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153
the academic impact of a decentralized district on the Hispanic EL subgroup, 2) an
absence of a clearly identified plan and support for the progress of ELs, 3) the
perception of professional accountability for the progress of Hispanic ELs, and, 4) a
gap of cultural knowledge of students’ backgrounds and experiences.
The Academic Impact of a Decentralized District
on the Hispanic EL Subgroup
The inquiry team found that for the specific topic of Hispanic EL
achievement the advantages of decentralization seem to have created some
unintended disadvantages for Hispanic ELs. The explicit accountability for student
progress seems to be the biggest hurdle to overcome in trying to close the Hispanic
EL achievement gap in a decentralized setting. For example, among the interviews
that were conducted there was a widely expressed feeling that no two schools
addressed the needs of ELs in the same way. Furthermore, within each site, every
classroom was an island unto its own. Many site administrators and teachers believe
there are no explicit goals or targets for student progress in place. There was also a
belief that no system was in place to support or monitor the implementation of
adopted programs because "everyone is doing something different". This perceived
lack of support and oversight leads to inconsistency in the implementation of the
curriculum, and programs for ELs. Any and all decisions regarding curriculum and
levels of implementation is left at the discretion of the leadership of the individual
schools sites. The byproduct of all these decentralized decisions is the delivery of an
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 160 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 153 the academic impact of a decentralized district on the Hispanic EL subgroup, 2) an absence of a clearly identified plan and support for the progress of ELs, 3) the perception of professional accountability for the progress of Hispanic ELs, and, 4) a gap of cultural knowledge of students’ backgrounds and experiences. The Academic Impact of a Decentralized District on the Hispanic EL Subgroup The inquiry team found that for the specific topic of Hispanic EL achievement the advantages of decentralization seem to have created some unintended disadvantages for Hispanic ELs. The explicit accountability for student progress seems to be the biggest hurdle to overcome in trying to close the Hispanic EL achievement gap in a decentralized setting. For example, among the interviews that were conducted there was a widely expressed feeling that no two schools addressed the needs of ELs in the same way. Furthermore, within each site, every classroom was an island unto its own. Many site administrators and teachers believe there are no explicit goals or targets for student progress in place. There was also a belief that no system was in place to support or monitor the implementation of adopted programs because "everyone is doing something different". This perceived lack of support and oversight leads to inconsistency in the implementation of the curriculum, and programs for ELs. Any and all decisions regarding curriculum and levels of implementation is left at the discretion of the leadership of the individual schools sites. The byproduct of all these decentralized decisions is the delivery of an |
