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The Impact of Smaller Learning Communities on Closing the

Achievement Gaps among Student Population Groups in Texas High

Schools

A Dissertation Proposal by

Alex TorrezDissertation Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

Ph.D. Program in Educational Leadership

Committee Member• Donald Collins, Ph.D.

• Carl Gardiner, Ed.D.

• Douglas Hermond, Ph.D.

• Solomon Osho, Ph.D.

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Dissertation Defense Format

I. Conceptual FrameworkII. Purpose of the StudyIII. Research QuestionsIV. MethodV. Review of Literature

Smaller Learning Communities

Conceptual Framework

19th- 20

th C

entu

ry

Trad

ition

al

Educ

atio

nal M

odel

Student Academic Achievement Gaps

21st C

entury

Educational Model

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19th Century Classroom

6

20th Century Classroom

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Theoretical Framework4 Areas of Relevance

Smaller Learning

Communities

ELA/Mathematics TAKS/Eco. Disadvantaged

Attendance

ELA/Mathematics TAKS/Sub-Populations

Completion/Drop Out Rate

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Purpose of the Study

• The purpose of this conceptual quantitative study is to determine if a difference exists between the implementation of the career-themed smaller SLC design and an increase in high school students’ academic achievement, attendance, and high school completion/dropout rate between populations as reported in the Texas Education Agency AEIS report.

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Research Question

1. Is there a difference in student achievement between career-themed Smaller Learning Communities (SLCs) and traditional high schools, as reported on the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in Reading/ELA and Mathematics for ethnic subpopulations?

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Research Question

2. Is there a difference in student achievement between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in Reading/ELA and Mathematics for economically disadvantaged subpopulations?

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Research Question

3. Is there a difference in student attendance between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported in the AEIS?

Research Question

4. Is there a difference in student dropout/completion rates between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported in the AEIS?

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Percent of Texas Population by Age Groupand Ethnicity, 2000

39.541.6

45.0 45.043.1 44.4

47.8

53.0

57.260.2

63.566.4 67.1

72.6

44.041.3

38.0 38.440.5

38.635.3

30.526.7

24.222.4

20.6 20.316.7

< 5

year

s

5 to

9 y

ears

10 to

14

year

s

15 to

19

year

s

20 to

24

year

s

25 to

29

year

s

30 to

34

year

s

35 to

39

year

s

40 to

44

year

s

45 to

49

year

s

50 to

54

year

s

55 to

59

year

s

60 to

64

year

s

65 +

yea

rs0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0Percent

Anglo Hispanic

Percent of Texas Population by Age Groupand Ethnicity, 2040*

* Projections are shown for the 1.0 scenario

17.719.3 19.9 20.3 19.8 19.3 19.4 20.5 20.6 21.9

25.3 26.5 27.2

39.8

69.967.8 66.5 65.5 66.0 66.8 66.4

64.362.6

60.6

56.7 55.252.3

37.1

< 5 y

ears

5 to

9 y

ears

10 to

14

year

s

15 to

19

year

s

20 to

24

year

s

25 to

29

year

s

30 to

34

year

s

35 to

39

year

s

40 to

44

year

s

45 to

49

year

s

50 to

54

year

s

55 to

59

year

s

60 to

64

year

s

65 +

yea

rs0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0Percent

Anglo Hispanic

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Null Hypotheses

• H01 - There is no statistically significant difference in student achievement between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in Reading/ELA and Mathematics for ethnic subpopulations?

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Null Hypotheses

H02 - There is no statistically significant difference in student achievement between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in Reading/ELA and Mathematics for economically disadvantaged subpopulation?

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Null Hypotheses• H03 - There is no statistically significant

difference in student attendance between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported in the AEIS?

Null Hypotheses

• H04 - There is no statistically significant difference in student dropout/completion between career-themed SLCs and traditional high schools, as reported in the AEIS?

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Method

• Independent Variable – Implementation of career themed Smaller Learning Communities design.

• Dependent Variable – Student achievement based on change in Mathematics and Reading/English Language Arts TAKS scores, completion rate, attendance.

