An Analysis of the Impact of "Success for All" on Reading, Attendance, and Academic Self-Efficacy With At-Risk Elementary School

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative/qualitative evaluation study was to analyze the impact of the Success for All (SFA) program on reading achievement, attendance, and academic self-efficacy. Robert Slavin (1996) and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University developed the Success for All program, which incorporates a comprehensive school restructuring approach. This program focuses on improving achievement of at-risk children and aims to have every child reading on or above grade level by grade three (Slavin, 1996).

Two urban, schoolwide Title I elementary schools were compared using a non-equivalent matched group, evaluation design. Stanford 9 reading comprehension scores and attendance data were analyzed through an Analysis of Variance. Results yielded positive effects for group membership (SFA, non-SFA) in reading achievement and reading self-efficacy with mean scores of 58.6 NCEs vs 33.6 NCEs and 86.6 vs 68.7 respectively. Focus group results showed strong parental and staff support for the program.

Implications are presented along with suggested future avenues of research such as the SFA program's impact over time and the investigation of the program's impact on other measures of achievement.