Inquiry Project

For my inquiry project I would like to look at what factors influence high school drop out rates, using a school that has steadily increased its graduation rate for the last few years. The school I have in mind is West Side High school in Newark, NJ. With close proximity to Rutgers, Newark and ties to local businesses, the school offers many programs that allow students to experience different career fields. One question I have regards whether these programs aid in student retention. My hope is to interview faculty and students at the school. If this is not possible, I will restrict my data to statistics and news. The factors I will look at will be decided by what I have specifically seen mentioned in research articles. They will include opinions of school relevancy to the community, data on the economic status of students, teacher opinions of how effective they feel in classrooms, and possibly student views of the school.

Data:
NJ school report card
Who attends the school?
Newark Public Schools Web site
Articles and news reports

Interviews:
Administrators and faculty
• What do you feel the school’s strengths are in regards to curriculum and meeting student needs?
• How would you describe the student population? Are the students engaged?
• What programs or strategies do you implement to encourage student involvement?
• What challenges do you face regarding student enrollment and classroom interaction?

Students (maybe)
• Do you have a favorite class?
• What do you like best about this school?
• How would you describe the school community?
• What programs or extracurricular activities interest you?
• What are you planning on doing when you graduate?

Walking tour/Google Maps:

10 block radius to note general atmosphere and resources. Specifically, I will be looking for:
Libraries
Clubs aimed at teens
Parks
Local hangouts
Businesses
Vacant lots