An investigation of freshman academy principals\u27 and counselors\u27 perceptions of implementation strategies in selected North Carolina schools

The purpose of this study was to investigate and explore the differences, if any, between North Carolina high school principals\u27 and counselors\u27 perceptions of the implementation strategies of their freshmen academies. The results of this study provide additional knowledge to educational administrators, policymakers, and district leaders, as they develop effective educational initiatives for freshman academies to ease the transition of ninth-grade students. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in a mixed-methods approach. A web-based survey, The Freshman Academy Principal/Counselor Survey was distributed through e-mails to 103 high school principals and 103 high school counselors in North Carolina whose school had a freshman or ninth-grade academy during the 2008-2009 school year. The response rate was 53.3%. The Statistical Package of the Social Services (SPSS-17) was used to analyze data. Data was analyzed using Independent Samples t-tests to determine freshman academy principals\u27 and counselors\u27 perceptions of the implementation strategies. The t-test was also the statistical measurement used to determine if the years the academy had been in existence made a difference in the participants\u27 perceptions of the strategies. Results from the study found no significant differences between the mean perceptions of the participants for the strategies; both freshman academy principals and counselors had positive perceptions of the implementation strategies. Also, no significant differences were found between the perceptions of principals or counselors and the number of years the academy had been in existence. Academy principals and counselors felt that the implementation strategies positively impacted student achievement. Responses to the open-ended question were interpreted and coded for patterns and recurring themes. It is recommended that future studies be conducted to include all stakeholders in the school system, such as, students, teachers, and parents to determine whether they have the same viewpoints about ninth grade transitions programs as the participants in this study. Also, it is recommended that this study be replicated with larger populations to see if the results will be similar to this study\u27s findings