The Influence of Academic Setting of Girls in Middle School Math and Science in an All Girls School Compared to Girls in a Traditional Setting

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The concept of the academic setting, with its attempts to address the needs of academic setting of girls in middle school, has an extensive history. Its beginnings can be traced as far back of the century, when educators were in search of a middle school that could "serve as a site for production of alternative and or oppositional cultural practices". The Merriam- Webster Dictionary (2004) offered three definitions of the word alternative. They were "offering or expressing a choice, "different from the usual or conventional," "and existing or functioning outside the established cultural, social, or economic system". When these definitions are applied to public schools, they highlight the differences between traditional settings in middle schools and girls in schools in the areas of the programs that serve student's academic setting of girls in middle school.

The majority of girls in the United States are educated in traditional settings of middle schools. Yet many alternatives to traditional middle schooling exist and are serving a significant number of students. Some of the available alternatives include charter schools, magnet programs, distance learning programs, home schooling, and private schools (Funkhouser, 2000). These educational options have emerged for many reasons, and in general, advocates have argued that multiple educational models are essential to meeting the needs of all students (Barr & Parrett, 2001; Natriello, McDill, & Pallas, 1990; Young, 1990). Girls in middle schools and programs have comprised one educational option often designated as a setting for students who have not succeeded in traditional schools.

Kleiner, Porch, and Farris (2002) reported that the number of girls in middle schools serving students at-risk of school failure has grown significantly over the past decade. According to Hoffman (2001),3,850 public girls in middle schools existed in the United States during the 1997-1998 academic year. In 2002, the number increased to nearly 11,000 public girls in middle schools and programs for at-risk students (Kleiner et al., 2002). Similarly, legislation on girls in middle schools has increased significantly across the nation. In 1998, researchers reported that 22 states had some form of legislation on girls in middle schools (Katsiyannis & Williams, 1998). At-risk students were served in over 11,000 girls in middle schools in the United States in 2003 (NCES, 2003). In the state of Texas, 417 campuses were registered as AECs as of May 19, 2006 (TEA, 2006b).

Scanlon and Mellard (2002) reported factors that pushed students ...