UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Evans, Peter M.
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2007
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
Across the country, high schools are changing. In some cases schools, have been transformed. In other cases, changes are barely noticeable. In all cases, the changes are the result of growing dissatisfaction among high school stakeholders representing taxpayers, business leaders, politicians, educators, parents, and students. In reflecting on the changes being undertaken, as well as on the projects that I have initiated as a high school principal, I find myself wanting to know the intended outcome of these changes. What is it we want high schools to be transformed into? What will serve as the indicators of successful high schools and, more importantly, the students graduating from them? An answer to this last question and one that seems to be gaining favor with many stakeholders is that higher levels of students' academic achievement should serve as the primary indicator of high school success. I question the wisdom of test results and academic achievement serving as the primary outcome of high school renewal.
The focus of my research is on the engagement of learning of the highest achieving students who attend the high school where I serve as principal. My students' stories will inform me about how engagement in learning has impacted their academic achievement and involvement in other school and community activities. The implications of this grounded theoretical approach to research will serve as one the most valuable pieces of data that I will use in working with other school community members to plan, redesign, and renew our high school. Prominent in the literature on student engagement is the work of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2004), Fletcher (2005), and Csikszentmihalyi (1990). That literature, when coupled with the work of Dewey (1907), Beane (2000), Putnarn (2000), and Cook-Sather (2002) on the importance of school as a place to learn the essential skills necessary to contribute to a democratic way of life, created an important backdrop from which the students' stories were analyzed.
A number of significant findings developed as a result of my research. First, high achieving high school students described a specific equation for success that they followed in order to meet the expectations of their teachers and high school. Second, their focus during high school on preparation for college proved to be a significant finding with students many times foregoing curiosity and passion for learning as a result. Third, students clearly described experiences where their own curiosity, autonomy, and passion for learning were realized through activities that were relevant and meaningful to them, but that rarely took place within the classroom setting. The findings of this study will be used to inform my work as a high school principal in renewing and reforming our high school into a place where all students are engaged in learning that is meaningful to them, where they can learn to pursue their own curiosity, and where they can learn and practice the skills needed to participate in democratic living.
The focus of my research is on the engagement of learning of the highest achieving students who attend the high school where I serve as principal. My students' stories will inform me about how engagement in learning has impacted their academic achievement and involvement in other school and community activities. The implications of this grounded theoretical approach to research will serve as one the most valuable pieces of data that I will use in working with other school community members to plan, redesign, and renew our high school. Prominent in the literature on student engagement is the work of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2004), Fletcher (2005), and Csikszentmihalyi (1990). That literature, when coupled with the work of Dewey (1907), Beane (2000), Putnarn (2000), and Cook-Sather (2002) on the importance of school as a place to learn the essential skills necessary to contribute to a democratic way of life, created an important backdrop from which the students' stories were analyzed.
A number of significant findings developed as a result of my research. First, high achieving high school students described a specific equation for success that they followed in order to meet the expectations of their teachers and high school. Second, their focus during high school on preparation for college proved to be a significant finding with students many times foregoing curiosity and passion for learning as a result. Third, students clearly described experiences where their own curiosity, autonomy, and passion for learning were realized through activities that were relevant and meaningful to them, but that rarely took place within the classroom setting. The findings of this study will be used to inform my work as a high school principal in renewing and reforming our high school into a place where all students are engaged in learning that is meaningful to them, where they can learn to pursue their own curiosity, and where they can learn and practice the skills needed to participate in democratic living.