In 2018-19, under the direction of the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of High School Supports (OHSS), 27 District high schools implemented a Ninth-Grade Academy (NGA), an approach intended to smooth the transition for students from eighth to ninth grade. The Academy approach is holistic and focused on creating a community where ninth-graders can create a strong high school foundation that will lead to graduation in four years. A designated ninth-grade Assistant Principal (AP) was assigned to each Academy to lead implementation.

This report draws on qualitative data from interviews with 24 NGA APs. It focuses on the following four research questions:

  1. How do Assistant Principals (APs) understand their role in the context of the NGA model?
  2. According to APs, what are the successes and challenges of NGA implementation?
  3. To what extent have schools been able to implement certain components of the NGA model?
  4. What supports, resources, and contextual factors, if any, have APs found helpful to NGA implementation?

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