steven norfleet, phd dissertation proposal defense, dissertation chair, dr. william allan kritsonis,...

8/14/2019 Steven Norfleet, PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense, Dissertation Chair, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

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A STUDY OF EFFECTIVE

SCHOOLS PRACTICES

IMPORTANT TO THE

ACHIEVEMENT OF THE

AFRICAN AMERICAN LEARNER

A Proposal Presentation

by

Steven Norfleet

October 2008



Dissertation Committee

Members

William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

(Dissertation Chair)

David E. Herrington, Ph.D.(Member)

Ronald Howard, Ph.D.

(Member)Wanda Johnson, Ph.D.

(Member)



Research Outline

I. Introduction

II. Background of the Problem

III. Statement of the Problem

IV. Purpose of the Study

V. Research Questions

VI. Null Hypotheses

VII. Significance of the Study

VIII. Review of Literature

IX. Method of Procedure



INTRODUCTION

Public schools in the United States continue tostruggle with the issue of underachievement of the African American learner relative to their

White peers (Walker, 2006). Educators and researchers alike have attempted

to implement many solutions to close theachievement gap. Using primarily top-downapproaches, solutions have ranged from

improving teacher and administrator qualities, toimproving the curriculum, to placing moreemphasis on student outcome data, toincreasing the rigor in core subjects.



INTRODUCTION

Marzano (2003) asserts, “Research in the last 35years demonstrates that effective schools canhave a profound impact on student achievement”

(p. 8) Since the first National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report card wasissued in 1969, African American achievementscores in reading, mathematics, and science

among 9, 13, and 17 year olds have averagedsome 30 points below their White peers.



INTRODUCTION

Alfred Rovai, Louis Gallien Jr. and Helen Stiff-

Williams (2007) present the added complexity in

Closing the African American Achievement Gap

in Higher Education that closing theachievement gap in elementary and secondary

schools has now carried over to higher

education.



INTRODUCTION

Gail Thompson (2002) further remarks that

because of the increase in pressure on school

administrators to meet higher federal and state

accountability standards including all of theother responsibilities placed on school

administrators, California school leaders are

asking, “What can we do to improve the

academic performance of African Americanchildren” (p. xvii)?



INTRODUCTION

Hans Luyten, Adrie Visscher, and Bob Witziers

(2004) have called for studies on the why and

how of the school’s perspective in school

effectiveness research, and particularlyfocusing on the classroom and at the campus

level. Their research stresses that the ultimate

goal of conducting effectiveness research is to

identify effective interventions.



INTRODUCTION

Bob Lingard, Jim Ladwig and Allan Luke (as

cited in Luyten et al., 2004) point out “the

black box of schooling needs to be opened

with more in-depth, qualitative analyses of

processes that actually occur in schools,

which they perceive to have a potential

influence on school performance” (pp. 256-

257).



Background of the Problem

In Texas public schools, differences in achievementbetween African American students and their Whitepeers mirrors the national average. According to theTEA, TAKS (2007) passing rate for African Americans

was 55% and their White peers was 82%. Few studies have allowed African American students at

the high school level to articulate their view on theschooling practices that affect their education, and evenfewer have allowed African American freshman collegestudents to articulate their perspective on the practicesimplemented by school leaders that push the student toachieve.




Bush (2002) conducted a study utilizing

qualitative methods with African American

students in suburban settings to analyze

school factors that lead to their success.

Student suggestions to school

administrators were “a designated person to

assist with minority student problems, more

interaction with the principal and teachers,and get families more involved with

students that are having trouble” (p. 83).




Marzano (2000) states it well when he

says “If a school can simply identify

those variables on which it is notperforming well, it can pinpoint and

receive the information it needs to

improve student achievement” (p. 87).




Cooper (2000) states “If reform-minded

educators are serious about closing the

achievement gap before several decades

pass in the new millennium, we must

continue to identify alterable factors in the

schooling process that help to promote

academic success among all students and

particularly students of color” (p. 620).



Statement of the Problem

While there is an increase in thenumber of African American studentshaving success on the TexasAssessment of Knowledge and Skillsand college readiness tests in Texashigh schools, the lack of a significantimprovement may be due to thedegree of effective schools practicesimplemented by school leaders.



Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to build

highly effective leadership practices of

school leaders, which are influential inthe academic success of students.



