Educationhttp://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/10211.8_92024-03-29T06:50:54Z2024-03-29T06:50:54ZDisproportionate Representation of School Discipline and its Effect on Student AchievementHailemariam, Yosanhttp://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/2180482020-11-03T22:29:11Z2020-11-03T00:00:00ZDisproportionate Representation of School Discipline and its Effect on Student Achievement
Hailemariam, Yosan
The purpose of this study was to explore the disproportionate representation of school discipline and the effects on academic achievement for African American students. The study examined the suspension and referrals for African American students, the identified behavior, and the location of the incidents. The study also examined the academic achievement of the African American students to understand the relationship between discipline and student achievement. The study was conducted in a middle school in San Bernardino, California with a student population of 818 students. The ethnicities of the students were African American, Latino, Asian, and White. The researcher used quantitative research with descriptive statistics by analyzing academic data and disciplinary data. Based on the data, the researcher found although African American students accounted for slightly more than 9% of the student population, they represented approximately 20% of the total suspensions. Recommendations for the school include incorporating programs such Restorative Justice and Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBiS) with a focus on teacher training to build cultural competency.
2020-11-03T00:00:00ZThe Cultural Growth Mindset of Elementary School Principals and their Influence on the Academic Achievement of Hispanic English LearnersClark, Janehttp://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/2174512020-09-10T17:01:54Z2020-09-10T00:00:00ZThe Cultural Growth Mindset of Elementary School Principals and their Influence on the Academic Achievement of Hispanic English Learners
Clark, Jane
A growing population, Hispanic English learners enrolling in our schools are struggling academically. Learning gaps begin to surface for Hispanic English learners at the elementary level (Gandara, 2012; Genesee, Lindholm-Leary, Saunders, & Christian, 2005; Grasparil & Hernandez, 2015, Umansky & Reardon, 2014). Increasing the level of academic success of Hispanic English learners is a national imperative. The role of the principal has been linked to student success since, through their beliefs and behaviors, principals construct conditions in their schools that shape student learning (Chrispeels, 1992; Marks & Printy, 2003; Supovitz, Sirinides, & May, 2010).
Grounded in a strengths-based theoretical construct— cultural growth mindset, positive school leadership, and strengths-based instructional leadership— this case study was organized under a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design to answer one overarching question and two sub-questions. Two elementary school principals from schools with high populations of English learners were studied. This study explores teacher perceptions of principal behaviors, and principal leadership practices with teachers directly influencing the academic performance of Hispanic English learners. Phase One included an analysis of quantitative results from a survey administered to 35 teachers, 19 from one school, and 16 from the other. In Phase Two, qualitative data contributed to the research as a narrative unfolding through the interviews and observations of the principal participants, a teacher focus group at one school, and a school counselor at the other. Significant themes emanating from this case study were principals’ high learning expectations and a strong belief in students’ ability to succeed. Students’ first language was considered an asset and students’ diverse backgrounds were valued. In addition to strong parental involvement, student emotional well-being was a priority. Principals supported teacher collaboration and demonstrated high trust in teachers’ ability to impact the learning of Hispanic English learners. Collection and analysis of key student data was a principal practice. Integration and interweaving of cultural growth mindset, positive school leadership and strengths-based instructional leadership were essential lenses to fully understand the achievement gains made by the students. The implications this case study presents for educational research, policy, equity, and social justice are discussed. Limitations of the study are addressed.
2020-09-10T00:00:00ZShould Needier Students Get More? The Role of Equity in the Local Control and Accountability Plan ProcessMarovich, Melissahttp://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/2174342020-09-03T16:35:44Z2020-09-03T00:00:00ZShould Needier Students Get More? The Role of Equity in the Local Control and Accountability Plan Process
Marovich, Melissa
The word equity is often used in education yet, there is not a widely agreed upon official definition. Equity might be thought of as equality turned into an action or the process of making something equal and fair. Educational stakeholders are tasked with making sense of equity within the context of student need, through the development of academic goals that prioritize the closing the achievement gap, and the allocation of resources. This dissertation examines how a small sampling of school stakeholders made sense of how equity is defined and implemented in the form of actions and services, and through the allocation of resources to students for whom the achievement gaps persist, through the development of the Local Control and Accountability Plan. This case study of a small school district examined how stakeholders defined equity in the context of student and district need as well as how stakeholders made decisions to allocate services and resources to groups of students, how leaders guided stakeholders toward a common conception of equity in the development of the LCAP, and how stakeholder groups perceived the process. Guided by the sensemaking framework and social network theory, this dissertation examined how stakeholders, made sense of equity for students in word and deed, through the actions and resources discussed and dispersed through the LCAP process.
Understanding how the meaning of equity is developed and implemented through the LCAP process matters because it questions the state of California’s assertion that local stakeholders know what is best for their unique, local population of students. The findings of this study suggest that leaders must attend to the research-based norms of a data-based decision- making process, to build effective collaboration and trust between groups and within systems of organizations. Understanding how stakeholders effectively collaborate to make sense of student need and convey these institutional values will provide insight into how local school districts create equitable systems for increasing academic achievement. The plan that results from this process needs be grounded in true engagement with all actors. Providing needier students with more requires stakeholders to acknowledge disparities in student achievement, access to rigorous programs, systemic barriers and other beliefs which inhibit achievement.
2020-09-03T00:00:00ZMagnet Schools and the Quest for EquityAdams, Nicolehttp://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/2168762020-07-09T22:25:56Z2020-07-09T00:00:00ZMagnet Schools and the Quest for Equity
Adams, Nicole
This mixed methods case study explores the role of magnet schools as a vehicle to promote integration and increase educational opportunity for historically underserved students in the U.S. public education system. Magnet schools were introduced in the 1970s and remain the most popular school choice option. Critics of magnet-based school choice contend that it exacerbates racial and social stratification, while proponents argue that it provides parents with the freedom to choose the school they believe offers their child the best education. The literature reveals two key facets associated with parent choice, factors and processes (Smrekar & Honey, 2015; Bell, 2009). This study explored the factors the research indicates have a major impact on parent choice and used bounded rationality and social capital theories to examine ways of understanding the decision-making process. The research indicates that parents identify academics to be the most significant school characteristic taken into consideration and reveals that race and school demographics may play more of an integral role than previously acknowledged (Smrekar & Honey, 2015). Moreover, the literature demonstrates that the selection process is complex and largely dependent on the context of the school and district (Smrekar & Honey, 2015). Key findings of this study were in alignment with the current literature. This study also included a review of magnet school admissions criteria and utilized critical race theory as a lens through which to examine and identify certain elements of district policies and practices that promoted equity and diversity.
2020-07-09T00:00:00Z