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The purpose of this research was to examine the work/study program at an all male, inner-city secondary school with a low-income minority student population to understand why and how the work/study program affects the students' sense of school membership. This study built on previous research on school membership, but with the added dimension of examining how partnering with businesses impacts school membership. Yin's (2003) guidelines for case studies were used to direct this study based on Wehlage's, et al (1989) theory of school membership. Data collection included interviews, observations, and document analyses.
Findings from this study indicate that, in general, the work/study program has a positive impact on school membership. Of particular note, students were able to connect the work they do with their present and future lives. Additionally, students expressed pride in their school, particularly with respect to the work/study program. Faculty believed that the work/study program enhanced classroom instruction and enabled them to “get more real” with the students. Corporate supervisors, while uncertain about their proper role with students as employees, persistently maintained high expectations of the students.
Findings also indicated that even though the work/study program positively impacted students' sense of school membership, some aspects of the program need to be improved to increase school membership. Perhaps the most significant barrier to a stronger sense of school membership arose from inadequate orientation of corporate supervisors. Supervisors were left to struggle with creating jobs for students where no job previously existed and with no knowledge of students' skill sets. Additionally, supervisors had to adjust expectations as they discovered the developmental differences between 9th grade and 12th grade student employees.
The information gathered in this study informs educational practice in several areas: the importance of promoting positive adult/student relationships; enhancing school membership by addressing those aspects that act as barriers to school membership; the need to explore further the relationships between school-business partnerships and school membership; and the need to investigate further the components of successful school-business partnerships that enhance school membership.