Purpose of the Study

Chubb and Moe (as cited in Marazno, 2003) affirm:

All things being equal, a student in an

effectively organized school achieves at

least a half-year more than a student in anineffectively organized school over the last

two years of high school. If this difference

can be extrapolated to the normal four-year

high school experience, an effectivelyorganized school may increase the

achievement of its students

by more than one full year (p.8).



Conceptual Framework

ENHANCE EFFECTIVE

SCHOOLS PRACTICES

SAFE AND ORDERLY

ENVIRONMENT

CLIMATE OF HIGH EXPECTATION

FOR SUCCESS

CLEAR AND FOCUSED MISSION

POSITIVE HOME/SCHOOL

RELATIONS

FREQUENT MONITORING OF

STUDENT PROGRESS

OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, TIME

ON TASK

INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP



Quantitative Research

Question #1

How do freshman African American students

enrolled in a selected Historically Black College

and University (HBCU) rate their former high

school campus with regard to each criterion of effective schools identified in the “effective

schools” literature?



Quantitative Research

Question #2

Is there a relationship between the high

school characteristics of effective schools

rated by freshman African American

students enrolled in a selected HistoricallyBlack College and University (HBCU) and

their post-secondary achievement during

their first semester of college in

Developmental Education Mathematics?



Null Hypothesis

H01

- There is no statistically significant

relationship between a selected Historically

Black College and University (HBCU)

freshman African American student ratings

of their former high school’s “effective

schools” characteristics, and the student’s

first semester of college achievement in a

Developmental Education Mathematics

course.



Qualitative Research

Question #1

How do African American students

report that their former high school

campus strives to improve academicachievement by promoting learning

for all using instructional leadership?




Question #2




for all using clear and focused

mission?




Question #3




for all using climate of high

expectations?




Question #4




for all using safe and orderly

environment ?




Question #5




for all using frequent monitoring of

student progress?




Question #6


report that their high school campus

strives to improve academicachievement by promoting learning

for all using positive home-school

relations?




Question #7



campus strives to improve academicachievement by promoting learning for

all using opportunity to learn and

student time on task ?



Significance of the Study

A constant in schooling, school

leadership, teaching and learning, and

increased success in studentachievement is the effectiveness of

the school’s program to reach every

student at the highest levels.



Significance of the Study “In the 1960s the US led the world in high school qualifications

and Korea was 27th. Now Korea leads the world and the US is13th and falling. As recently as 1995 the US was second in the

world on college-level graduation rates; just a decade later it

has slipped to 14th… ” (Barber, 2008).

Given the history of achievement differences between AfricanAmerican students and their White peers, it is central toimprove the performance of the education team to achievegreater success in schools.

This study will seek to enhance the effective schools practicesof the education team, by providing a stage for AfricanAmerican students to participate and articulate their views on

schooling practices that motivate them to achieve.




Results of the study may:

generate new strategies and

approaches employed by schoolleaders that could lead to improved

academic achievement in the African

American learner;




provide college and university teacher education

programs with information on effective schools practices

that resonate with the African American learner;

For policy makers, results may shed light on funding

support and program interventions that African Americanstudents say are effective and needed with future

generations of African American students.




The study will provide quantitative and

qualitative data to school leaders

indicating the impact of an effectivehigh school on the achievement of

African American students that are

college freshmen.



Review of Literature

Collyn Bray Swanson (2004) examinedSafe and Orderly Climate in a study todetermine if there was a difference in theperformance of military dependent AfricanAmerican students attending a public schooland military dependent African Americanstudents attending a Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)school. Results indicated students in theDoDEA system scored slightly higher on theACT college entrance exam than did thestudents in the public education system.




Scheerens and Bosker (1997) identifiedeight characteristics of successful schoolsin their work entitled The Foundations of Educational Effectiveness. Monitoring of student progress was determined to be akey component to improving achievement.

Robert Marzano (2003) in What Works inSchools identified five characteristics of

highly successful schools, and stresseschallenging goals and effective feedback asmajor components to achieving highexpectations.




Bamburg and Andrews (1990) conducted

an investigation specifically looking at the

relationships of a clear and focused mission

and the role of the principal as the campusinstructional leader to the academic

achievement of students. Results indicated

that the school goal “To insure academic

excellence” showed a significant differencebetween high achieving and low achieving

schools.




