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UVM Theses and Dissertations

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Format:
Print
Author:
Gehsmann, Kristin M.
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2006
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
Schools across the nation are facing one of the most ambitious educational agendas in our nation's history: the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (PL107-110). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) exerts unprecedented pressures on schools to close the achievement gap among subgroups of students in key content areas, including reading and writing. Few schools feel the impact of this legislation more than those with diverse student populations and high concentrations of poverty (Cohen & Ginsburg, 2001; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
As a literacy specialist and policy researcher, I am interested in the process of successful school improvement in high-poverty settings because there are so few detailed examples in the literature (Cohen & Ginsburg, 2001; Rosenshine, 2002). With the number of schools labeled "in need of improvement" increasing throughout the nation, educational leaders and practitioners need a vision of how to develop more effective schools.
Thus, the purpose of this grounded theory study is to understand a successful school improvement initiative in a high-poverty school identified by its state department of education as being "in need of improvement" in early literacy. I seek to answer what may be one of the most pressing educational questions of our times: How does an under performing school become more effective? The findings of this inquiry are presented in four broad themes: context-based solutions, coherence and compassion. This study provides researchers, practioners, and policy makers with an insider's view of the complexity of school improvement, a set of lessons learned, and directions for further research.