High school students

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors associated with academic achievement in at-risk high school students attending one of four charter schools in south Florida geared toward dropout prevention. Several factors were identified through a thorough review of the literature to identify the common demographic variables associated with lower academic achievement including race and ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and an identified learning disability. Each of these variables became the control variables in this study. More recent research has examined the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and resilience (via protective factors) in predicting academic outcomes. None of the studies found examined the role of ACEs, resilience, and academic achievement in a student population that has been identified as being at risk for high school dropout. In addition, it was explored whether ACEs (by type) and resilience (by type) varied by life stage.
Administrative data was collected on 160 randomly selected students, 80 of whom were considered adolescents (15-17), and 80 who were considered emerging adults (18-21). Descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean, and standard deviation) were examined. Multiple regression with hierarchal entry was then used to test the first two research questions, and 5 hypotheses, analyzing the impact of total ACEs (and then ACEs by type) and total resilience (and then resilience by type) on academic achievement. Results were not statistically significant for either question. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was then run to explore whether ACEs by type or resilience by type varied based on life stage (adolescence or emerging adult). The results were not statistically significant. Outcomes of the study are discussed as are the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

The purpose of the current study was to examine differences in multidimensional perfectionism, help-seeking, negative affectivity, and social-emotional well-being between grade 9 to 12 early college high school students who received the modified version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Perfectionism (CBT-P) small group counseling intervention (Egan et al., 2014a) and grade 9 to 12 early college high school students in the comparison group who did not receive the intervention. Masters-level counselors in training (CIT) implemented CBT-P with early college high school students after being trained in the use of the program and other study-related procedures. The study followed a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent pre-post design and employed various self-report measures (DASS-21, SEHS-S, CAPS, and GHSQ). A series of ANCOVA analyses were conducted to determine statistically significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups. The researcher reported partial eta squared ŋp2 effect size for each independent variable. Results of the study revealed a statistically significant difference in negative affectivity and self-oriented perfectionism between the treatment and the comparison group. However, no statistically significant difference, by treatment condition, was found regarding participants’ socially prescribed perfectionism, help-seeking intentions, or social-emotional well-being. The modified CBT-P treatment has found large effects (ŋp2 = .219) in reducing negative affectivity as measured by the DASS-21 and medium to large effects (ŋp2 = .115) in reducing self-oriented perfectionism. This study provided clinical support for using the modified CBT-P small group intervention (Shafran et al., 2002) in early college high schools to decrease negative affectivity and perfectionism in students. Furthermore, the study further supports the importance of building social-emotional wellness to improve students’ mental health. Finally, it highlights the need for future research to determine the impact of perfectionism and small group interventions on early college high school students’ mental health, wellbeing, and help-seeking behaviors.

This mixed methods study focused on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rates in one school district in Florida during the 2010-2011 school year. The dropout prevention program data analyzed included high school principals' perceptions in regard to perceived effectiveness, fidelity of implementation, cost efficacy, structure, and student-staff relationships within dropout prevention programs and their relationship to graduation rate. The data analysis investigated the relationship between the principals' perceptions of each dropout prevention program and graduation rate. Findings from this study showed principals' perceived that the level of fidelity for on-the-job training has a relationship to increased graduation rate. In other words, when a principal believed the dropout prevention program was implemented with fidelity in their school, it likely increased graduation rate. Another important finding from this study was the varying perceptions which it existed among school leaders in this study and their varying perceptions on the relationship between dropout prevention programs and graduation rate.