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Look into an outperforming non-traditional urban high school: what's their secret?

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Look into an outperforming non-traditional urban high school: what's their secret?

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Content Running head: OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 1

LOOK INTO AN OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL:
WHAT’S THEIR SECRET?

by
Susan Kim

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2018

Copyright 2018 Susan Kim

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 2

DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to my family. Without their support and love, I would not
have been able to embark on this journey towards completing my dissertation, much less
complete it. To my father, who has always been a Trojan fan and is responsible for teaching me
what loyalty and compassion look like. To my mother, who has always been a force to be
reckoned with and is responsible for teaching me how to be independent and persistent in my
endeavors. Lastly, to my sister, who has always been my guardian and is always encouraging me
to be bold and to step outside of my comfort zone. I love and have so much respect for you all.
Thank you for being my family.

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I was able to complete this program because of the love, encouragement and guidance
from many individuals. First, I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to my
committee members: Dr. Gothold, Dr. Ott and Dr. Hocevar. Dr. Gothold, it was such an honor to
be a part of your last leadership class taught at USC as well as a part of your last dissertation
cohort. I am grateful for your encouragement, knowledge and commitment to your students. Dr.
Ott, thank you so much for providing meaningful and timely feedback. In addition, thank you for
always reaching out to ensure that I was on route and for your dedication to your students. Dr.
Hocevar, thank you for stepping in as my third chair and providing me with guidance and
important feedback for my work.
Second, my family and close friends who have cheered me on throughout this entire
process from the application stage to my final defense. I am forever grateful to you all who have
been patient with me the past several years and have provided me with nothing but
encouragement and positivity.
Lastly, my USC 2018 cohort mates I have had the privilege of going through this journey
with and becoming friends with—we did it! I am forever grateful to USC and to our program for
introducing me to you all and for intertwining our fates. I am honored to have you all be a part of
my life as not only colleagues, but also as friends and family. Fight on!

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication 2
List of Tables 6
List of Figures 7
Abstract 8
Chapter One: Introduction 9
Statement of the Problem 12
Purpose of the Study 14
Research Questions 14
Importance of the Study 14
Limitation, Delimitations and Assumptions 15
Definitions of Related Terms 17
Chapter Two: Literature Review 20
Purpose of Study 20
Research Questions 20
Background: Importance 20
History: Poverty 22
History: Initiatives 23
Common Core State Standards 26
A Rise in Non-traditional Schooling Options 28
Non-Traditional Schools 30
Charter Schools 30
Homeschooling 31
Small Learning Communities 32
Pilot Schools 33
Current Status: What Is Working? 34
Practices and Programs 35
Leadership Practices 36
Cultural Norms 36
Critique of Literature 37
Chapter Three: Methodology 40
Research Questions 41
Research Design 42
Methodology Overview 44
Population and Sampling Procedures 45
Criteria for Selection of Sample 45
Sample and Population 45
Document Review 50
Survey 50
Observations 51
Interview 51
Intellectual Framework for Data Collection 52
Data Collection Tools and Efforts 53
Conceptual Approach to Data Analysis 54

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 5

Chapter Four: Results 56
Description of the Case Study School 58
Background of Data Collection 60
Participants 61
Findings 62
Research Question 1 63
Expected Working Agreements 64
Interactive Notebooks 66
Technology Use/Programs 68
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Structural 71
Research Question 2 72
Distributed Leadership Model 73
Instructional Freedom, Trust and Resources 77
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Political 79
Research Question 3 81
Small Family 82
Character Development 85
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Symbolic and Human Resources 87
Chapter Summary 89
Chapter Five: Conclusion 90
Purpose, Significance and Methodology 90
Summary of Findings 92
Implications 95
Recommendations for Future Research 97
Conclusions 98
References 100
Appendix: A Interview Question Protocol 108
Appendix: B School Site Observation Protocol 111
Appendix: C Document Review Protocol 120
Appendix: D Survey 122

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: School Data Compared to District Data 49
Table 2: Phases 55
Table 3: Responses Related to Instructional Practices 68
Table 4: Responses Related to Mission- and Vision-Related Goals 72
Table 5: Leadership, Professional Development and Opportunities for Growth 80
Table 6: Development of School Culture and Cultural Norms 88