Gentulucci and Muto (2007) conducted a studyinvestigating students’ perceptions of whatprincipals do to influence their academicachievement. Findings indicated principals that

visited classrooms and interacted with studentswere more influential as instructional leaders than those whose visits were few, short, andpassive. Students also indicated that principalsthat walked around the classroom, checked ontheir work, and provided gentle advice hadmore powerful influence on their learning thanthose sitting in the back of the classroom andobserving passively.




Boscardin et al. (2005) conducted a study todetermine how Opportunity To Learn (OTL)variables impact student outcomes and if

the effects were consistent across thesubjects of English and algebraassessments. One result of the study wascontent coverage, which was defined byBoscardin as the amount of time dedicated

to key content areas, was found to beconsistently associated with studentperformance.




Zuelke (1982) attempted to customize a

model that school districts could use to

reallocate human and material resources to

enhance reading and mathematicsachievement. The study summarized that

evidence existed to suggest certain school

related variables such as student time-on-

task do make a difference in mathematicsand reading achievement.




Zavadsky (2006) examined frequent

monitoring of school progress in describing

five urban school districts that were

awarded the Broad Prize for the mostimproved school districts in the United

States. One consistent finding of the Broad

Prize finalist’s awards was a commitment to

analyze and share data and assessments tohelp make informed decisions that affect the

student, the school, and the district.




Stewart’s (2007) study looked at 546 highschools and included 1,238 AfricanAmerican students. Students were asked onthe survey to indicate the degree to which

parents engaged in a variety of school activities ranging from parent organizationmeetings to volunteering. Results revealedthe importance of the role of school leadersin improving the relationships between

parents and the school to improveachievement of the African Americanlearner.



Method of Procedure

This section will include a review of: (1)research design, (2) sample, (3)instrumentation, (4) procedural details, (5)

internal validity, and (6) data analysis. To advance the research procedures the study

will employ survey, correlational, anddescriptive approaches.



Research Design

The researcher will employ quantitative

and qualitative techniques in a mixed

method research design

To meet the objectives of the research

design, the procedure will be: (1) collect

quantitative data 1a; (2) followed by

collect qualitative data; and (3) followedby collect quantitative data 1b.



Research Design

The researcher will collect quantitative datain two phases: (1)administer a survey tofreshman college students enrolled in aDevelopmental Education Mathematics

course; and (2) collect student grades fromcollege instructors assigned to teach theDevelopmental Education Mathematicscourse at the end of the Fall Semester 2008.

The researcher will administer the survey ata class time of the instructor’s preference.

Grades will be grouped.



Research Design

In the qualitative phase, the researcher will bethe instrument for data collection. Using focusgroup interviews, the study seeks to develop anin-depth understanding of the research

phenomenon associated with implementing thecorrelates of effective schools at the highschool level, and the impact on achievement.

To maintain accuracy of the data theresearcher will utilize an audiotape recorder,

will write field notes, and the researcher willkeep a journal for reflections.



Subjects of the Study

The population to which the study will be

generalized is African American students

attending Texas high schools.

The population sample will be drawn using

convenience sampling techniques in the

quantitative phase and purposeful sampling

(homogeneous sampling) techniques in the

qualitative phase.



Subjects of the Study

The population sample will comprise first year and firsttime freshman college students, from a selectedHistorically Black College and University (HBCU) locatedin the south west part of the United States.

Sample participants will self-identify themselves on thesurvey as first year and first time freshman collegestudents, by ethnicity, gender, high school attended, year graduated, course level Math 0100, 0113, 0133,identification number, and by instructor.

There are a total 806 students in 35 sections of

Developmental Education Mathematics courses, and 10instructors.



Instrumentation

(Quantitative)

Correlates of Effective Schools Survey – takenfrom Reality Check database of 2000 questionsproduced by Dr. Lawrence Lezotte. Permissionhas been granted by Effective Schools Products

Ltd. to use the database. There are seven correlates with three sub-

categories and nine questions that combine todescribe and operationally define each correlate.

The survey contains 63 question-items with 21

items worded in the negative. Dr. Teresa Hughes will review the survey for content validity.



Instrumentation

(Qualitative)

Using the focus group as the unit of analysis,there will be three groups of ten randomlydrawn from the population sample and invited

to participate in the qualitative phase. A room will be reserved to conduct the focus

group interviews at the research site studentcenter.

