The influence of the implementation of small learning communities on student test outcomes, and school attendance in an urban school district.

摘要

The researcher investigated the influence of the implementation of the Small Learning Communities on student test outcomes, and school attendance rates in an urban school district. One major objective of the study was to determine whether the implementation of small learning communities did lead to higher student test outcomes and better attendance rates as were found in some previous research studies.;The primary measures used were students' first and fourth marking cycle grades on language arts and on math to assess student test outcomes. The number of absences recorded in homeroom attendance measured student attendance. Paired t-tests were used to analyze students' marking cycle grades, and students' attendance. Paired t-tests were also used to examine the effects of gender and socioeconomic status on student test outcomes, and student attendance rate.;Data revealed that the implementation of small learning communities did have a significant influence on student test outcomes on language arts. The influence of the implementation of small learning communities on student test outcomes on language arts was more significant for males than for females. The data also showed that the implementation of small learning communities significantly influenced test outcomes of students in the low-SES group. Notably, the data showed that the implementation of small learning communities had a significant negative influence on the attendance rate of boys in the study.