The Making of Sophomores

Abstract

America’s urban high schools are having trouble making sophomores, resulting in freshmen classes bulging with students repeating a grade. Research shows that these students are at high risk of failure and dropout. Urban districts have begun to respond to the notable “freshmen bulge” through school restructuring. This mixed-methods study examines first steps taken by one urban high school in Ohio to address the challenges of high levels of freshmen failure through a small schools model. The authors discuss freshman student, parent, and teacher reactions to a pilot program designed expressly for the making of sophomores.