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 7

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conceptual framework. 41
Figure 2: 2015 SBAC achievement level distribution: ELA. 47
Figure 3: 2016 SBAC achievement level distribution: ELA. 48
Figure 4: 2015 SBAC achievement level distribution: Math. 48
Figure 5: 2016 SBAC achievement level distribution: Math. 49

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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to hone in on a successful non-traditional
urban high school to learn and determine the different factors that affect student academic
achievement. The study focused on programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural
norms. Interviews with school faculty, observations of classrooms and school activities, review
of important documents and a survey distributed to school staff were used to explain the
background of the school and the findings of the different factors that contribute to the school’s
success.
Three major themes emerged from data analysis: (1) consistency, (2) shared leadership
and (3) relationships. Consistency was evident school-wide through implementation of an “Elect
to Work Agreement” certificated staff members read and signed before, use of an interactive
notebook as an instructional tool across content areas and grade levels, and the supplemental
usage of technology in all classrooms and specific instructional programs to support learning.
Shared leadership was apparent via a distributed leadership model and the instructional trust,
freedom and resources that were provided to staff by administrators. Lastly, cultivating a family-
like environment with the help of its small school size and stressing character development
among students contributed to relationships in regards to cultural norms. Furthermore, the study
identified implications for practitioners and policymakers based on the findings of the research.
In addition, suggestions for future research include furthering research on school-wide programs
and practices, pilot schools and action teams.

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Research says that we have an ongoing achievement gap where we consistently fail to
bring our children from historically low socioeconomic and tough demographic backgrounds to
the same level of performance as their peers (Jeynes, 2015; Kozol, 1991; Olneck, 2005; Sirin,
2005). For instance, while the overall graduation rate for a school district in Southern California,
which will be referred to as SCD going forward, increased to 80.5% as of 2017, according to the
California Department of Education, graduation rates for English Learners (ELs) is at 59.1% and
African American students graduate at a rate of 76.3%. In addition, research shows that, of the
minority students who graduate from high school, only 12% to 14% met the minimum
requirements to enter a 4-year university (Darling-Hammond & Friedlaender, 2007). Hence,
there seems to be a contradicting reality regarding high school graduation rates and preparation
for college or higher education: more students are graduating high school, but fewer students are
college-ready.
In particular, California, which is home to the most k-12 students in the nation at about 7
million students, had a graduation rate of about 82% in 2015 (California Department of
Education, 2015). In addition, the graduation rate for Latino or Hispanic students reached about
78% and was about 70% for African American students (California Department of Education,
2015). Also, the graduation rate for ELs increased to about 70%, which was a feat considering
about a fourth of California’s students are considered ELs or are enrolled in a limited-English-
proficiency program (California Department of Education, 2015). Moreover, nearly 78% of
socioeconomically disadvantaged students graduated high school in 2015, according to the
California Department of Education (2015). This is significant as nearly 90% of California
schools are Title I, which means they serve a population of mostly socioeconomically
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disadvantaged students. However, while these statistics seem positive and paint a picture of a
progressive California, conflicting reports outlined different reasons for and consequences of
these increases in graduation rates.
Two main explanations for the increase in nationwide graduation rates have come to light
through different studies and research: (1) stepping in and providing intervention for students
earlier to prevent dropout and (2) districts and schools lowered the requirements for graduation.
First, Balfanz et al. (2014) pointed out that targeted student interventions played a significant
role in curtailing students from dropping out of high school. Student interventions took effect via
different nonprofit organizations, such as Communities in Schools, City Year, and the Boys and
Girls Clubs, partnering with schools to help at-risk students academically, socially and
emotionally (Balfanz et al., 2014). However, with recent defunding of federal programs such as
the Quality Education Investment Act, there is concern over how sites and organizations will
continue to support these programs that improve student achievement.
Second, different graduation requirements across the nation may contribute to the higher
graduation rate. For example, California does not require students to take Algebra II to fulfill
mathematics requirements to graduate; therefore, students may take fewer classes in comparison
to their peers in other states. In addition, the legislature and the governor suspended the
California High School Exit Examination, which may have also played a role in increasing the
graduation rate for 2015. While eliminating an exit exam opens more opportunity for students to
achieve graduation, it also reduces requirements and a means to quantify how college-ready a
student may be.
Furthermore, according to Royster, Gross and Hochbein (2015), only about 19% of high
school students are graduating college-ready. To be specific, according to the 2014 ACT report
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 11

