Central+Falls+High+School+Fall+2015

Vivian P. Rodriguez Alexia Williams Simin Fang  Central Falls High School =24 Summer Street = =Central Falls, RI, 02863 = = (401) 727-7710 = = [] =   **//The mission of the Central Falls School Community is to develop its diverse student population into responsible citizens, effective communicators, innovative problem-solvers and critical thinkers who are able to fully participate in and positively contribute to society. //**

Introduction
Central Falls High School is located in Central Falls the smallest city in the smallest state, Rhode Island. CFHS was built in 1927, within the city enabling students to walk to and from school. It is an urban school servicing 9th through 12th grade. Enrollment as of 2015, accounts for 672 students. In conversation with secretary of the school, enrollment has dropped from around 900 students due to the establishment of charter schools in the area. The public schools are losing their high performing students to these charter schools, which is causing a lot of controversy within the school district. Central Falls High School has a faculty and staff of over 100 members, committed to the betterment of their school, students, and the Central Falls community.

The data that will be presented assesses the cultural and community impact on the students attending Central Falls High School. The school’s mission is to improve their climate and culture by ensuring active engagement within their student population. Central Falls High School identifies three main goals for academic achievement. These goals are: - Increasing student graduation rate. - Improving proficiency rates in mathematics. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">- Improving the school climate and culture.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">In addition to their academic goals, the school offers many co-curricular activities that further advance the involvement of their students in school and in their greater community. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The city of Central Falls is located in the Providence County in the State of Rhode Island. Central Falls has a population of around 19,328 people as of July 1, 2014. Central Falls is best known for its ethnic and religious diversity. The city’s former history focused on the building of mills and the industrialization of a small city. With an area of 1.29 square miles, Central Falls is the smallest, most densely populated town in RI. Today, Central Falls history is defined by the frequent arrivals of Latino immigrants. It is a culturally rich community that offers its residents with a sense of pride in its diversity. The 2010 Rhode Island US Census ruled Central Falls the only state in RI that is a, “majority minority.” The population consists of more foreign born and non-English speaking residents than any other place in Rhode Island. The city brands themselves as the, “City for All People.”

<span style="color: #ff0022; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">Community Background
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The most staggering statistic is the amount of people living below the poverty level in Central Falls. 30.7% of Central Falls residents live below the poverty level, in comparison to the 13.6% in all of Rhode Island. This speaks miles to the severity of the poverty issue in this community. The majority of this community is not native to the United States. The foreign born population was estimated in 2014 at around 7,690 people. In such a small community, this number conveys the density in Central Falls. The median household income for Central Falls residents is about $20,000 less than the median amount for families in RI. Looking at the median family income, there is about a $30,000 difference in comparison to the median amount produced in RI. These numbers show the economic disparity within this community on a statewide and national level.

|| <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$72,717 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$64,719  || (US Census 2009-13)
 * || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central Falls **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rhode Island **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">United States **  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Median Household Income ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$ 27,9933 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$56,361  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$ 53,046  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Median family income ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">$ 33,429
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">All families below poverty level ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">29.6% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">9.6%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">11.3%  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">All people below the poverty level ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">30.7% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">13.6%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">15.4%  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">High school graduate or higher ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">52.2% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">85.2%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">86%  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Population Estimate (2014) ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">19,328 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">1,055,173  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">318,857,056  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Population (Foreign Born; 2014) ** || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">7,690 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">137,958  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: right;">40,341,898  ||

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 14.3px;">This bar graph depicts the ethnic background represented in: the most diverse town ( Central Falls), least diverse town (Barrington), and Statewide. 73% of Central Falls residents are of Latino background. A significant portion of the Latino population is focused in Central Falls, when comparing the Statewide average of 24%. When looking at the town with the least diversity, Barrington ranks the highest with 89% of their population being white.

