Federal vs Local Schooling o No federal education policy o Secondary school is much more demanding in other industrialized countries performance in secondary school is much more significant in determining what kind of job an adolescent will obtain in adulthood o Adolescents in non industrialized countries do not attend drop out of secondary school for family labor purposes o Secondary School middle junior and high school A place that contains all sorts of students with a vast range of interests and abilities o History of Schooling passed a law requiring attendance 100 years ago o Comprehensive high school the form of American high school that arose in the 1920 s and is still the main form today which encompasses a wide range of functions and included classes in general education college preparation and vocational training 90 of adolescents are now in high school today o In non industrialized societies today schooling is only for the elite o Most adolescents are usually engaged in productive work rather than attending school learn skills from labor needed by families No Child Left Behind Act NCLB o Requires states to develop assessments in basic skills o Criticisms Gap between minorities has not changed Children lose creativity critical thinking Kill and Drill only focused on memorizing Characteristics of Effective Schooling o Size schools have been getting bigger since the 1800s o Pros diverse range of classes o Cons students feel less attachment to their teachers and to the school as a whole leads to less motivation Best school size is 500 to 1 000 students Class size doesn t seem to matter for the most part 20 40 is average Some say reducing size to 20 would be beneficial for minority students students with academic difficulties but it would cost schools a lot of money Instructional Techniques o Direct Instruction traditional method teacher centered better grades o Constructivism child centered teachers and learners are partners teachers use child s zone of proximal development reciprocal teaching take turns leading community of learners critical thinking and positive attitudes towards school Motivation o Extrinsic Motivation focus on rewards and punishment o Intrinsic Motivation focus on internal factors like pride challenge effort used more o How to set up a classroom that focuses on intrinsic motivation Provide choices in assignments projects Encourage autonomy in classroom activities homework Decrease extrinsic motivation by evaluating in private Transitions attendance o Most results favor the 8 4 plan k 8 9 12 due to self esteem and school o Other options 6 3 4 5 3 4 6 3 3 some favor 6 3 3 more positive comments about transition to junior high in regards to peer relationships academics and independence for seventh graders Increased responsibility and independence from parents o Either way transition is stressful Puberty and body changes Change from small class to large one Change from one teacher to many Change to larger heterogeneous set of peers Top dog phenomenon moving from the top position in one part of school to the lowest in the next part Middle school is just not ideal too much emphasis on teacher control they have negative views about adolescents School Climate o The quality of interactions between teachers and students including how teachers interact with students what sort of expectations and standards they have for students and what kinds of methods are used in the classroom o Important indicator of adolescents school experiences o Private Schools rated more favorably on various aspects of school climate lower levels of depression behavior problems higher levels of motivation participation Authoritarian Teaching maintaining order obedience teachers are mostly punitive disciplinary Authoritative Teaching supportive and warm with clear expectations Engagement o The quality of being psychologically committed to learning including being alert and attentive in the classroom and making a diligent effort to learn o Engagement is the expectation rather than the norm in the school experience of American adolescents High proportion of students not only fall short of an ideal engagement but a strikingly disengaged during their time in school physical present but psychologically absent High School Dropouts o By 2002 only 10 had not obtained a high school diploma by age 24 o Although 30 leave high school before graduating many obtain a GED o White 8 dropout o Native American 10 dropout o Black 12 dropout o Latino 12 dropout Males are more likely than females to drop out except Asian Americans o Dropping out is usually a culmination of many years of school problems not a o Likely to repeat grades have low grades behavior problems low test sudden event scores o Likely to have aggressive active high sensation seeking personalities difficult to endure typical classroom environment o Likely to have learning disabilities teenage girls having children o Likely to have parents as high school dropouts come from families who live in poverty as well as single parent families Rates are higher in larger schools with a negative school climate lack of dedication and support from teachers no order in classroom environment o Dropping out is related to a variety of present and future problems o Substance use o Depression and other physiological problems o Limited low paying jobs o Intervention Programs to reduce the drop out rates have been created alternative schools for children of high risk requires attention from trained counselors low student teacher ratios and starting in middle school o Early reading problems o Tutoring o Counseling mentoring o Creating communities that care Work o Teens have worked throughout history the kind of work has changed o Early adolescence 8th grade girls babysit 8th grade boys do yard work not very formal not a big time commitment o Late adolescence restaurant and retail more formal and time consuming repetitive and monotonous not very challenging or skill building work is rarely connected to school no close relationship to boss no connection to future career Sophomores work 15 hours Seniors work 20 hours o US has an increased rate compared to other industrialized countries 80 of teens have jobs in US o Other countries have longer school days and more homework o Part time work in high school tends to be damaging to school performance in a variety of ways especially for those who work more than 10 hours per week o Beyond ten hours a week 20 hours lower