Page 187 |
Save page Remove page | Previous | 187 of 271 | Next |
|
small (250x250 max)
medium (500x500 max)
Large (1000x1000 max)
Extra Large
large ( > 500x500)
Full Resolution
All (PDF)
|
This page
All
|
175
APPENDIX H: CASE STUDY - STRATUS HIGH SCHOOL
Background
Stratus High School (SHS) is one of three comprehensive high schools in the
Cloud Unified School District (CUSD). This district, which recently celebrated its 100th
anniversary, serves approximately 26,500 students in its 20 elementary schools, four
middle schools, three comprehensive senior high schools, one continuation high school,
one magnet high school that emphasizes science and technology, a developmental center
for multi-handicapped students, and numerous preschool/childcare centers that serve
preschool and/or elementary school children.
SHS is located in a suburb just outside Los Angeles and was the last of the three
high schools in the district to open in 1960. The campus started as an elementary school
in the early part of the twentieth century, then became a junior high school in the 1930s,
and in 1960 became a high school when the population expanded in the northern part of
the city. For fifty years, Stratus High School has been recognized as the center of
community activity as well as a learning center. SHS was designated a California
Distinguished School in 1999 and again in 2005, a National Blue Ribbon School in 2000,
and the 2005 winner of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Bravo Award.
Stratus High School serves 2,944 students from a diverse ethnic background,
socioeconomic status and language abilities. The primary ethnic groups are White
(53.9%), Asian (31.8%) and Hispanic/Latino (9.7%). Specifically, many students of
Armenian heritage are classified under the White category, and nearly all students
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 187 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 175 APPENDIX H: CASE STUDY - STRATUS HIGH SCHOOL Background Stratus High School (SHS) is one of three comprehensive high schools in the Cloud Unified School District (CUSD). This district, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, serves approximately 26,500 students in its 20 elementary schools, four middle schools, three comprehensive senior high schools, one continuation high school, one magnet high school that emphasizes science and technology, a developmental center for multi-handicapped students, and numerous preschool/childcare centers that serve preschool and/or elementary school children. SHS is located in a suburb just outside Los Angeles and was the last of the three high schools in the district to open in 1960. The campus started as an elementary school in the early part of the twentieth century, then became a junior high school in the 1930s, and in 1960 became a high school when the population expanded in the northern part of the city. For fifty years, Stratus High School has been recognized as the center of community activity as well as a learning center. SHS was designated a California Distinguished School in 1999 and again in 2005, a National Blue Ribbon School in 2000, and the 2005 winner of the Los Angeles Music Center’s Bravo Award. Stratus High School serves 2,944 students from a diverse ethnic background, socioeconomic status and language abilities. The primary ethnic groups are White (53.9%), Asian (31.8%) and Hispanic/Latino (9.7%). Specifically, many students of Armenian heritage are classified under the White category, and nearly all students |