on college and career readiness (Royster et al., 2015, p. 21), about 50% of White students met
three or more college readiness criteria while only 11% of Black students and 23% of
Hispanic/Latino students met the same benchmarks. Hence, although we graduate more students
from high school, we do not adequately prepare them, especially our Black and Hispanic/Latino
students, for success at a 4-year institution and the demands that come with college courses. This
is particularly troubling as more jobs require higher education and fewer jobs are available for
those with just a high school diploma. For instance, a projected 38% of jobs will require a high
school diploma or less by 2018 (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010), which means that over 60%
of jobs in the future will require some sort of higher education and/or degree from a 4-year
institute. In addition, higher levels of education are positively associated with increased levels of
earnings (Day & Newburger, 2002).
To counteract this, policies put forth within the last couple of decades were meant to help
move more students towards higher achievement in terms of graduation and college readiness. In
2002, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was put forth by President George W. Bush to create higher
standards for all students and educators. In addition, another school reform, called the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was put forth by President Barack Obama
and included adoption of a common set of content standards, the Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) that would prepare our students for both college and a globally competitive future (Hess
& McShane, 2014; Mathis, 2010). Although there seems to be upward movement regarding
students graduating at a higher rate, there needs to be more known in terms of why and how this
happens. In particular, more needs to be known about what structures and programs are
responsible for this upward movement and how these structures and programs prepare students
to be successful in higher education. Additionally, there is not much recent literature that
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 12

provides explicit reasoning for these increases in graduation rates and how results may be
replicated, especially among students of color.
However, we know there are non-traditional schools serving students with similar
socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that outperform their traditional counterparts
(Ragland, Clubine, Constable, & Smith, 2002; Shannon & Bylsma, 2003). These non-traditional
schools employ different pedagogies, structural implementations, school cultures, and increased
parental involvement to improve students’ academic success (Ragland et al., 2002; Shields,
Ireland, City, Derderian, & Miles, 2008; Stetson, 2013). Non-traditional schools such as charter
schools, vocational schools, single-sex academies, and smaller learning communities have
rapidly increased in numbers to better serve a much-neglected niche of students: students with
lower socioeconomic backgrounds and typically of Black or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity.
For example, SCD currently has the highest population of charter school students in the
United States. SCD currently has an approximate 25% of Los Angeles’s share of all public
school students in the city (The Great Public Schools Now Initiative, 2015). In addition,
according to the Great Public Schools Now Initiative (2015), SCD estimated that 44% of student
attrition has been to charter competitors. Hence, SCD’s traditional schools lose enrollment to
these alternative, non-traditional schools. This is one example of how a type of non-traditional
school expands. The literature review provides more background and information about the
history of the gap in achievement between students attending urban schools and the different
initiatives and practices used to try to close that gap.
Statement of the Problem
Historically, students in high-poverty urban schools have not performed well
academically in comparison to students in affluent communities. However, there are non-
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 13

traditional urban schools with similar low socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that
outperform traditional public schools. More needs to be known about how these non-traditional
outperforming schools operate to achieve excellence.
The literature summarizes different topics and studies regarding urban school students’
academic achievement: (1) the history of poverty and initiatives put in place and how these
affected student achievement; (2) non-traditional schools that emerged in recent years as an
alternative to traditional schools; and (3) practices proven to be effective for student
achievement. What remains unclear is which of these initiatives and practices positively
influenced student achievement and, specifically, how they were implemented. However, it is
clear that there is not a simple answer, and there are many aspects and individuals involved in
making sure our students succeed academically. Specifically, there is insufficient research on
what specific programs, practices, leadership practices and cultural norms these non-traditional
schools implement to produce outperforming results in comparison to their traditional
counterparts.
There is much debate over whether non-traditional schools, in general, are any better than
traditional schools at improving student achievement. The debate is scaffolded with different
elements that work together to influence student achievement: funding, human resources,
practices, programs, and policies. However, one thing is clear: there seems to be a large
movement in education towards non-traditional schools that serve urban youth, and some
produce positive results in comparison to their neighboring traditional schools. Hence, there is
reason to study these schools to learn specifically what programs, practices, leadership practices
and cultural norms they employ to produce outperforming results.

