What Parents Should Know - An Interview with Kathy Doll

The transition to high school can be an exciting time when most students anticipate more freedom and choice, more extracurricular activities, and new friendships. Some may feel nervous about finding their way around the high school campus and about increased pressure to do well so that they will be accepted into good colleges ([2], p. 307). Some research indicates that during the first year of high school, some students are at risk of doing poorly or dropping out. However, there are intervention programs that can help students to stay on the right track. Implementing a high school transition program has been shown to be helpful in reducing the risk of failure and possible retention in grade 9 ([2], p. 309).

As their children move from early adolescence into their middle teen years, parents often refrain from actively participating in their teen's high school experience. They may feel that their teenager would be embarrassed by a parent's presence at school. However, parents do not have to be a constant presence in their teen's life to support their teen's development. Teenagers with parents who monitor their activities and are interested in their schoolwork and friends do better overall than teens who have distant or uninterested parents [1; 3].

Parent News talked with Kathy Doll, a veteran guidance counselor at Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois, who has dealt with some of the concerns that parents and students have as they approach the transition into high school.

PN:
What might parents and children expect during the first few weeks of high school?

KD:
In order to respond to the difficulties that students may face during their transition year, our high school has implemented several programs. One program that was implemented was to start incoming ninth-graders a day before upperclassmen so that they could have a day at school, become familiar with their classes, meet with a senior mentor, meet teachers, and get acquainted with other new students. The school also sponsors a picnic during lunch that is just for the freshmen. While the transitional program helps most students to adjust within a few weeks, parents and teachers are also alerted to problems that might occur within the first four to five weeks of school through the midterm progress reports. At this time, the students receive a progress report that is also sent home and to the student's counselor. While it is not unusual for freshmen students to have a slight drop in grades, counselors do try to notice if a student is having unusual difficulty. Parents should also review the progress reports and call the school if they feel that their child is not doing as well as might be expected. Then parents, teachers, and students can work together to see what might be interfering with the student's performance.

PN:
What might cause a student to have a drop in grades?

KD:
Sometimes [the cause of] a drop in performance might be as simple as the student being so engaged socially, trying to connect with new friends, that he or she is not devoting enough time to studying. This type of problem can usually be overcome easily, through activities such as organizing an extra study period or alerting the parents that the student needs a quiet place to study or may need more monitoring at home to make sure that he or she is actually "cracking the books." Some other academic problems are also solved by simply connecting the student to the appropriate support systems where he or she can get help, teaching additional study skills, or perhaps just helping the student learn how to prioritize his or her school work. A major transition for many middle school students when they come to high school is simply adjusting to the higher level academics and expectations of teachers.

PN:
Are there other signs of potential problems that parents should watch for?

KD:
Another "red flag" for high school counselors is repeated or increased student absenteeism. Most high schools have programs that monitor whether or not a student is consistently tardy or absent from class. Unexcused absences have consequences, and students who develop a pattern of absenteeism or tardiness are typically brought to the attention of school administrators and counselors. Hopefully, the absenteeism is not a sign that a more serious problem has taken root, but parents should not delay in talking with their child and meeting with school administrators, counselors, or teaching staff to resolve any concerns and keep their child in school. If it appears that the student is struggling with issues that go beyond the scope of the school's ability to respond, the school counselor or staff member will make every effort to link the family to appropriate services within the community.

Editor's note. In some districts, school boards and staff have developed policies that require students with excessive absenteeism, even excessive excused absences, to repeat the class or even the entire grade. With many families in which both parents are working, a growing number of high school students are responsible for getting themselves to and from school. It is not unusual for parents to be unaware that their child has been missing school until they have been contacted by a school administrator or counselor. Parents should find out about their local school's attendance policies and how those policies impact their child, particularly if the teen has had more than three or four absences per school term.

PN:
Is there anything else that parents can do to help ease the transition?

KD:
The most important thing that parents can do is simply "be parents," and do such things as keep lines of communication open, monitor what their teen is doing and who their friends are, and set limits that are consistently enforced. Many parents forget that high-school-age students really need a lot of supervision and family support. Parents still need to be aware of what their older teenager is doing and provide boundaries and reasonable expectations. Some parents get upset if their child isn't making all A's or wants to take an art class or a study hall instead of an advanced placement course. In situations like this, parents need to be aware that their child may be looking for more of a balance in life and may be under a lot of stress. Parents can help by simply listening and supporting their child's appropriate choices. School counselors are available to talk with parents and students if the parents are unsure about the choices that the student needs to make to achieve his or her long-term goals.

For More Information

A Compact for Learning: Roosevelt High School, Dallas, Texas http://npin.org/library/2001/n00533/appA-4.html

Roosevelt High School (The Alliance School Initiative) http://npin.org/library/2001/n00522/rhs.html [NPIN Editor's Note (01-15-03): this url has changed: http://npin.org/library/2001/n00522/appa.html#7]

What Can Parents and Teachers Do if an Adolescent Begins to Fail in School? http://npin.org/library/1999/n00131/n00131.html

School Environments for Young Adolescents: What Parents Should Look For http://npin.org/library/pre1998/n00286/n00286.html

A High School that Works for Kids http://npin.org/pnews/1998/pnew998/spotl998.html

Home Visiting as a Tool to Ease High School Transitions http://npin.org/pnews/2000/pnew900/spot900.html

Mizelle, Nancy B. (1999). Helping middle school students make the transition into high school. ERIC Digest [Online]. Available: http://ericeece.org/pubs/digests/1999/mizell99.html (ERIC Document No. ED432411)

Sources

[1] Baumrind, Diana. (1991). The influence of parenting style on adolescent competence and substance use. Journal of Early Adolescence, 11(1), 56-95.

[2] Mizelle, Nancy B., & Mullins, Emmett. (1997). Transition into and out of middle school. In What current research says to the middle level practitioner (pp. 303-313). Columbus, OH: National Middle School Association. (ERIC Document No. ED427847)

[3] Robertson, Anne S. (1997). If an adolescent begins to fail in school, what can parents and teachers do? ERIC Digest [Online]. Available: http://npin.org/library/2000/n00479/n00479.html (ERIC Document No. ED415001)