Mixed-method evaluation of two iterations of month-long summer enrichment programs for English-learning secondary students investigated impacts on participants' beliefs about school and academic achievement, and on actual course choices, test outcomes, and graduation rates. Students (N = 85) from one ethnically diverse, high-poverty high school in a large school district in Georgia took part in science and academic English-themed summer enrichment programs in 2006 and 2008. Questionnaires, interviews, and transcript analysis demonstrated that after taking part, students aspired to attend college, were aware of the steps necessary, and took steps such as tracking themselves into more advanced courses. Participants also were able to create and sustain peer support groups in their school, fostering a culture of academic achievement. Findings suggest that even such short-term programs can positively influence students' attitudes, aspirations, and actual behaviors supporting academic achievement, graduation, and postsecondary education, lending promise to goals of ameliorating the academic achievement gap.
The authors here outline three evidence-driven school-based initiatives of the Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education at the University of Georgia: an afterschool program, culturally-responsive pedagogy training, and a longitudinal study of Latino students. All these initiatives focus on improving educational outcomes for Latino students throughout the state.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.