Recent Publications by Clarisse Haxton
Publication
Going Small: Progress and Challenges of Philadelphia’s Small High Schools
Between 2003 and 2007, and without significant outside funding, the School District of Philadelphia created 25 new small high schools. This study, begun by Research for Action in 2006, follows the start-up and early implementation…
Publication
Challenges to Freshman Year Interventions in Philadelphia
Philadelphia made early investments in reforms designed to address the challenges of large neighborhood high schools, including supports for the critical ninth grade transition year. Well over a decade later, our research shows that freshman…
Publication
Transition to High School: School ‘Choice’ and Freshman Year in Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia’s tiered system of selective, nonselective, and charter high schools, and the process for high school choice, has created real variation in the degree to which high schools can successfully meet…
Publication
Uneven Playing Field: Demographic Differences and High School ‘Choice’ in Philadelphia
Every fall, eighth graders participate in the School District of Philadelphia’s high school application and admissions process, vying for spots in a tiered system of public high schools across the city. This policy brief looks…
Publication
Bridging the Gap: How Students from Immigrant Families Navigate Philadelphia’s High School Application Process
School choice research tends to focus on parent management of decisions, but this brief recognizes the critical role of students in managing the high school application process, particularly for adolescents from immigrant families whose parents…
Publication
Counselors are Critical: How Middle School Counselors Can Support Students in Philadelphia’s High School Application Process
This brief draws on the data from interviews with counselors, 8th grade students, and parents, as well as observations of parent meetings, counselor meetings, assembly presentations and a day at the SDP High School Expo,…