Page 67 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 67 of 271 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
55
learner, developing their knowledge about pedagogy (Resnick & Hall, 1998). Darling-
Hammond (2002) sees these observations as a type of positive peer pressure that results
from making teaching public and talking about it regularly.
School culture. Many of the strategies described in the sections above did not
automatically make schools successful. The change process involved a shift in school
culture. Most schools have to work through a set of shared convictions as a first step in
their reorganization process (Darling-Hammond, 2002). Those beliefs must then be
translated into action. Darling-Hammond (2002) reminds educators that high standards
and consistent curriculum alone cannot improve student performance. In successful
schools, teachers employ a variety of instructional and monitoring strategies that include
scaffolding, direct instruction and continued support for students who need assistance. In
effective schools, teacher learning is a continuous process. These schools invest heavily
in collaborative planning and ongoing professional development. Teachers work together
to develop the curriculum, to develop lessons and to evaluate student work.
Perhaps what is most interesting about the successful schools Darling-Hammond
(2002) describes is that they are small, close-knit school communities. A high-quality
education starts with relationships, and personalizing education helps build a sense of
strong family and community connections (Darling-Hammond, 2002). When schools are
structured to allow teachers to care for students effectively, students develop trust, and
students begin to believe that accomplishing the school’s goals will be important to their
own success (Darling-Hammond, 2002). An overall sense of respect permeates these
campuses because relationships are allowed to develop over time. By creating a culture
Object Description
| Title | Navigating troubled waters: case studies of three California high schools' resource allocation strategies in 2010-2011 |
| Author | Landisi, Brian Anthony |
| Author email | landisi@usc.edu; blandisi@charter.net |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education (Leadership) |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-28 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Unrestricted |
| Date published | 2011-04-28 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Picus, Lawrence O. |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Hentschke, Guilbert C. Nelson, John L. |
| Abstract | This study was conducted to examine instructional strategies and resource allocation in successful schools. The study was based on the analysis of three comprehensive high schools in one school district in Southern California. Each of the study schools increased students’ academic achievement over time as measured by sustained growth on California’s Academic Performance Index. The efforts of these study schools also contributed to narrowing the achievement gap.; Successful schools in this study were analyzed primarily through the lens of Odden’s (2009) 10 Strategies for Doubling Student Performance. In addition to effective organizational and instructional strategies, this study also analyzed human and fiscal resource allocation at the sample schools. The study used the Evidence-Based Model (Odden & Picus, 2008) to analyze how the schools allocated resources during 2010-2011, navigating a catastrophic economic crisis facing California and the rest of the nation. Interview data, student achievement data and information on school-level resource use were included in case studies on each of these successful schools.; The findings indicate that although the resource use patterns of the study schools were significantly fewer than what the Evidence-Based Model suggests, the improvement strategies showed many commonalities to those suggested in the body of literature on school improvement. Strong leadership from the district office supported the reform efforts at each of the school sites. This leadership came in the form of a single district focus combined with continuity of leadership, development and retention of talent within the district and a common school improvement framework.; A heavy investment of time and fiscal resources into professional development created a collaborative culture within and between the high schools in the study. The schools that were most successful in raising student achievement demonstrated a commitment to collaboration and embraced the role of teacher leaders. The most effective schools in the study had in place internal accountability structures to support the implementation of the school and district focus. It is the effective implementation of research-based strategies, not simply resource allocation that makes schools successful and contributes to further growth in student achievement. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. |
| Keyword | education finance; secondary education; educational leadership; budget crisis; instructional leadership; Odden and Picus; resource allocation; school finance; school reform |
| Geographic subject (county) | Los Angeles |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 2010/2011 |
| 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-m3797 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Landisi, Brian Anthony |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Landisi-4355 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume14/etd-Landisi-4355.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 67 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 55 learner, developing their knowledge about pedagogy (Resnick & Hall, 1998). Darling- Hammond (2002) sees these observations as a type of positive peer pressure that results from making teaching public and talking about it regularly. School culture. Many of the strategies described in the sections above did not automatically make schools successful. The change process involved a shift in school culture. Most schools have to work through a set of shared convictions as a first step in their reorganization process (Darling-Hammond, 2002). Those beliefs must then be translated into action. Darling-Hammond (2002) reminds educators that high standards and consistent curriculum alone cannot improve student performance. In successful schools, teachers employ a variety of instructional and monitoring strategies that include scaffolding, direct instruction and continued support for students who need assistance. In effective schools, teacher learning is a continuous process. These schools invest heavily in collaborative planning and ongoing professional development. Teachers work together to develop the curriculum, to develop lessons and to evaluate student work. Perhaps what is most interesting about the successful schools Darling-Hammond (2002) describes is that they are small, close-knit school communities. A high-quality education starts with relationships, and personalizing education helps build a sense of strong family and community connections (Darling-Hammond, 2002). When schools are structured to allow teachers to care for students effectively, students develop trust, and students begin to believe that accomplishing the school’s goals will be important to their own success (Darling-Hammond, 2002). An overall sense of respect permeates these campuses because relationships are allowed to develop over time. By creating a culture |
