Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there is a significant difference between general education high school students at risk who had no Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership Program training and high school students at risk who had completed the Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership Program training as part of the last two years of their high school course of study in regard to (1) high school graduation rates, (2) further training/education, (3) employment status, (4) rate of pay, (5) job advancement, and (6) and how students feel about the usefulness of their high school education (Weigel 1996). Methodology. The population studied consisted of two groups of high school students at risk. Group A, also known as the treatment group, was identified by use of a computer printout of high school students at risk who completed an Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership training course during the 1995–1996 school year in the identified inner-city school in Los Angeles Unified School District; this enrollment was used for data collection purposes. Groups A and B each consisted of a population size of twenty-seven students. The total population of Group A and Group B became the sample. Findings and conclusions. The findings indicate that general education high school students at risk who had Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership Program training had significantly higher graduation rates, completed further training and education, had higher rates of employment, had greater rates of pay, had increased rates of job advancement, and felt that their high school education was more useful than high school students who had no Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership training as part of the last two years of the high school course of study. Recommendations. It is imperative for schools and the business community to continue with even greater effort the coordination and continuity of Adopt-A-School/Business Partnership Programs, job training, school-to-work, and mentoring partnerships. These are critical elements which will assist in preparing students to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.