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implemented district-wide reform efforts, what are the root causes of the persistent
achievement gap amongst Hispanic EL students in RUSD?
In the United States, school districts have been struggling with the challenge
of teaching Hispanic ELs for decades. This is especially true for large urban school
districts with large percentages of EL students. Further compounding the challenge
is the accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which have
raised the stakes for schools and districts, requiring them to disaggregate data to
show that their Hispanic ELs are making adequate progress within a specified time
frame. Rowland Unified School District is no exception. In its efforts to meet state
and federal benchmarks for student performance, Rowland Unified School District
(RUSD) has made their Hispanic EL subgroup a priority.
The district, like numerous others in the nation, struggles to improve student-performance,
especially within the minority-language student population. In effect,
mandated cost-cutting measures have made it challenging for RUSD to effectively
employ previously planned interventions. As a result, the district has endured
numerous challenges in effectively maintaining programs to adequately address the
needs of its students, with the bulk of its challenges affecting the Hispanic students.
Consequently, Hispanic students have consistently experienced challenges in
meeting national and state educational targets and benchmarks. This persistent
achievement gap amongst the Hispanic EL population is of grave concern as
projections place this subgroup in the majority within the next decade in California
(Garcia, 2002). In a ten year span, the EL population grew from 14% to 47% across
Object Description
| Title | An alternative capstone project: A gap analysis inquiry project on the district reform efforts and its impact in narrowing the Hispanic EL achievement gap in Rowland Unified School District |
| Author | Molina-Solis, Lesette Wendy |
| Author email | lwm5995@lausd.net; molinaso@usc.edu |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education (Leadership) |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-01-19 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-04-28 |
| Advisor (committee chair) |
Rueda, Robert S. Marsh, David D. |
| Advisor (committee member) | Escalante, Michael F. |
| Abstract | The purpose of this case study was to conduct a gap analysis for the pervasive underperformance of Hispanic English Learner (EL) students in Rowland Unified School District. This qualitative inquiry project looked at educational practices from elementary through middle school throughout the district and how these aligned to district initiatives for narrowing the gap. Through the use of interviews, observations and surveys, the authors gathered information to develop perceived root causes and then formulate solutions to present to the Superintendent and her executive board.; The process of change, district support and cultural proficiency all contributed to the existing Hispanic EL achievement gap in Rowland Unified. Despite the district’s efforts in addressing the students’ needs via district wide initiatives supported from a grant through the Ball Foundation, high beliefs in collaboration and de-centralized nature of the district, Hispanic EL student needs were not adequately being addressed. In actuality, the fairly recent programs identified to address EL needs had not been fully implemented by all district stakeholders. Although district level personnel demonstrated much support and commitment to addressing EL student needs, the decentralized nature of the district hampered the implementation with fidelity of EL classroom strategies. Lastly, a sufficient percentage of staff members had perceived assumptions about their students’ academic progress. The staff overwhelming demonstrated limited cultural proficiency about their students’ home life, background and knowledge base to adequately aid their students in gaining access to the classroom curriculum. In addition to sustaining and ensuring implementation of research based effective teaching practices for ELs, staff members need to increase their understanding of their students’ cultural background through guidance and increased accountability from the district. |
| Keyword | Hispanic EL; achievement gap; gap analysis |
| Geographic subject | school districts: Rowland Unified School District |
| Geographic subject (county) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 2001/2010 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3802 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Molina-Solis, Lesette Wendy |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-MolinaSolis-4309 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume14/etd-MolinaSolis-4309.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 9 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 2 implemented district-wide reform efforts, what are the root causes of the persistent achievement gap amongst Hispanic EL students in RUSD? In the United States, school districts have been struggling with the challenge of teaching Hispanic ELs for decades. This is especially true for large urban school districts with large percentages of EL students. Further compounding the challenge is the accountability requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which have raised the stakes for schools and districts, requiring them to disaggregate data to show that their Hispanic ELs are making adequate progress within a specified time frame. Rowland Unified School District is no exception. In its efforts to meet state and federal benchmarks for student performance, Rowland Unified School District (RUSD) has made their Hispanic EL subgroup a priority. The district, like numerous others in the nation, struggles to improve student-performance, especially within the minority-language student population. In effect, mandated cost-cutting measures have made it challenging for RUSD to effectively employ previously planned interventions. As a result, the district has endured numerous challenges in effectively maintaining programs to adequately address the needs of its students, with the bulk of its challenges affecting the Hispanic students. Consequently, Hispanic students have consistently experienced challenges in meeting national and state educational targets and benchmarks. This persistent achievement gap amongst the Hispanic EL population is of grave concern as projections place this subgroup in the majority within the next decade in California (Garcia, 2002). In a ten year span, the EL population grew from 14% to 47% across |
