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252
effectiveness of the best practices being implemented at Cirrus HS, it should be noted
that data is becoming a tool that the staff is using to inform their practice and design
programs to meet the needs of their students. The practices used at Cirrus HS are
grounded in solid research and data; still, there is a reluctance to trust outside experts or
seek professional development that would deepen the implementation of these strategies.
Since teacher expertise and leadership is limited, the success of current improvement
efforts is dependent upon the administration.
Recruiting and developing top talent. Cirrus High School tends to see little
turnover in its teaching staff. The current principal views this as both a blessing and a
curse as the school endeavors to move forward. While teachers are committed to the
school and the students they serve, their practice and growth as educators tends to remain
stagnant. The previous principal started as a teacher at the school and moved into
administration over his forty-year career at Cirrus High School. The previous associate
principal, who became his predecessor, provided stability in the leadership structure of
the school during the transition to a new administration. To better support this first-year
principal, a veteran associate principal with a keen eye for data was transferred from
another district high school. The new associate principal worked with a transition team
over a period of six months to help lay the groundwork for the current reform efforts.
This was a considerable financial investment on the part of the CUSD to employ
additional administrators at the site during the transition period, but the current
administration team believes the benefits outweigh the financial burden to the district.
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 264 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 252 effectiveness of the best practices being implemented at Cirrus HS, it should be noted that data is becoming a tool that the staff is using to inform their practice and design programs to meet the needs of their students. The practices used at Cirrus HS are grounded in solid research and data; still, there is a reluctance to trust outside experts or seek professional development that would deepen the implementation of these strategies. Since teacher expertise and leadership is limited, the success of current improvement efforts is dependent upon the administration. Recruiting and developing top talent. Cirrus High School tends to see little turnover in its teaching staff. The current principal views this as both a blessing and a curse as the school endeavors to move forward. While teachers are committed to the school and the students they serve, their practice and growth as educators tends to remain stagnant. The previous principal started as a teacher at the school and moved into administration over his forty-year career at Cirrus High School. The previous associate principal, who became his predecessor, provided stability in the leadership structure of the school during the transition to a new administration. To better support this first-year principal, a veteran associate principal with a keen eye for data was transferred from another district high school. The new associate principal worked with a transition team over a period of six months to help lay the groundwork for the current reform efforts. This was a considerable financial investment on the part of the CUSD to employ additional administrators at the site during the transition period, but the current administration team believes the benefits outweigh the financial burden to the district. |
