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64
effective combination of financial, human and programmatic elements exists, schools can
be transformed and students will perform at the desired level.
The studies referenced and the promising practices described by almost all the
authors pay particular attention to people and their talents by honoring the wisdom of
educators (Darling-Hammond, 2002; Odden & Picus, 2008). It is just a matter of getting
the right people and strategies in place in order to have the greatest impact. Fortunately,
the evidence-based approach (Odden, 2003; Odden & Picus, 2008) establishes this
critical link and provides specific guidance for teachers and leadership teams. Schools
can achieve this perfect combination—the ideal alignment of resources and strategies—
by adopting Marzano and Waters’s (2009) rational approach to school governance, which
includes a balance of centralization and local decision making.
As the literature indicates, the path to creating better educational opportunities is a
process. And, there often will be conflicting perspectives on how to engage that process.
Even when the public argues that schools need more money (Baldassare et al., 2010;
Odden, 2009), some experts assert that the increase of education spending over the years
has not led to any clear link between the spending and student achievement (Hanushek &
Lindseth, 2009). These conflicting views leave many to wonder if money really matters
at all and if there are any right approaches to many of the dilemmas facing public
education.
One thing is certain: the current state of the economy and the current level of
resources are, limiting, but also empowering. They force school leaders to work with
what they have and, in some cases, they innovate by trying new strategies and creating
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 76 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 64 effective combination of financial, human and programmatic elements exists, schools can be transformed and students will perform at the desired level. The studies referenced and the promising practices described by almost all the authors pay particular attention to people and their talents by honoring the wisdom of educators (Darling-Hammond, 2002; Odden & Picus, 2008). It is just a matter of getting the right people and strategies in place in order to have the greatest impact. Fortunately, the evidence-based approach (Odden, 2003; Odden & Picus, 2008) establishes this critical link and provides specific guidance for teachers and leadership teams. Schools can achieve this perfect combination—the ideal alignment of resources and strategies— by adopting Marzano and Waters’s (2009) rational approach to school governance, which includes a balance of centralization and local decision making. As the literature indicates, the path to creating better educational opportunities is a process. And, there often will be conflicting perspectives on how to engage that process. Even when the public argues that schools need more money (Baldassare et al., 2010; Odden, 2009), some experts assert that the increase of education spending over the years has not led to any clear link between the spending and student achievement (Hanushek & Lindseth, 2009). These conflicting views leave many to wonder if money really matters at all and if there are any right approaches to many of the dilemmas facing public education. One thing is certain: the current state of the economy and the current level of resources are, limiting, but also empowering. They force school leaders to work with what they have and, in some cases, they innovate by trying new strategies and creating |
