The K-12 Achievement Gap
Scroll below to select research from the following scholars
@HarrisLeads
Dr. Denita Harris @HarrisLeads
Title: LAP Curriculum Coordinator
Research Topic: The Role of the Superintendent in Closing the Achievement Gap Between African American and Caucasian Students
Institution: Purdue University
Committee Chair: Dr. Marilyn Hirth
Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to closely examine the role of the superintendent in his or her attempt to close the achievement gap between Caucasian and African American students, with specific inquiry into the academic performance of these students on the 8th grade Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus. The research consisted of a qualitative study interview approach where three Indiana superintendents of fairly large, diverse school districts of 10,000 + students participated in a combined interview approach of both informal conversations with standardized open-ended questions. The theoretical framework for the qualitative study was hermeneutic phenomenology. Data collected came directly from the interviews conducted with three acting superintendents. The interviews were administered in the personal offices of each participating superintendent. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed before the coding process and item analysis was carried out. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to understand the world or in this case, the role of the superintendent who closes the achievement gap, from their experiences and perspectives.
The main purpose of this study was to thoroughly examine the actions, strategies, and techniques of a superintendent who seeks to close the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students. This study was intended to provide both current and aspiring superintendents essential skills and methods that could be transferred to any school district and who is determined to close the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students.
Click below to download the study.
Title: LAP Curriculum Coordinator
Research Topic: The Role of the Superintendent in Closing the Achievement Gap Between African American and Caucasian Students
Institution: Purdue University
Committee Chair: Dr. Marilyn Hirth
Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative study was to closely examine the role of the superintendent in his or her attempt to close the achievement gap between Caucasian and African American students, with specific inquiry into the academic performance of these students on the 8th grade Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus. The research consisted of a qualitative study interview approach where three Indiana superintendents of fairly large, diverse school districts of 10,000 + students participated in a combined interview approach of both informal conversations with standardized open-ended questions. The theoretical framework for the qualitative study was hermeneutic phenomenology. Data collected came directly from the interviews conducted with three acting superintendents. The interviews were administered in the personal offices of each participating superintendent. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed before the coding process and item analysis was carried out. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to understand the world or in this case, the role of the superintendent who closes the achievement gap, from their experiences and perspectives.
The main purpose of this study was to thoroughly examine the actions, strategies, and techniques of a superintendent who seeks to close the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students. This study was intended to provide both current and aspiring superintendents essential skills and methods that could be transferred to any school district and who is determined to close the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students.
Click below to download the study.
| final_d_harris_dissertation_deposit_1.pdf |
@MattHarrisEdD
Dr. Matt Harris @MattHarrisEdD
Title: Owner and Chief Consultant, International EdTech
Research Topic: Student Learning Outcomes in One-to-One Laptop Programs in Low Socioeconomic Schools
Institution: San Francisco State University
Committee Chair: Sheldon Gen, Ph.D.
Abstract: At present, a majority of one-to-one student laptop programs exist in schools that serve affluent communities, which denies low socioeconomic students the learning benefits of ubiquitous access to technology. Using a “Studying Up – Studying Down” paradigm, this multi-site case study collected mixed method data from program participants at five laptop programs to identify student learning outcomes of one-to-one student laptop programs, especially those with the greatest potential impact on low socioeconomic students. Findings showed that laptop programs affected all three levels of the Educational Digital Divide and that laptop students experienced transformed scholastic learning, changes to the learning environment, technology skills attainment, impacts on communication, and responsibility development. For low socioeconomic students, laptop programs impacted learning in the aforementioned areas to a higher degree than non-low socioeconomic students, while also improving career potential, expanding worldviews, and empowering communities through technology learning extended to students’ families. Implications suggest that one-to-one student laptop programs can be effective educational investments for low socioeconomic schools.
Click below to download the study.
Title: Owner and Chief Consultant, International EdTech
Research Topic: Student Learning Outcomes in One-to-One Laptop Programs in Low Socioeconomic Schools
Institution: San Francisco State University
Committee Chair: Sheldon Gen, Ph.D.
Abstract: At present, a majority of one-to-one student laptop programs exist in schools that serve affluent communities, which denies low socioeconomic students the learning benefits of ubiquitous access to technology. Using a “Studying Up – Studying Down” paradigm, this multi-site case study collected mixed method data from program participants at five laptop programs to identify student learning outcomes of one-to-one student laptop programs, especially those with the greatest potential impact on low socioeconomic students. Findings showed that laptop programs affected all three levels of the Educational Digital Divide and that laptop students experienced transformed scholastic learning, changes to the learning environment, technology skills attainment, impacts on communication, and responsibility development. For low socioeconomic students, laptop programs impacted learning in the aforementioned areas to a higher degree than non-low socioeconomic students, while also improving career potential, expanding worldviews, and empowering communities through technology learning extended to students’ families. Implications suggest that one-to-one student laptop programs can be effective educational investments for low socioeconomic schools.
