(Note: Schools in different states and communities collect data in different ways, and students are selected for Essential School programs in different ways. Cross-district comparisons are invalid; bear in mind that these data may legitimately be compared only for past performances or to general districtwide data collected in the same manner. What follows is a sampling of records submitted by schools)
1.Attendance and Drop-out Rates
Central Park East Secondary School (New York City):
Central Park East Secondary School attendance rate, 1988-89: 91%
New York City Public Schools official attendance rate, 1988-89: 79%
Central Park East Secondary School drop-out rate, 1988-89: 0%
New York City Public Schools official drop-out rate, 1988-89: 26.8%
Hope High School (Providence, RI):
Hope Essential School attendance rate, 1990-91: 83%
Hope “regular” High School attendance rate, 1988-89: 78%
Hope Essential School drop-out rate, 1987-88: 9%
City of Providence official drop-out rate, 1987-88: 44.9%
Thayer High School (Winchester, NH):
Thayer Essential School drop-out rate, 1990-91: 1%
Thayer High School drop-out rate (pre-Essential status, 1981): 10%
Westbury High School (Houston, TX):
Westbury Essential School attendance rate, 1988-89: 96%
Westbury “regular” High School attendance rate, 1988-89: 91%
Paschal High School (Fort Worth, TX):
Paschal Essential School drop-out rate, 1990-91: 0%
Paschal “regular” High School drop-out rate, 1990-91: 10%
2.Academic Performance
Thayer High School (Winchester, NH):
1986 (pre-Essential status) California Achievement Test scores, grades 7-10: 49th percentile
1988 California Achievement Test scores, grades 7-10: 58th percentile
Westbury High School: (Houston, TX)
Westbury Essential School: 82% of ninth graders passed TEAMS tests
Westbury “regular” High School: 61% of ninth graders passed TEAMS tests
Hixson High School (Chattanooga, TN):
Hixson Essential School graduation rate, 1990-91: 92%
Hixson “regular” High School graduation rate, 1990-91: 81%
Paschal High School (Fort Worth, TX):
Paschal Essential School graduation rate, 1990-91: 80%
Paschal “regular” High School graduation rate, 1990-91: 50%
Pleasure Ridge Park High School (Jefferson Cty., KY):
Essential School program students with no failures: 81%
“Regular” school students with no failures: 73%
University Heights High School (New York City):
In 1989, only 33% of incoming college freshmen in New York possessed a reading level qualifying them to take college classes. After completing the first stage of the University Heights Essential Program, 77% of University Heights students’ reading level qualified them to take college classes.
3.Discipline
Pleasure Ridge Park High School (Jefferson Cty., KY):
Pleasure Ridge Park Essential School discipline referrals, 1986-87: Pleasure Ridge Park Essential School students made up 20% of the junior class and generated only 14% of junior class disciplinary referrals to assistant principal.
Westbury High School (Houston, TX):
Westbury Essential School discipline referrals, 1988-89: WES students made up 14.5% of school population and generated only 3.75% of overall disciplinary referrals to assistant principal.
4.Pursuit of Higher Education
Hixson High School (Chattanooga, TN):
Hixson Essential School students (who are all “at risk”), going on to higher education, 1990-91: 75%
Hixson “regular” High School students going on to higher education, 1990-91: 80%
Hope High School (Providence, RI):
Hope Essential School graduates, 1988-89: 60% went on to higher education
Hope “regular” High School graduates, 1988-89: 6% went on to higher education
Thayer High School (Winchester, NH):
Thayer Essential School graduates, 1988-89: 55% went on to higher education
Thayer High School graduates (pre-Essential status, 1981): 10% went on to higher education
Walbrook High School (Baltimore, MD):
Walbrook Essential School graduates, 1988-89: about 50% went on to higher education
City of Baltimore School System graduates, 1988-89: 11.1% went on to higher education