Agenda - 11-10-1998 - Attachment #11

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INTRODUCTION Since 1993, the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools have been implementing new programs to meet the needs of disengaged learners at the middle and high school level. An on -going part of this conversation has been the need for a free - standing alternative school to serve youth that are severely disaffected from the educational process. During this period, legislation was enacted that allowed for an increase in the number of long -term suspensions and expulsions furthering this school district's concerns about students who find themselves out of the educational system with few, if any, options for return. In addition to students who have been long -term suspended or expelled, other students have experienced school disruptions that, in effect, curtail their educational opportunities. The Chapel -Hill Carrboro City Schools alternative school was proposed as a mechanism to educate these students and to assist them in finding ways to maintain long -term school success. The Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools Alternative School, now known as Phoenix Academy, opened its doors to students in February of 1998. Phoenix Academy is part of a continuum of services for students experiencing school difficulties. For students who have been- long-term suspended or expelled, Phoenix Academy represents their only public school option. Other students who have experienced repeated difficulties, either behaviorally or academically can be recommended to the program and may attend on a voluntary basis. The alternative school proposal, approved by the Chapel Hill- Cairboro City School Board last year, contained an evaluation requirement. Dr. Muni V. Chapman of the UNC -CH School of Social Work designed and carried out the evaluation plan. This report details selected findings from that evaluation. EVALUATION METHODS This evaluation consists of three components. The first component included pre and post- test measures on correlates of school success using the School Success Profile -OL (SSP - OL), an on -line survey completed by student participants whose parents have given consent for participation. The SSP, created by Drs. Gary L. Bowen and Jack M. Richman, is designed to (a) describe students selected for program participation; (b) inform the process by which each student is provided with a comprehensive program of services; (c) monitor changes in program participants over time. The survey is informed by an ecological perspective and was created after a comprehensive review of the literature related to school success. The SSP -OL measures strengths and weaknesses in life areas known to enhance or detract from school performance: neighborhood, family, friends, and school. It is designed for use with middle school and high school age students (10- 18 years of age). Each student who completes the SSP receives an individualized summary report that includes two profiles: (1) The Social Environment Profile, which includes 11 sub - dimensions and (2) The Individual Adaptation Profile, which includes 12 sub - dimensions. Student responses are compared to a national random sample of students. The national sample was conducted by Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. between October 31 and February 15, 1997. Yielding a nationally representative sample of 2099 in grades 6 to 12, the Harris methodology involved a stratified two -stage sampling design. 3