ADDRESSING THE DROPOUT
PROBLEM
by
CREATING AN EFFECTIVE
MIDDLE SCHOOL POLICY
FOR CHOOSING A HIGH
SCHOOL
Presented
by: Mr.
J. Krause
IS 86-MOTT HALL II
Her you are! Am Eighth grader. Time has passed
quickly. You are on the verge of making a life changing decision. So are your
friends and classmates. Your parents, teachers and counselors are all asking,
“have you chosen a high school yet?”. Things have changed drastically in
In this web quest, you will have an opportunity to
investigate the problem of choosing the right high school. You also have an
opportunity to improve the public policies in the middle schools and, possibly,
help improve the lives of your friends and family. You will investigate the
problem of high school dropouts and its relation to choosing a high
school….Good luck!
You will create a brochure following the Public Policy
Analyst format
You brochure will cover the problems of choosing the
right high school thus preventing students from dropping out. This brochure
will be a guide to parents and students alike. It will direct them through the
maze of middle school
The BROCHURE will
include the following
1:
An attractive cover stating the social problem.
2:
A minimum of 10 pages (two pages per PPA step) illustrating each step
of the Six-Step Public Policy Analyst.
The social problem will be the dropout problem in the
New York City High Schools as it relates
to choosing the best high school
3:
Your brochure will evaluate the New York City Department of
Education
policy and then make concrete suggestions for
improving it
4:
Your group will then set up a plan for middle school students and
Parents to
follow
This brochure will be distributed among middle school
students and personnel
All pages of the brochure will be typed using Ms Word.
It will also be placed on line in the middle school web site.
1: You will be divided into groups of our five
2: Each member of the group will have a specific
responsibility in completing the task brochure. Individual responsibilities
will be stated below
3: The group will carefully use the Public Policy
Analyst. Each worksheet will be completed using the Internet resources given in
the “resource section” of the web quest.
4: These sheets along with notes, illustrations and
other materials will be used to complete the brochure.
GROUP ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
-EDITOR-IN CHIEF-----This student
will be in charge of the final group presentation. He will edit and correct the
BROCHURE. He will coordinate all activities and make members aware of assigned
deadlines.
-Writer-This student will write the text and
coordinate the graphics used in the BROCHURE. He/she will use the PPA sheets as
resource material to type the paper. All members of the group will be involved
in organization.
-RESEARCHER-These TWO
students will complete all the worksheets in the six step public policy analyst
using the Internet resources given in the section below. He/she will be
responsible for instructing the writer.
ARTIST- This group
member will prepare the art work for the brochure cover and import
illustrations into the text material. He/she will also be responsible for the
“on-line” version of the brochure which will include hyperlinks and graphics.
To complete the task, students will utilize the
SIX
STEP PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST. The worksheets for each step are linked below and students
must access these links and complete the sheets using the Internet researches
linked in the “resource” section of the web quest.
The
Six-Steps of the Public Policy Analyst
Step 1: Define the problem:
Step 2: Gather
the Evidence:
Step 3: Identify
the causes
Step 4: Examine the Existing Policy
Step 5: Develop Policy
Solutions
Step 6: Select the Best Solution:
GENERAL WEB SITES
3: WWW.ASK.COM
SPECIFIC WEB SITES
LINKS FOR THE DROPOUT PROBLEM
1: DETAILED-REASONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS—(44 PAGE “PDF” FILE)
2: DROPOUT
PREVENTION-VIDEO ACCOUNTS
4:
REASONS & REMEDIES FOR DROPOUTS (Long PDF file)
LINKS FOR EVALUATING AND
CREATING A POLICY
NOTE: Look through the links below and choose
a few that apply-you need not use all the sites
1: THE New York City DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION HOME PAGE
2: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION POLICY—APPLYING TO HIGH SCHOOL
3: DOE: NEW YORK CITY--”WELCOME TO HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS”-ADVICE
4: THE
BASICS FOR CHOOSING A HIGH SCHOOL IN NYC (MANY LINKS)
5: KEY TIPS
AND A PLAN FOR CHOOSING A HIGH SCHOOL
6: FINDING
New York City HIGH SCHOOLS (many links)
7: USING
HIGH SCHOOL FAIRS 2004
8: NEW
YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTORY
9: NYC-SMALL
SCHOOLS & CHARTER HIGH SCHOOLS—ARE THEY RIGHT FOR YOU (28 PAGE PDF FILE)
12: CHOOSING
BETWEEN TWO SCHOOLS
14: SOME
GOOD TIPS
|
|
CATEGORY |
4 EXCELLENT |
3 VERY GOOD |
2 SATISFACTORY |
1 UNACCEPTABLE |
|
Writing - Organization |
Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning,
middle, and end. |
Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear
beginning, middle and end. |
Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning,
middle and end. |
Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a
clear beginning, middle and end. |
|
Writing - Grammar |
There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure. |
There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after
feedback from an adult. |
There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the brochure even
after feedback from an adult. |
There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure
even after feedback from an adult. |
|
Writing - Vocabulary |
The authors correctly use several new words and define
words unfamiliar to the reader. |
The authors correctly use a few new words and define words
unfamiliar to the reader. |
The authors try to use some new vocabulary, but may use
1-2 words incorrectly. |
The authors do not incorporate new vocabulary. |
|
Writing - Mechanics |
Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the
brochure. |
Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the
brochure after feedback from an adult. |
There are 1-2 capitalization and/or punctuation errors in the
brochure even after feedback from an adult. |
There are several capitalization or punctuation errors in
the brochure even after feedback from an adult. |
|
Content - Accuracy |
All facts in the brochure are accurate. |
99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. |
89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. |
Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. |
|
Attractiveness &
Organization |
The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized
information. |
The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized
information. |
The brochure has well-organized information. |
The brochure's formatting and organization of material are
confusing to the reader. |
|
Knowledge Gained |
All students in the group can accurately answer all
questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to
create the brochure. |
All students in the group can accurately answer most questions
related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create
the brochure. |
Most students in the group can accurately answer most
questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to
create the brochure. |
Several students in the group appear to have little
knowledge about the facts or technical processes used in the brochure. |
|
Graphics/Pictures |
Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of
text and graphics. |
Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that
they distract from the text. |
Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and
the brochure seems "text-heavy". |
Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to
be randomly chosen. |
|
USE OF PPA |
Fully uses the six-step public policy analyst as a
framework for the brochure |
Uses MOST of the six-step public policy analyst as a
framework for the brochure and uses the steps accurately |
Uses the steps of the PPA as a framework for the Brochure
but uses the steps inaccurately |
Does not use the six-step PPA as a format for the Brochure
of uses most of the steps inaccurately |
GRADING:
“A”= 32-36 “B”=27-31 “C”= 21-25 “F”=Below 21
You should have learned from this web quest, the importance of
an effective application process for middle school students who apply to high
schools. Without such a policy, there is an increased risk of dropping out,
asocial behavior and an unsuccessful future. You have also seen, first hand,
the importance of a public policy analyst. This person evaluates social
problems and searches for policy solutions. Effective school policies,
translates into positive learning environments and fulfillment of student
potential. Thanks for your participation in creating this brochure. Let’s hope
you made a difference.
English Language Arts
Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding
Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners
and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover
relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from
oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they
will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the
English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression
Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.
Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction
Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.
Social Studies
Standard 4: Economics
Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
IN THE
Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their
understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental
system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution;
the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles,
rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of
participation.
The Arts
Standard 1:
Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Students will actively engage in the processes that
constitute creation and performance in the arts (visual arts) and participate
in various roles in the arts.
Standard 2:
Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the
materials and resources available for participation in the arts in various
roles.