Abstract
This chapter focuses on the challenge of implementing a new college-preparatory curriculum in schools serving students with deficient preparation by the end of middle school. Analysis of the 2005–2009 cohort reveals that, even before the implementation of the new curriculum, most Detroit students with low test scores in middle school were at higher risk of dropping out. Other risk factors that reduced the odds of on-time graduation included attending schools with high concentrations of poverty and transfer of high schools, an artifact of the school closures. All three case schools served students with low achievement prior to enrollment. Analysis of curriculum implementation revealed that external funding, in addition to community partnerships, was essential to curriculum implementation in schools serving underprepared students. Tech struggled to provide supplemental literacy and numeracy while providing district mandated courses in math and science. Hope excelled at encouraging students’ critical thinking skills, but struggled to provide required math and science education. With assured external funding, Kappa implemented curriculum collaboration with their partner university and developed a middle school to help inner-city youth prepare for high school.
Cindy Veenstra linked the high school transcript data with neighborhood data compiled by Malisa Lee and Jiyun Kim. Victoria Bigelow coordinated interviews with case high schools. These contributions to the research base for this chapter are gratefully acknowledged.
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St. John, E.P., Girmay, F. (2019). High School and College Preparation. In: Detroit School Reform in Comparative Contexts. Neighborhoods, Communities, and Urban Marginality. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19011-8_7
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