Click below to download the study.
| mjh_dissertation.pdf |
@emckoy
Dr. Essie Manley Mckoy @emckoy
Title: President/CEO/Founder Dr. Essie Speaks, LLC
Research Topic: A Study of Elementary Principals’ Perceptions of Accountability and Leadership in an Era of High Stakes Testing
Institution: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Committee Chair: Dr. Carl Lashley
Abstract: The most significant pressures facing school principals in this decade are accountability and the need for them to lead effectively. To better understand these challenges, the purpose of this research was to ascertain some of the perceptions of elementary school principals toward accountability, examine how accountability has affected their leadership role, determine which leadership frameworks most often produced accountability success, and how they manage their perceptions to lead to success.
The literature speaks in specific terms both about accountability and the presented leadership frameworks. There is minimal research that examines the perceptions of elementary school principals and the dominant framework in which they operate to create success. In this qualitative study a forum was created inviting a purposeful sample of elementary school principals serving different types of schools.
An interview-based approach was the primary research method used to gather data using the principles of grounded theory. Ten elementary school principals shared their perceptions of accountability and how they manage it, the effects of accountability, and what they thought to be their dominate leadership framework used to create success. Half of the participants were principals from highly impacted schools and the other half were from non-highly impacted schools.
These participants’ perceptions inform the reader about the experiences and perspectives of the different aspects of accountability and leadership in hopes of creating a deeper understanding. They did not simply share about these experiences—they allowed the reader to gain insight. Consequently, leadership issues were not viewed in unrealistic ways but as the reality of specific experiences that transpired in the lives of participants. While policy makers and school leaders focus heavily on academic performance for students, participants demonstrated that educating students is about far more than accountability. The whole child concept and other factors impacting academic achievement must be taken into consideration when creating accountability guidelines and mandates. Leaders who have listened and understood these experiences can be a voice of reason for policymakers and others helping to create accountability models. The experiences shared from this group of school principals demonstrate how this could be accomplished.
Click Below to Download the Study
Title: President/CEO/Founder Dr. Essie Speaks, LLC
Research Topic: A Study of Elementary Principals’ Perceptions of Accountability and Leadership in an Era of High Stakes Testing
Institution: The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Committee Chair: Dr. Carl Lashley
Abstract: The most significant pressures facing school principals in this decade are accountability and the need for them to lead effectively. To better understand these challenges, the purpose of this research was to ascertain some of the perceptions of elementary school principals toward accountability, examine how accountability has affected their leadership role, determine which leadership frameworks most often produced accountability success, and how they manage their perceptions to lead to success.
The literature speaks in specific terms both about accountability and the presented leadership frameworks. There is minimal research that examines the perceptions of elementary school principals and the dominant framework in which they operate to create success. In this qualitative study a forum was created inviting a purposeful sample of elementary school principals serving different types of schools.
An interview-based approach was the primary research method used to gather data using the principles of grounded theory. Ten elementary school principals shared their perceptions of accountability and how they manage it, the effects of accountability, and what they thought to be their dominate leadership framework used to create success. Half of the participants were principals from highly impacted schools and the other half were from non-highly impacted schools.
These participants’ perceptions inform the reader about the experiences and perspectives of the different aspects of accountability and leadership in hopes of creating a deeper understanding. They did not simply share about these experiences—they allowed the reader to gain insight. Consequently, leadership issues were not viewed in unrealistic ways but as the reality of specific experiences that transpired in the lives of participants. While policy makers and school leaders focus heavily on academic performance for students, participants demonstrated that educating students is about far more than accountability. The whole child concept and other factors impacting academic achievement must be taken into consideration when creating accountability guidelines and mandates. Leaders who have listened and understood these experiences can be a voice of reason for policymakers and others helping to create accountability models. The experiences shared from this group of school principals demonstrate how this could be accomplished.
Click Below to Download the Study
| dissertation_mckoy.pdf |
@bootheusd231
Dr. Ben Boothe @bootheusd231
Title: Director of Secondary Educational Services
Research Topic: Classroom Walkthroughs: Impact on Student Achievement
Institution: Baker University
Committee Chair:
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate Kansas Learning Network (KLN) school principals’ perceptions related to the classroom walkthrough process. Four research questions guided the study: (1) To what extent do principals perceive that the classroom walk through process has an impact on student learning? (2) To what extent do principals perceive that their school’s classroom walk through model is an effective process for measuring the use of research-based instructional strategies? (3) To what extent do principals perceive that data collected during classroom walk throughs are used to inform the creation of job-embedded professional development? and (4) To what extent do principals perceive that data collected during classroom walk throughs are used to measure prior job-embedded professional development? To answer the research questions, a quantitative research method was used. The population of interest was all school principals in Kansas. The sample for this study consisted of principals in 345 KLN schools, as of September 2011. Each research hypotheses was tested using a one sample t test to compare the mean responses in the survey regarding the principals’ perceptions of the classroom walk through process. The results indicated that a statistically significant relationship did exist for each of the research questions. The research supports the concept that conducting classroom walk throughs leads to increased student learning, instruction of higher quality, and more effective professional development.
