Research Study Academic Failure is Unacceptable

Pamela Noble

Education 518, Section D06Dr. Ann Cates

Liberty University

Abstract Quality of our schools are not equipped to serve our most

vulnerable.

Antiquated institutional practices driving students out of traditional

schools and into the alternative education system.

-Experimental programs-Effective intervention strategies

Previous research suggests that there are grim consequences both human costs as well as societal costs. They include:

-Psychological difficulties-Incarceration-Chronically unemployed

Purpose of StudyThe purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the Alternative Education system in America works, and if so, for whom?

The study will discuss scaffolding of services that is well defined and articulated by leaders in the community.

The research will provide insights into best practices of effective rural and urban alternative education programs.

Why are so many minority students being placed in an alternative setting?

Do these students receive the

necessary in-house services that are available to their counterparts?

Research Questions

Traditional Non-Traditional

Why is ‘warehousing’ students O.K.?

Why is personalized instruction seen as better for these students?

Effective vs. Ineffective alternative education programs.

Definitions of Variables and Key Terms

Alternative Schools-This

term is used in this study

to refer to students

who are labeled “at -risk”

or academic failure (Lehr

et al., 2009)

Critical Theory- “Critical

theory is, at its center,

an effort to join empirical

investigation, the task of

interpretation, and a

critique of this

reality”(McLaren

&Girarelli, 1995, p. 2)

Alternative Education -For the

purpose of this study this term

will be interchanged with

“alternative schools”, suspensions

and expulsions.

At Risk- Students attending alternative schools, by current definition, are “at-risk” for academic failure.

Key Terms Cont’d….. Student Achievement- For

the purpose of this study

is referred to as students

who have traditionally

been underserved by the

educational system into

what Kelly (1993) called a

“hidden world”.

Systematic Review- In theory, it is

research conducted by a team of

reviewers who select, review and

synthesize existing empirical

studies, and attempt to answer a

specific research question within an

established theoretical or ideological

framework.

Review of the LiteraturePolicy in Review:

Why are “at risk” children not receiving the services and the supports they need?

Lack of parental involvement

Lack of funding

Lack of clear and consistent policies

“Social bookkeeping (Kim, J., & Taylor, K. A. 2008).

Why are minorities disproportionally placed in alternative settings?

Loopholes in the accountability system

Technology expansion off –site

Antiquated & outdated policies

Review of the Literature Cont’d…..

Educational Research Deficiencies

Obstacles:

Educational research, in its organized form, has changed little in twenty years, even though marked strides had been made in the related areas of psychology and sociology (Lazarsfeld and Sieber).

Research has appeared geared to improvement of specific practices in particular locales rather than to understanding why they are needed.

Scholars with a knowledge of educational theory are not involved in setting policies because they are not directly involved in the decision-making.

Current practices in many alternative programs do not result in improved academic achievement (Kim, J., & Taylor, K. A. 2008).

Review of the Literature Cont’d…..

Research conducted at the local level is often viewed as little more than “social bookkeeping” (Kim, J., & Taylor, K. A. 2008).

Students with a research commitment are more likely to enter a related academic area rather than education.

Teachers that are highly qualified in their area of expertise and knowledge opt to stay in a traditional setting rather than work in an alternative one.

Empirical data conflicts with current postmodern trends.

Obstacles Cont’d:

Review of the Literature Cont’d……

Academic Failure is Unacceptable

Topical research “shows that low participation rates raise the question of whether enough at risk students are receiving the services and supports they need” (NAEA, 2009).

Intervention Strategies:

School districts need to track their students beginning in the ninth grade for any early warning signs of academic deficiencies.

Parents need to be advised of their child’s educational options regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Teachers need additional tools and Administration support with students who are under performing.

Review of the Literature Cont’d…..

Intervention Strategies Cont’d

Deploy targeted wrap around services immediately where needed.

Enlist community leaders and stakeholders to develop in-house programs that mentor and train students for employment.

Illicit the church community for help when gaps appear in the system.

Develop programs such as credit recovery or career and technical education.

Allow students to take ownership of where they choose to attend school.

Review of the Literature Cont’d……

Education Policy Research

Successful and effective alternative programs according to students, parents, local and state educational systems consist of

These five components:

1. Lower student- to- staff ratio.

2. Highly trained and carefully selected staff.

3. Intensive counseling and monitoring.

4. Working relations with all parts of the school system.

5. Collaborating agencies that provide critical services to youth.

U.S. Department of Education, Creating Safe and Drug Free Schools: An Action Guide (September 1996), pg.65.

Qualitative Research Design Instrument applied will be the constructivist model.

