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155
the needs of ELs is an example of how some respondents feel that the district
seemingly has no clear performance goals or expectations for schools.
Overwhelmingly, the majority of the teachers interviewed expressed feeling
that they are working as hard as they can for the best of their students but they really
do not know what the district preferences are. During one interview, a lead ELD
teacher at a site was asked what the districts goals were for Hispanic EL students, the
teacher responded, “I didn’t know there were any. If there are, I would love to know
what they are.” There was also a voiced frustration that not all lead teachers are
allowed the time or forum necessary to effectively communicate the district message
that they were entrusted in “taking back” to their respective sites. One veteran lead
teacher stated, “Well it all depends if your site principal values what you are bringing
back. Some principals make room for you on the agenda, while others just put you
off by saying that the staff knows where to find you if they have EL questions.”
The degree of the gap ranged between teachers that were extremely
knowledgeable in the goals and forms of support the district provided to teachers that
did not know they existed. The knowledgeable teachers were able to articulate the
best instructional practices for ELs and how to access support. At the other extreme,
some teachers did not know who the Lead EL teacher was at their site or that the
position even existed. Many teachers expressed that EL trainings were only for EL
teachers and not accessible to all.
The topic of follow-through repeatedly surfaced in all of the interviews.
Many teachers commented that any ideas and plans proposed for ELs at the district
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 162 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 155 the needs of ELs is an example of how some respondents feel that the district seemingly has no clear performance goals or expectations for schools. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the teachers interviewed expressed feeling that they are working as hard as they can for the best of their students but they really do not know what the district preferences are. During one interview, a lead ELD teacher at a site was asked what the districts goals were for Hispanic EL students, the teacher responded, “I didn’t know there were any. If there are, I would love to know what they are.” There was also a voiced frustration that not all lead teachers are allowed the time or forum necessary to effectively communicate the district message that they were entrusted in “taking back” to their respective sites. One veteran lead teacher stated, “Well it all depends if your site principal values what you are bringing back. Some principals make room for you on the agenda, while others just put you off by saying that the staff knows where to find you if they have EL questions.” The degree of the gap ranged between teachers that were extremely knowledgeable in the goals and forms of support the district provided to teachers that did not know they existed. The knowledgeable teachers were able to articulate the best instructional practices for ELs and how to access support. At the other extreme, some teachers did not know who the Lead EL teacher was at their site or that the position even existed. Many teachers expressed that EL trainings were only for EL teachers and not accessible to all. The topic of follow-through repeatedly surfaced in all of the interviews. Many teachers commented that any ideas and plans proposed for ELs at the district |