Click Below to Download the Study
Title: Director of Secondary Educational Services
Research Topic: Classroom Walkthroughs: Impact on Student Achievement
Institution: Baker University
Committee Chair:
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate Kansas Learning Network (KLN) school principals’ perceptions related to the classroom walkthrough process. Four research questions guided the study: (1) To what extent do principals perceive that the classroom walk through process has an impact on student learning? (2) To what extent do principals perceive that their school’s classroom walk through model is an effective process for measuring the use of research-based instructional strategies? (3) To what extent do principals perceive that data collected during classroom walk throughs are used to inform the creation of job-embedded professional development? and (4) To what extent do principals perceive that data collected during classroom walk throughs are used to measure prior job-embedded professional development? To answer the research questions, a quantitative research method was used. The population of interest was all school principals in Kansas. The sample for this study consisted of principals in 345 KLN schools, as of September 2011. Each research hypotheses was tested using a one sample t test to compare the mean responses in the survey regarding the principals’ perceptions of the classroom walk through process. The results indicated that a statistically significant relationship did exist for each of the research questions. The research supports the concept that conducting classroom walk throughs leads to increased student learning, instruction of higher quality, and more effective professional development.
Click Below to Download the Study
| boothe_ben.pdf |
@MNTOY2006
Dr. Lee-Ann Stephens @MNTOY2006
Title: Racial Equity Instructional Coach
Research Topic: A Phenomenological Study of the Students Who Were Actively Engaged in the High Achievement Program at a Suburban High School
Institution: Bethel University
Committee Chair: Dr. Mary Michener Schulze
Abstract: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes are seen as steppingstones to college. There is a belief that these classes are the foundation of collegiate matriculation for students of color. In response to this pathway the High Achievement Program at a suburban high school was created in 2005 to increase the number of Latino and African American students in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and honors classes and offer them academic and social support. This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of African American and Latino students who were actively engaged in a suburban high school’s High Achievement Program with the emergence of the following themes: (1) empowerment, (2) a sense of belonging through racial affinity, (3) the school’s culture and (4) the impact of the High Achievement Program on their college experience. Insights gained from this study are: (1) the participants in the study benefitted socially, emotionally and academically from the program, (2) the participants felt affirmed and safe in groups of racial affinity, (3) being clustered with other African Americans and Latinos in AP/IB/honors classes eliminated the participants’ feelings of isolation and hypervisibility, and (4) the participants valued the relationship and support provided by the High Achievement Program Coordinator.
Click Below to Download the Study
Title: Racial Equity Instructional Coach
Research Topic: A Phenomenological Study of the Students Who Were Actively Engaged in the High Achievement Program at a Suburban High School
Institution: Bethel University
Committee Chair: Dr. Mary Michener Schulze
Abstract: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes are seen as steppingstones to college. There is a belief that these classes are the foundation of collegiate matriculation for students of color. In response to this pathway the High Achievement Program at a suburban high school was created in 2005 to increase the number of Latino and African American students in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and honors classes and offer them academic and social support. This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of African American and Latino students who were actively engaged in a suburban high school’s High Achievement Program with the emergence of the following themes: (1) empowerment, (2) a sense of belonging through racial affinity, (3) the school’s culture and (4) the impact of the High Achievement Program on their college experience. Insights gained from this study are: (1) the participants in the study benefitted socially, emotionally and academically from the program, (2) the participants felt affirmed and safe in groups of racial affinity, (3) being clustered with other African Americans and Latinos in AP/IB/honors classes eliminated the participants’ feelings of isolation and hypervisibility, and (4) the participants valued the relationship and support provided by the High Achievement Program Coordinator.
Click Below to Download the Study
| a_phenomenological_study_of_the_students_who_were_actively_engaged_in_the_high_achievement_program_at_a_suburban_high_school.pdf |
Dr. Ronald Taylor
Title: Superintendent of Schools/Adjunct Professor Rowan University
Research Topic: School Facilities in the Nation’s Capital: An Analysis of Student Achievement, Attendance, and Truancy
Institution: The George Washington University
Committee Chair: Dr. Linda Lemasters
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between the condition of school facilities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), as measured by the Facilities Condition Index (FCI), and academic proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition, (Stanford 9) in 2005, as well as attendance and truancy rates for the corresponding school year.
