Improvement of Graduation Rates of Senior High School - Research Proposal Example

Download file to see previous pages... According to City-Data (2009), the population consists of 84.3% Caucasians, 4.8% African American, 4.1% Hispanics, and 3.5% Asian. The estimated median household income is $36,718. Kansas median household income is $47,817 and the estimated median house or condo value in 2009 is $172,746 which was $93,700 in 2000 (City-Data, 2009). The cost of living in Manhattan is significantly lesser than the US average. In Manhattan, the index of the cost of living is 83.5 as compared to 100, which is the average index in the US (City-Data, 2009, para 1). The Bangkok High school district’s goals are increased graduation rates for senior high school student. The areas of concern include improving passing the end of year exam percentage from 68.8% to 75% (Bangkok School, 2009). Description of Work Setting The action research project will take place with senior high school in the Bangkok High School located in Manhattan, Kansas. The Bangkok High School consists of grades 10 through 12. The mission of Bangkok High School is to prepare students for a positive and successful life, whether that be in college or the workforce, after their graduation. Our goal is to provide students with a structured curriculum, state of the art technology, and high expectations to succeed. Furthermore, students will also learn to become independent and responsible citizens who are capable of handling difficult emotional and social situations with a positive and productive disposition. (The Bangkok High School Mission, 2009). The student enrollment in the Bangkok High School is approximately 1,715, there are 168 certified and non-certified personnel, and the number of students with each teacher is 22 (Bangkok School, 2009). There are 74 full-time teachers on staff with 50 existing classrooms (Bangkok School, 2009). The twelfth grade’s enrollment is 554 students, with 30 full-time teachers. All students and teachers are a partaker in this research project on this senior high school campus (Bangkok School, 2009). In this research project, 200 students who are unprepared for the end of year exam, 30 students in depression, and another 30 who frequently miss school will be included. Writer’s Role The writer has a Bachelor of Science in Education degree majoring in Health Education from Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand and has a 1-year teaching experience. Chapter II: Study of the Problem Problem Description The senior high school students have failed the end of year exam and only 68.8% managed to receive a high school diploma during the 2009-2010 school year. This is a one-semester study. Problem Documentation The documentation comes from a report on and the end of year test score, an observation report on the students with depression, and an attendant’s report on the end of year exam. 381 of the 554 senior high schools students (68.8%) received a high school diploma. As many as 173 out of the 554 senior high schools students (31.2%) failed their end of year exam. 13% of the senior high school's students (22) were absent on their end of year exam. 22% of the senior high school's students (110) were unprepared to assume the responsibility for their learning and failed their end of year exam, and 15% of the senior high school's students with depression (25) failed their end of year exam.  ...Download file to see next pagesRead More