The transition to high school has been identified by researchers as a pivotal point in students' lives. The addition of a Freshman Academy in some schools has targeted the 9th grade year to ease students' transition to high school and increase the likelihood of academic success. One purpose of this study is to compare student outcomes of schools that have implemented a Freshman Academy with schools that have not. Student outcomes are defined for this study to include graduation rates, attendance rates, instances of out-of-school suspensions, and instances of expulsions. The second purpose of this study is to compare student outcomes before and after implementation of a Freshman Academy. Two research questions were analyzed to determine the impact of the implementation of the Freshman Academy on student outcomes. A 2-way chi square analysis of variance was used for each research question. There was a significant difference in the instances of out-of-school suspensions for schools that have a Freshman Academy and schools that do not. Instances of out-of-school suspensions were higher in schools with a Freshman Academy. No significant difference was found between graduation rates, attendance rates, or instances of expulsions for schools that have a Freshman Academy and schools that do not. There was a significant difference in instances of out-of-school suspensions before and after implementation of Freshman Academy. The instances of out-of-school suspensions decreased after the implementation of Freshman Academy. No significant difference was found in graduation rates, attendance rates, or instances of expulsions before and after implementation of Freshman Academy.

The Diploma thesis focuses on the drop-out of beginning teachers. Theoretical part elaborates on the phenomenon of drop-out, it describes the reasons why the beginning teachers leave and why they are the group of teachers which is the most threatened by drop-out. Furthermore, this part describes problems that beginning teachers have to deal with and the most frequent reasons for leaving the profession, their rate and consequences of drop-out. The end of the theoretical part presents options and suggestions that would help solve this problem. The empirical part of the thesis is realized by an on-line questionnaire and in-depth interviews. The research focuses on four main aspects: 1 - the motivation to study the teaching and to practise it, 2 - the main reasons for new teachers to leave, 3 - the possibilities to prevent drop-out and 4 - whether the respondents continue to work with children or not. Last but not least, the research focuses on the possibilities that would help respondents to stay in the profession. The results of the research confirm the reasons for quiting as described by literature. The qualitative description of the reasons for drop-outs provides a deeper understanding of how they interact in an institutional, interactive and cultural level. KEYWORDS Induction period, teacher...