Johns Hopkins University researchers at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk are keeping close tabs on Patterson High School’s reform efforts.
As part of an ongoing study, the research team surveyed teachers in the spring of 1995 and the following fall to determine whether they thought certain behaviors were a serious problem. The results, shown here and on the next page, suggest that--at least in teachers’ minds--the school is making headway in combating such problems as absenteeism, which were once pervasive at the school.
Tardiness
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Vandalism
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 76.0 | 40.9 |
| Upper Level | 88.9 | 6.8 |
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 52.0 | 13.6 |
| Upper Level | 71.1 | 2.3 |
.
Absenteeism
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 96.0 | 45.5 |
| Upper Level | 97.8 | 19.0 |
.
Use of Illegal Drugs
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 24.0 | 22.7 |
| Upper Level | 18.2 | 2.4 |
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Class Cutting
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 84.0 | 45.5 |
| Upper Level | 82.2 | 0 |
.
Teacher Absenteeism
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 12.0 | 0 |
| Upper Level | 11.6 | 0 |
Climate Control
Last spring, according to the Johns Hopkins survey, 80 percent or more of the teachers at Patterson High said the school’s learning environment was not conducive to student learning. By last fall, the percentages of teachers who agreed with that statement had dropped dramatically.
| Spring 1995 | Fall 1995 | |
| 9th Grade | 80.0 | 27.2 |
| Upper Level | 86.7 | 4.5 |