This quantitative study consisted of a non experimental design wherein the academic and social proficiencies of students in schools whose facilities were deemed acceptable were compared to those whose facilities were categorized as unacceptable. A Spearman rho correlation served as a confirmation of the strength and consistency of the possible relationship between school facilities and student achievement, attendance, and truancy.
The examination of the DCPS 2005 Stanford 9 testing data, 2005 DCPS FCI rates, and attendance and truancy rates indicated that students attending schools categorized as acceptable were higher performers in all four aforementioned categories of achievement. The Spearman rho correlation confirmed these findings by establishing a consistent relationship; as the FCI of a building improved so did the students’ achievement measure.
The study’s data supported the following conclusion: A consistent measurable relationship exists between the variable of building facility condition and the variables of reading proficiency, mathematics proficiency, attendance, and truancy rates.
Click Below to Download the Study
Title: Superintendent of Schools/Adjunct Professor Rowan University
Research Topic: School Facilities in the Nation’s Capital: An Analysis of Student Achievement, Attendance, and Truancy
Institution: The George Washington University
Committee Chair: Dr. Linda Lemasters
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship between the condition of school facilities in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), as measured by the Facilities Condition Index (FCI), and academic proficiencies in mathematics and reading, as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition, (Stanford 9) in 2005, as well as attendance and truancy rates for the corresponding school year.
This quantitative study consisted of a non experimental design wherein the academic and social proficiencies of students in schools whose facilities were deemed acceptable were compared to those whose facilities were categorized as unacceptable. A Spearman rho correlation served as a confirmation of the strength and consistency of the possible relationship between school facilities and student achievement, attendance, and truancy.
The examination of the DCPS 2005 Stanford 9 testing data, 2005 DCPS FCI rates, and attendance and truancy rates indicated that students attending schools categorized as acceptable were higher performers in all four aforementioned categories of achievement. The Spearman rho correlation confirmed these findings by establishing a consistent relationship; as the FCI of a building improved so did the students’ achievement measure.
The study’s data supported the following conclusion: A consistent measurable relationship exists between the variable of building facility condition and the variables of reading proficiency, mathematics proficiency, attendance, and truancy rates.
Click Below to Download the Study
| grt.pdf |
Dr. Jo Ann Neal
Title: History Teacher (Language Arts Integration)
Research Topic: Examination of Resource Allocation and Student Achievement
Institution: Walden University
Committee Chair: Dr. Dannett Babb
Abstract: Abstract Despite the raise in per-pupil expenditures, the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students continues to increase. Education proponents are scrambling to understand the complexities of local school funding. The No Child Left behind deadline stipulated that all students must be proficient in language arts and mathematics by 2014. The constructivist theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Performance data were obtained from the State of New Jersey Department of Education and the United States Department of Education. This quantitative study determined whether a significant relationship exists between the allocation of fiscal resources and students test scores. Improvement District Survey data were obtained from the New Jersey school district. District test results for Grades 6, 7, and 8 in language arts and mathematics from the 2011-2012 school year were used. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between the allocation of fiscal resources and student achievement other than a significant relationship (25%) between mathematics achievement and educational media services/school library. The Improvement District Survey results revealed that the New Jersey district is capable of aligning their improvement efforts with the barriers and challenges of teachers. These findings have implications for positive social change for education officials by informing their allocation of fiscal resources. This informed approach will support increased student achievement and will add to the current research of allocation patterns and student performance.
Click Below to Download the Study
Title: History Teacher (Language Arts Integration)
Research Topic: Examination of Resource Allocation and Student Achievement
Institution: Walden University
Committee Chair: Dr. Dannett Babb
Abstract: Abstract Despite the raise in per-pupil expenditures, the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students continues to increase. Education proponents are scrambling to understand the complexities of local school funding. The No Child Left behind deadline stipulated that all students must be proficient in language arts and mathematics by 2014. The constructivist theory served as the conceptual framework for the study. Performance data were obtained from the State of New Jersey Department of Education and the United States Department of Education. This quantitative study determined whether a significant relationship exists between the allocation of fiscal resources and students test scores. Improvement District Survey data were obtained from the New Jersey school district. District test results for Grades 6, 7, and 8 in language arts and mathematics from the 2011-2012 school year were used. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between the allocation of fiscal resources and student achievement other than a significant relationship (25%) between mathematics achievement and educational media services/school library. The Improvement District Survey results revealed that the New Jersey district is capable of aligning their improvement efforts with the barriers and challenges of teachers. These findings have implications for positive social change for education officials by informing their allocation of fiscal resources. This informed approach will support increased student achievement and will add to the current research of allocation patterns and student performance.
Click Below to Download the Study
| dissertation_dr._jo_ann_neal_ed.d..pdf |