Parenting and Learning Issues

Currently, over 22 states require that high school students pass an exit exam before graduating. Part of this trend towards exit exams is due to legislation and mandates, such as those influenced by the educational act “No Child Left Behind.” The intent of these exams is to ensure that students are being held accountable for their own learning while in school. To extend on this accountability, however, some states and schools are now requiring that students complete a graduation project, often either to replace or supplement an exit exam.

What is a Graduation Project?

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To help students learn different strategies of research and writing, many graduation projects focus on a study of inquiry, where students can research a topic, theory, or question for which they find personal interest. Some of these projects require that students write and cite an essay correctly, present their ideas and theories to a panel, prove that they can write an essay cohesively and using an organized sequence, while also showing their overall ability to speak and write convincingly. In this sense, it can be compared to a high school version of defending one’s master’s thesis.

One of the benefits of a graduation project is that students are actually engaging in work that is intended to prepare them for the “real world” after graduation. As students engage in projects of inquiry, they are able to explore different modes of support while also learning how to articulate their own thoughts

As young children are introduced to new academic environments, they often exhibit problematic behaviors. These behaviors may appear as a child struggles to focus, exhibits negative attitudes, begins touching or hitting others inappropriately, and disrespects adults. Addressing and supporting behavioral issues in elementary school is a multi-faceted and collaborative process. By creating a positive and supportive classroom environment, implementing personalized behavior management strategies, teaching self-regulation skills, and fostering strong partnerships with parents and caregivers, educators can help students develop positive behavioral patterns, overcome challenges, and thrive academically and socially. By recognizing the unique needs of each child and providing the necessary support, we can nurture young minds and set them on a path to success.

Parental involvement is important in encouraging a child to act appropriately. Frequently, behavioral problems witnessed at home will manifest at school; therefore, only a joint collaboration between the parents and the teachers can help the student.

To teach students better modes of conduct and behavior, public schools have adopted specific early-intervention programs to help support both students and parents through the developmental process

Why Children Act Out

According to Diana Browning Wright of the Schwab Learning Foundation, specific negative behaviors may be exhibited as a result of a child’s specific learning disability, such as ADHD, autism, or other learning issues; however, many children without learning disabilities also exhibit problematic modes of conduct, as “success in school involves being able to complete work, stay organized, get along with kids and adults,

Whether high school students are seeking extra help for coursework or for students who are looking for ways to become more involved in their school or community, tutoring programs are widely available for high school students in public schools.

Benefits of Students Becoming a Tutor

Programs to Foster Positive Tutoring Experiences

For students interested in volunteering to serve as a tutor, such academic involvement can prove to be beneficial both socially and academically. As the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) explains, “Cross-age tutoring can have benefits for both the tutee and the tutor. Using high school students to tutor students in elementary school has the potential to be a win-win situation.” While there are opportunities for high school students to assist their peers, many tutoring programs focus solely on utilizing high school students as mentors for younger children.

As the CNCS further explores, one local Seattle school district paired high school and elementary students in academic tutoring programs, which resulted in beneficial learning opportunities for both age groups. As CNCS explains, the local high school and elementary school “partnered to create a service-learning program where high-school students enrolled in a home/family life class also tutored elementary students during the week. The high-school tutors worked in teams and were coached by an on-site reading specialist.” Three to five days a week, tutors would meet with their assigned elementary students, focusing on the lowest-scoring and achieving students so as to provide strong support early on.

As CNCS

As younger adolescents move from the smaller middle school setting to the larger and more diverse high school environment, many kids experience anxiety and worry about the shifting dynamics and expectations. According to researchers Mizelle, Phelan, Yu, and Davidson, “Young adolescents […] are concerned about being picked on and teased by older students, having harder work, making lower grades, and getting lost in a larger, unfamiliar school.”

Common Struggles for New 9th-Grade Students

As they move to the high school setting, many 9th-grade students commonly experience a significant decline in both grades and attendance. This often occurs as a result of the new social opportunities and the greater option of choices for young students, in addition to the pressures of fitting in and finding their own comfortable peer groups.

In addition, according to ERIC Digest, these students tend to “view themselves more negatively and experience an increased need for friendships.” This is a relatively universal experience for young adolescents, as studies reveal this to be true for even honors or “high achieving” students.

How Can You Help Keep Your Child on Track?

Transition Programs

To help young students transition to the new school setting, recent studies reveal that students who take part in middle school “transition programs” are able to move through the shifting school settings with far less of a struggle.

As Eric Digest explains, “Research has found […] that when middle school students took part in a high school transition program with several diverse articulation

As young adolescents move from middle to high school, many parents and school leaders recognize problematic behavior patterns emerging among high school freshmen. To improve the issues among 9^th graders, many schools are restructuring their programs so that 9^th graders are in a separate setting, apart from the larger high school community.

As studies from Boston College explain,

“The transition from eighth grade to ninth grade is a critical time in a young person's educational career. Ninth-grade programs and separate buildings for ninth graders have grown over the last ten years to meet their distinct needs.”

Concerns Regarding 9^th Graders in High School

Studies from The National Middle School Association (TNMA) reveal that, from the student’s perspective, the most significant concerns regarding the transition to high school revolve around “the amount of homework, class difficulty, and organizational issues (e.g., getting lost).” On the other hand, parents expressed concerns regarding bullying, negative peer pressure, and other academic and social worries.

Current Problems Facing 9^th Graders in the High School Environment

As TNMA supports, freshmen in the high school setting often experience several negative issues, such as:

• A decrease in achievement from middle school to high school
• Many straight-A students experience their first-grade decline
• Cases of behavior problems, such as suspensions and expulsions, significantly increase in the early 9th-grade year
• New social concerns, such as bullying, navigating the new and larger school, and establishing