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(US Census 2009-13)

= = =<span style="color: #ff0022; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%;">District Summary =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> A student subsidized meal plan is established by the household income of that student. In Central Falls, the town with the lowest income in RI, 66% of students qualify for this type of Federal benefit. The table below covers data from the lowest performing school in RI and its standing amongst the highest performing school in RI. In Central Falls High School, 66% of students are eligible for subsidized lunch, while in Barrington High School, only 4% of students are able to do so. It indicates that most families in Central Falls have lower income than families in Barrington. In terms of receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, 28% of students in Central Falls High School are receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services, while only 1% of students in Barrington High School are doing so. According to the Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds above, it can be seen that the majority of people in Central Falls are Hispanic, while the majority of people in Barrington are white. This explains why more students in Central Falls High school are receiving ESL/Bilingual Education Services. For students who are receiving Special Education Services, 23% of students in Central Falls High School are receiving Special Education Services while 12% of students in Barrington High School are doing so. This indicates students in Central Falls High School need special education more than students in Barrington High School.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">According to the table below, the attendance in Central Falls High School is 88%, while the attendance in state and in Barrington High School is 92% and 95% respectively, which are both higher than in Central Falls High School. The chronic absenteeism in Central Falls High School is 40%, while in State and in Barrington High School is 24% and 7% respectively, which are both lower than in Central Falls High School. These basically shows that students in Central Falls High School are more easily to skip classes. Lower family income may require students to take part-time jobs, which will make students in Central Falls High School to skip classes more often. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 1.5;">Graduation Rate ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The graduation rate in Central Falls, considering the extenuating circumstances, are reasonable. Assuming that a majority of Central Falls adolescence live in poverty, work, or do not have access to adequate schooling, these statistics seem representative. It may be concluded that the dropout rate is high for Central Falls also due to circumstances previously mentioned.
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students Characteristics ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">State ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central Falls ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barrington ** ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students eligibility for subsidized lunch || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">47% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">66% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">4% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students Receiving ESL/ Bilingual Education Services || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">7% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">28% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">1% ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Students receiving Special Education Services || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">15% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">23% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">12% ||
 * <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Attendance Rate **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Attendance ** || **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">State **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central Falls **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barrington **  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rate || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">92% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">88%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">95%  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chronic Absenteeism || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">24% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">40%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">7%  ||
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Graduation Rate ** ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">State **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central Falls **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barrington **  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Percent graduated within Four years || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">80.7% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">72%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">94%  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Percent dropped out || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">8% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">12.6%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">1.1%  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Percent graduated within Five years || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">3.8% || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">4.7%  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">2.8%  ||

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Incidents of suspension are always quite vague. One can be suspended for chronic absenteeism, tardiness, misbehavior, or violent behavior. The high number of student suspensions in Central Falls may simply be due to the circumstances characteristic of that environment. ** School Analysis ** Central Falls ranks very low in comparison to the top performing district in RI. Math and Science scores are the most staggering statistic at around 10% proficiency in comparison to Barrington's 75%. Second lowest performance is seen in Writing. Central Falls is placed at 35% while Barrington is at 80%. The scores are related to the student population. Barrington High School has a way larger school population than Central Falls High School. Considering the needs of the population and their accessibility to resources, is often ignored when assessing these standardized scores.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 1.5;">Suspension **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Incidents of suspension ** ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">State **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Central Falls **  ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barrington **  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Number of Incidents per year || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">15867 || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">126  || <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">56  ||



The highest performing district has teachers who are highly qualified and have updated certification for safety, diversity, etc. Central Falls has a percentage of four in regard to the qualifications of Teachers. The lack of preparedness on the administrative level, explains the staggering statistics representative of the students. Central Falls High School has the lowest performance in the state of Rhode Island. Due to their immigrant population, population density, lack of funding, and unavailability of resources. Central Falls is still struggling with retention at their schools. Just this Fall, enrollment at Central Falls dropped from 900 students to 600 students. In discussion with the faculty at Central Falls High School it was explained that many of the youth may return to their countries of origin for legal or financial reasons. Other reasons include having to work, lack of motivation, or discouragement. The town has made significant strides to highlight and embrace the diversity of the members living there. This town is up and coming, requires the diligence of parents, teachers, students,and policy makers.
 * Qualifications and Teacher- Student Ratio || State || Central Falls || Barrington ||
 * Classes taught by Not Highly Qualified Teachers (All Schools) || 1% || 4% || 0% ||
 * Teaches with Emergency Certification || 1% || 4% || 0% ||
 * Teacher- Student Ratio (Classroom Teachers) || 1:14 || 1:14 || 1:14 ||
 * <span style="color: #ff0022; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 200%; line-height: 1.5;">Conclusion **

=<span style="color: #ff0022; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 140%; text-align: left;">References =

=** //United States Census Buraeu: American Fact Finder.// (2013). Retrieved from [] **=
 * //Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.// (2015). Retrieved from [] **


 * //InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting.// (2015). Retrieved from [] **

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