The freshman year of high school can be a pivotal time for students — often with a move to a larger building, more demanding classes, and a new social scene.

Research shows if students can successfully transition into high school that first year, they are more likely to stay in school and graduate than those who struggle. To help support students in smaller, engaging learning environments, many districts have experimented with Ninth Grade Academies (NGAs).

Now, a study looking at efforts to roll out NGAs in the mid-2000s at high schools in southern Florida's Broward County has been released by MDRC, the nonprofit education and social-policy-research organization with offices in New York and California.

The review focuses on how well the 250,000-student district did in getting such a complicated reform in place, rather than assessing the effect of the new model. Researchers discovered the launching process was difficult...

...The MDRC researchers suggest that more training and resources are needed for teachers, as well as specific guidelines and on-site support to make this model more effective....

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