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Method

Subjects of the Study1. 25 Texas public high schools that have

implemented smaller learning communities with career academies

2. 25 Texas public traditional high schools

3. Grades 9 through 12

4. Total student enrollment minimum of 1500 students

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Method Step 1 Research and Select Career Academy SLCs

Department of Education Smaller Learning Communities Program

Texas High School Project

Texas schools that attended the 2010 Smaller Learning Communities: From Structure to Instruction conference at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas obtained from Education Northwest

The National Career Academy Coalition

Extensive internet search

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MethodStep 2

Download the AEIS report from the TEA website from the 25 career themed SLC schools selected

Step 3

A convenience sample of 25 traditional schools will be selected from the TEA assigned school cohort. The schools will be selected based on the TEA cohort school that is most similar in size, ethnic subpopulations (African American, Hispanic, and White) and economically disadvantaged.

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Method

Step 4

Collect the AEIS data

Step 5

Disaggregate the data by ethnic and economically disadvantaged

ELA scores

Mathematics scores

Attendance

Completion/Dropout

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Method

Area 2009 AEIS 2010 AEIS

Grade

AA

Hispanic

White

Eco. Dis.

Completion

Attendance

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Method

Step 6

SPSS will be utilized to disaggregate and analyze data

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Analysis of Covariant (ANCOVA)

Step 7

Interpret the results of the statistical procedure

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Career Theme Academies

The academies are designed to address the broad spectrum of student interest and career possibilities and provide transferable skills. The goals of the Academies are to open a student's mind to relevancy of academic courses and to show how high standards relate to career success. In addition to the essential academics elements, students will develop knowledge regarding careers where they may best utilize their talents and aptitudes.

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Career Theme Academies

• Academy of Business, Marketing & Finance

• Academy of Consumer Science & Education• Academy of Fine Arts, Communications & Humanities• Academy of Government, Law & Criminal Justice• Academy of Health Science

• Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

• Academy of Veterinary & Agricultural Science

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Review of Literature

• Alliance for Excellence in Education• Bill & Melinda Gates • Bill Daggett, International Center for Education • Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory• Partnership for 21st Century Skills• U.S. Department of Education

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Books

• Leading for Learning: How to Transform Schools into Learning Organizations by P. Schlechty

• Creating and sustaining smaller learning: Strategies and tools for transforming high schools by G. Sammon

• Choosing Small: The Essential Guide to Successful High School Conversion by Feldman, Lopez, Simon

• Catch up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization by Y. Zhao

• Classroom Instruction That Works, School That Work, and What Works in Schools by R. J. Marzanno

• On Common Ground, Whatever It Takes, and Professional Learning Communities at Work by R. DuFour

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Books

• Schools That Learn and The Fifth Discipline by P. Senge,

• The Heart of Change and Leading Change by J. P. Kotter

• Learning Communities at Work by R. DuFour• Change Forces and The New Meaning of Education

Change by M. Fullen

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Review of Literature

• Cotton K. (1996) School Size, School Climate and Student Performance. Close up #20. Portland OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

• DuFour, R., DuFour, R., Eaker, R., and Many, T. (2006) Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work. By Solution Tree (formerly National Educational Service)

• Daniels, D., Bizar, M., and Zemelman, S. (2001) Rethinking High Schools: Best Practice in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership. Heinemann A division of Reed Elsevier Inc. 361 Hanover Street Portsmouth, NH 03801-3912

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Review of Literature

• Hord, M. and Sommers, W.A. (2007) Leading Professional Learning Communities: Voices from Research and Practice. Thousand Oaks California; Cowin Press

• Kotter, J. P. & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organization. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

• Mathews, J. (2005, May). How to build a better high school. Newsweek, 145(20), 52, 54-57. Retrieved April 29, 2007, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 839507411).

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Transformation

• Schlechty (2009) states:

• Make no mistake, transformation is not as simple as installing a new program, a new process or new procedure. Unlike efforts to improve the operation of existing systems, transformation requires more than changes in what people do; it requires changes in what they think and what they feel about what they do.

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Smaller Learning Communities

• Oxley (2006) stated:

• The central feature of a high-functioning SLC (Small Learning Community) is an interdisciplinary team (or teams) of teachers who work closely together with a group of students they share in common for instruction. Traditional schools organize teachers around subject areas or departments.

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Thank you

Transformers