Poor Attendance in New York City Public Schools:

Drop-In Instead of Drop-Out

Low Graduation rates among African American and Latino students-A Major Social problem

Presented by: Mr. K. Almonte

Sixth Grade

C.S. 133

New York City, NY

African American and Latino students are dropping out at an enormous rate in New York City. As a result the City is failing behind. The continuing drop out rate among African American and Latinos students in New York City remains a problem and little is being done to address the needs of our youth. A recent New York Times article wrote that only 42% of African American and Latino are graduating. In our schools studies have shown that forty percent of our students do not advance to the next grade when they continue to cut school and have extremely poor attendance. Our principal has asked us to come up with a solution to encourage students to attend school on a daily basis. What can be done to assist those students who are not making the grade and feel education is not an important part of their everyday lives? This will be your task in this web quest. Your findings will be given to our school’s principal and, hopefully, they will create a policy that will change the lives of many. This is a tremendous opportunity for you to save the future for you peers.

GOOD LUCK !

In an attempt to understand the condition and struggles students are facing students will interview peers and family members. First, students will create a five question survey asking questions which will help them determine why African American and Latino students are dropping out of school. Secondly, in groups, you will refer to the six steps Public Policy Analysis and follow the procedure below to write a three page research paper. Finally, Students will then give an oral presentation in a group format of about five minutes explaining the information they have found through the surveys, Interviews, and research.

To summarize: Each group will be responsible for

1) A five question survey that will be used in one or more of the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst

2) A THREE PAGE RESEARCH PAPER-typed using MS Word and including all the steps of the PPA

3) An ORAL REPORT of a minimum of 5 minutes. This oral report will also follow the six step PPA format for solving social Problems

The class will be divided into groups of four. Each group member will have a specific role within the group:

Survey Question Creator and Administrator-you will be responsible for working with your group to create a survey which helps answer the question of why students do not attend school regularly. Once you have created the survey you will hand it out to people in your group. Each person will be responsible for a minimum of three surveys.

Public Policy Analyst-you will fill in the worksheets for the group. You will work closely with all members in the group to help them complete their tasks. You will need to work closely with the researchers who will provide the information for the six PPA worksheets.

Worksheet #1 – Identifying the Problem

Worksheet #2 – Gathering Evidence

Worksheet #3 – Determining Causes

Worksheet #4 – Evaluate Present Policies

Worksheet #5 – Developing New Policies

Worksheet #6 – Choose the Best Solution

Researcher-you will use the resources listed in the Resource section below and find information on ways to improve attendance and incentives be offered to students in New York City. You will then coordinate your efforts with the Public Policy Analyst.

Paper Writer- you will gather all the required information and write a three page paper to present to the class. You will use the information from the six PPA worksheets to write your paper. You should use the PPA as an outline to complete the task

Follow the Steps of the PPA below to help you with your task:

Summary of each step of THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST:

STEP # 1: Defining the social problem: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet1.html

STEP # 2: Gathering the evidence for the social problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.html

STEP # 3: Identifying the causes for the social problem

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet3.html

STEP # 4: Evaluating existing policies

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.html

STEP # 5: Develop alternative solutions

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.html

STEP # 6: Select the BEST solution

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet6.html

Incentive Programs:

New York Times ArticleWashington Square Review

Urban Institute

Statistical Analysis

Dropout Rates

GENERAL WEB SITES

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

WWW.YAHOO.COM

WWW.ASK.COM

	Excellent 4	Very Good 3	Satisfactory 2	Un-satisfactory 1
Research	Problem clearly identified and thoroughly researched	Problem identified and reasonably well researched	Problem identified	Problem identified but research is lacking
PPA	All six steps of the PPA are clearly addressed and all worksheets correctly completed	All six steps of the PPA are addressed and most worksheets correctly completed	With limited research.	Incomplete worksheets
Written Report	Well organized, demonstrates logical sequencing and sentence structure	Well organized, but demonstrates illogical sequencing or sentence structure.	Well organized, but illogical sequencing and sentence structure.	Poorly organized

You have helped your Principal, your school, your community and your fellow students. You have created a solution, using the six steps of the PPA and working with your group to help solve the problem of poor attendance so that more African American and Latino students will stay in school and graduate. You have witnessed, first hand, the role of the public policy analyst. In fact, you have become one. You have identified a social problem and found public policies to address the problem. Thanks for your participation. Let’s hope you made a difference.

In doing this project students have met the following New York State Learning Standards:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

STANDARD 1 - LANGUAGE FOR INFORMATION AND UNDERSTANDING

1. LISTENING AND READING

Listening and reading to acquire information and understanding involves collecting data, facts, and ideas; discovering relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and using knowledge from oral, written and electronic sources.

2. SPEAKING AND WRITING

Speaking and writing to acquire and transmit information requires asking probing and clarifying questions, interpreting information in one’s own words, applying information from one context to another, and presenting the information clearly, concisely, and comprehensibly.

E1 - READING

E1c. - read and comprehend information material.

E2 - WRITING

E2a. - produce a report of information.

E3 - SPEAKING , LISTENING AND VIEWING

E3b. - participate in one to one conferences with a teacher.

E3c. - participate and deliver an individual presentation.

E4 - CONVENTIONS, GRAMMAR, AND USAGE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

E4a. - Independently and habitually demonstrate an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work.

E4b. - analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS

Standard 1: Analysis, Inquiry, and Design

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.

Standard 2: Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Standard 7: Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government