A Study of the Effectiveness of an Online Credit Recovery Initiative in Preventing High School Dropouts

According to the Texas Public Education Information and Management System (PEIMS) Student Data Report (2011), a total of 21,813 students in the class of 2011, Grade 9 cohort, dropped out. The focus of this study is to determine the current state of online learning opportunities available to at-risk, inner-city youth, in order for them to complete their high school diploma. A non-experimental, descriptive design research study was conducted. The study looked at a population of inner-city students who completed online credit recovery programs, as well as inner-city students who completed credit recovery courses through a traditional model, focusing on graduation rates. This study found that students had a higher graduation rate in online credit recovery courses, while fewer students that completed traditional credit recovery graduated. Results suggest that online learning has the potential to decrease the number of dropouts in urban areas, allowing more students to successfully gain a high school diploma.