
Although we did not observe especially strong or consistent patterns, there did appear to be notable differences among schools with higher and lower estimated contributions to Black and Latino male graduation. Schools with higher estimated contributions were found to have the following characteristics, in order of the strength of the observed pattern:
- Higher attendance rates
- Higher school climate ratings, particularly higher levels of academic expectations
- Lower percentages of ELL students
- Higher percentages of students that were proficient on the 8th grade math test