My research design is a broad construct of three subsets. (see below)

It will only focus on decisions made at ground zero because once they drop out or graduate tracking ends.

The information will help school districts prioritize their budgets and maximize internal and external resources.

Methods of data collection include these subsets:

-observations-interviews-data analysis

Through triangulation of data collection methods between observation, interviewing and data analysis, the researchers enhance the validity of their study (Freeman 2014, p. 120).

T

Sampling

The study will be conducted and reviewed by researchers on a continuous basis and over an extended period of time.

The research will be conducted at two nearby high schools with particular emphasis on its high drop out rate.

The study will only include those students who are being referred to internal and external intervention support services.

One school will be located in an rural area and one will be in an urban area.

Students will not be asked to participate until and unless their parents sign a waiver allowing them to do so.

Methods of Data Collection Students will be given a ‘reflection form’ to complete when they are sent

to in house intervention services that day.

This will be the first initial contact between the researcher and the student.

Questions on the form ask:

1.-What was your infraction ?

2.-Do you know why you were given this particular tier infraction?

3.-Do you feel you could have handled the situation different?

4.-What could you have done differently?

4. –How many times has this teacher sent you out of his/her classroom?

5.- How will you cope the next time this happens?

Methods of Data Cont’d…..

Conference with field participants:

Team meetings will be held once a week to discuss findings and develop action plans for chronic infractions.

Minutes taken during parent/teacher conference will be gathered and recorded.

Emails and other technologies will be utilized during the initial stages and then home visits will follow prior to outside placement recommendation.

Data Analysis Methodology

There are two major themes that resonate throughout the post modern agenda:

- a clear cause and effect. - research can be described or uncovered.

The research conducted by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy combined both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000).

The researchers presented two hypothesis:

- how programming for at-risk students might be improved. - how might those innovations be leveraged to guide broader, system-wide reform.

Data Analysis Cont’d…..

The report will contain quantitative information compiled by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy.

Districts were chosen based on Quantitative data gathered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE, 2013).

The instrument deployed was the Revised Early Warning Indicator System and Edwin Analytics.

The longitudinal data included data from existing statewide collections and state assessments from the prior year.

Ethical and Human Relations

Some of the potential threats associated with this type of research is that it does not take into consideration factors such as teaching experience and the ethnicity or gender of the student may contribute to a teacher’s response.

To prevent contamination:

- Increase the number of independent variables to include anonymity.

- Maintain open communication with all the stakeholders.

- Teachers will know what the parameters of the study will be ahead of time.

Timeline

The research will be conducted over a year with focus placed on prior year data that will be analyzed for anomalies.

Data will then be disseminated over a twelve month period.

Researchers will meet with critical stakeholders for a post mortem.

At the end of the year a copy of the study will be given to the participating school districts.

References

Atkinson, E. (2000b) The Promise of Uncertainty: education, postmodernism and the politics of possibility. International Studies in Sociology of Education. 10:1, pp. 81-99.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2000). Research Methods in Education (5th Ed.). New York: Routledge/Falmer

Freeman, Simonsen. (2014)Examining the Impact of Policy and Practice Interventions on High School Dropout and School Completion Rates: A Systematic Review of the Literature (1st Ed,) Review of Educational Research published on October 14, 2014.

References Cont’d

Kim, J., & Taylor, K. A. (2008). 2 Rethinking alternative education to break the cycle of educational inequality and inequity. Journal of Educational Research, 101(4), 207-219.

Kelly, D. M. (1993). 9 Last chance high: How girls and boys drop in and out of alternative schools. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Kerlinger, Fred N. (1964). Foundations of behavioral research. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

References Cont’d…..

Krezmien, M. P., Leone, P. E., & Achilles, G. M. (2006). 7 Suspension, race, and disability: Analysis of statewide practices and reporting. 10 Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. (2013). High School Dropouts 2012-13 Massachusetts Public Schools. Malden, MA. http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/reports/dropout/2012-2013/summary.pdf.

References Cont’d…..

McCall, H. J., (2003). When Successful Alternative Students “Disengage” from Regular School. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 12(2), 113-117.

Ornstein, Allan C., Levine, Daniel U., & Wi1derson, Doxey A. (1975). Reforming metropolitan schools. Pacific Palisades, CA: Goodyear.

 Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. (June 2014). Alternative Education: Exploring Innovations in Learning. Cambridge, MA. 

References Cont’d…..

United States Government Accountability Office. (February 2008). Disconnected Youth: Federal Action Could Address Some of the Challenges Faced by Local Programs That Reconnect Youth to Education and Employment. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/assets/280/272790.pdf U.S.