| dc.description.abstract | This quality-improvement project examines why families choose one high school over another in Southwest Washington School District (SWSD), which is in a relatively affluent, educated and homogenous area. The goal was to address enrollment attrition in their PBL program, where each yearly cohort has been losing half of its students by graduation, with most students returning to their neighborhood school. The overarching question is why students and parents choose one school over another and why they are leaving the PBL program. I attempted to survey all 7th-10th grade students and parents in SWSD. 54% of students responded and 28% of parents responded. Respondents rated how influential 19 different factors were in their school choice and answered open-ended questions related to why they did or did not choose each high school option. To analyze the factor ratings, I used latent class analyses in RStudio to reveal sub-groupings of respondents. For the open-ended questions, I did an inductive thematic analysis. The primary factors of influence across the district were Learning Preference, Welcoming Environment, Familiarity, Instruction Model, Social Fit, Unique Needs, Friend Influence, Extra-Curricular Activities, Proximity and Course Offerings. Students who chose the PBL program fit three distinct patterns, and students who chose their neighborhood school fit six distinct patterns. I recommended that the district develop a united vision for the PBL program, increase the rigor and offerings of the PBL program and build a broader network for purposes of collaboration, publicity and student recruitment. | |