A focus group interview session will takeapproximately 45 minutes.



Analysis of Data

The researcher will use a triangulationdesign to analyze the data fromdescriptive statistics collected from

the survey, notes and audiotaperecordings collected from focus groupinterviews, and student fall semester grades collected from instructors of the Developmental EducationMathematics course.



Analysis of Data (Quantitative)

Research Question #1 Statistical Measurement

How do freshman African

American students enrolled

in a selected Historically BlackCollege and University

(HBCU) rate their former high

school campus with regard to

each criterion of effective

schools identified in the“effective schools” literature?

Descriptive statistics

measures including centraltendencies, frequency

distribution, and percentageswill be used to summarize theresults of the survey. EffectiveSchools Ltd. will compile theresults in a narrative, tabular,

and graphical form.



Analysis of Data (Quantitative)

RESEARCHQUESTION #2

HYPOTHESES INDEPENDENT

VARIABLES

DEPENDENT

VARIABLE

STATISTICAL TEST

Is there a relationship

between the high

school characteristics

of effective schools

rated by freshmanAfrican American

students enrolled in aselected HistoricallyBlack College and

University (HBCU)

and their post-

secondary

achievement during

their first semester of

college in

Developmental

Education

Mathematics ?

H01 - There is nostatistically significantrelationship between aselected Historically

Black College andUniversity (HBCU)freshman AfricanAmerican student ratingsof their former highschool’s “effectiveschools” characteristics,and the student’s firstsemester of collegeachievement inDevelopmental EducationMathematics.

Correlates

of

Effective Schools

Semester GradeinDevelopmentalEducation

Mathematics

1. Correlationusing Pearson r

2. Multiple

RegressionAnalysis R²

*SPSS 13.0 will beused to run thestatistic.



Analysis of Data (Qualitative)

Research Questions #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

A code and a table of contents will beassigned to each focus group interviewsession. Data will be organized by file folder and computer file, whether recorded as

written field notes or audiotape recordings. Audiotape recordings will be transcribed using

a projection of one hour of recording time tofour hours of transcription. A text documentwill be used with spacing for questions and

notes to be written in margins. Personal reflections will be noted in the

margin of the field notes and in a journal.



Analysis of Data (Qualitative)

Research Questions #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Field notes, journal reflections, and audiotaperecordings will be sorted and sifted for similar phrases, relationships, themes, and differences.

Patterns, differences, and commonalities will benoted.

Consistencies in interviews will be generalized. Generalizations will be examined in terms of the

body of knowledge surrounding the research

problem and questions.



Summary

The study will explore the view of the African

American student on increasing

achievement for future students from similar

backgrounds as themselves, by focusing onthe schooling practices implemented by

school leaders which influence the

experiences of the learner.



References

Bush, R. (2002). Factors contributing to the successof African American students in suburban settings:Students’ perspectives, Unpublished doctoraldissertation, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois.

Barber, Sir M. (2008). Neither rest nor tranquility:

Education and the American dream in the 21st

century. Aspen Institute, Washington DC:

September 15, 2008. Chubb, J. & Moe, T. (1990). Politics, markets, and

America’s schools. Washington, DC: The Brookings

Institute. Lezotte, L. (1997). Learning for all . Okemos, MI:

Effective Schools Products, Ltd.



References

Lingard, B., Ladwig, J., & Luke, A. (1998). School effectsin postmodern conditions. In R. Slee & G. Weiner (with S.Tomlinson) (Eds.), School effectiveness for whom? Challenges to the school effectiveness and school

improvement movements (84-100). London: Falmer Press. Luyten, H., Visscher, A., & Witziers, B. (2004). School

effectiveness research: From a review of the criticism torecommendations for further development. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 16 (3), 249-279.

Marzano, R. (2003). What works in schools: Translating research into action. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Publishers



References

Rovai, A., Gallien Jr., L. & Stiff-Williams, H. (2007).Closing the African American Achievement Gap inHigher Education. New York, New York: TeachersCollege Press, Columbia University.

Thompson, G. (2002). African American teens discusstheir schooling experiences. Westport, Connecticut:Gergin and Garvey Publishers

Walker, E. (2006). Urban high school students’academic communities and their effects onmathematics success. American Educational ResearchJournal, 43(1), 43-73.

steven norfleet, phd dissertation proposal defense, dissertation chair, dr. william allan kritsonis,...

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