COMMITTEE CHAIR: Dr. Jerrel Moore

TITLE: PROVIDE SERVICES FOR ALL: COMMUNITY-BASED SCHOOLS VERSUS TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IMPACT ON ATTENDANCE, GRADUATION, AND COLLEGE, CAREER, AND CIVIC READINESS RATES IN NEW YORK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ABSTRACT: The economic disadvantages of many NYC students create obstacles in their academic and social development. The Community Schools Initiative was established to tackle these problems through coordinated services but its effectiveness in enhancing attendance and graduation rates and college, career, and civic readiness remain uncertain when compared to standard public schools. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of the community-based school model on attendance rates, graduation rates, college, career, and civic readiness (C.C.C.R.) for students attending community schools versus traditional public schools in New York City. More specifically, this study will determine the significant differences between attendance rates, graduation rates, and C.C.C.R percentages when comparing community schools and traditional public schools. The study draws on a comprehensive review of relevant literature, including academic studies, governmental policy documents, and various educational reports from different states, to establish a conceptual framework for understanding community schools’ overall impact on students. The researcher implemented a quasi-experimental research design with propensity score matching (PSM) to analyze community schools relative to traditional public schools in New York City. The study included schools that met two specific criteria: they served students who were economically disadvantaged by at least 70% and they had fewer than 700 students enrolled. Data was collected from the New York City Department of Education website during the 2018–2019 academic year which included attendance rates and graduation rates and college career and civic readiness (CCCR) percentages. An independent samples t-test and a Mann Whitney U test were conducted using SPSS based on the distribution of the data. The research showed no statistically significant difference between community-based schools and traditional schools in student attendance. The graduation rates from traditional schools surpassed those of community-based schools according to a Mann-Whitney U test. Traditional schools achieved higher (C.C.C.R.) percentages than community-based schools according to a Mann-Whitney U test. Further research should examine the long-term impacts of community schools by conducting longitudinal studies, assessing additional factors such as student engagement, mental health support, and teacher quality. Additionally, examining how variations in resource allocation influence outcomes like attendance, graduation, college, career, and civic readiness would provide a deeper understanding of effectiveness across diverse contexts.

Keywords: community schools, traditional public schools, attendance rates, graduation rates, college, career, civic readiness

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