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 14

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to identify the factors of a non-traditional outperforming
urban K-12 school. The high school selected for this study was considered outperforming based
on its graduation rate, its graduates rate of enrollment at a 2-year or a 4-year institution and its
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) scores. These elements were explored
through interviews, observations, a survey and review of documents. The site selected for this
study, Academy A, was a high-performing pilot school located in the Los Angeles region and
which experienced progress towards student academic achievement.
A case was conducted study to provide a more in-depth story of what was hapening
within the natural setting in which the phenomenon occurred (Patton, 2002). In addition, the
study employed Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four-frame model of leadership to help understand
and structure the findings. Furthermore, the researcher sought to determine what specific factors
contributed to student achievement in this distinct urban school.
Research Questions
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
Importance of the Study
The study’s importance lends itself to practitioners, policymakers and administrators.
Such stakeholders may better understand what is currently known and working regarding
increased student academic achievement in urban settings. Thereafter, stakeholders will be able
to adapt specific practices, programs and/or norms as fit. In general, other schools of similar
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 15

demographics of subgroups will be able to implement similar practices within their schools to
improve educational outcomes.
Practitioners will be able to compare, contrast and adapt different procedures and
practices presented through this case study. The different interviews, observations and surveys
will unveil the perspectives and experiences of key teacher leaders; therefore, practitioners may
identify similarities to populations they serve and adopt similar procedures and/or practices.
Policymakers may learn more about the logistics and resources that go into running a
successful school for high academic achievement. With such knowledge, policymakers may be
able to explore more options in terms of the formation of schools, the rights of students and
parents in consideration of school choices and the funding of schools. In addition, policymakers
will be exposed to a specific governance model proven to produce high academic achievement.
Administrators will be exposed to different perspectives concerning practices of leaders
at an outperforming urban school. In addition, this case study sought to reveal specific and
effective programs and practices to help administrators decide their selection of professional
development or curriculum structure for their own site. Also, the selected school’s cultural norms
were dissected, which is something that school leaders may learn more about as well as
understand how these can influence student achievement.
Limitation, Delimitations and Assumptions
This case study incorporated more than one method for gathering information to provide
a thorough understanding of how and why this particular high school was an outperforming non-
traditional urban school. This method was consciously chosen to not formulate a picture of the
school based on simply a single source (Patton, 2002). Different layers of sources, including
observations, interviews, document reviews and a survey, were administered to gather data.
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Using a combination of sources, the researcher properly validated the data through triangulation
and cross-referencing. However, there may be unintended limitations within this study.
Limitations of the observation and interview process may include the assumption that
everyone observed and interviewed were authentic and truthful. There may have been outside
influences that altered their behavior, actions or words. Moreover, the presence of the researcher
may affect participants to behave atypically (Patton, 2002). This was a limitation outside of the
researcher’s control. In addition, the researcher was only able to take what was observed or heard
as factual and was not able to know the inner thoughts of those observed.
Similarly, another potential limitation was researcher bias. Although the researcher was
conscious of ethics regarding the presentation of research and sought to be as objective as
possible, this case study was researched, studied and written based on the perspective of the
researcher. Hence, depending on the researcher’s lens, analysis of the data may have been biased.
However, documents, survey responses and interview quotes helped verify the validity of the
research presented and curtail researcher bias.
Delimitations of this study were based on the fact that this study focused on only one
school; hence, the information gathered was particular to this school and the perspectives and
experiences of the student/staff sample. However, it is important to point out that this study was
one of 12 similar studies from which different results can be learned and adapted.
Assumptions made during this study were that the pilot school constituted an isolated
situation due to it being autonomous of a school district and union. Hence, all certificated staff
members voluntarily chose to work at the site and signed an “Elect to Work Agreement.” In
addition, another assumption was that, even though the site is a pilot school, it is still a public
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 17

school that offers enrollment to all students who apply by choice; therefore, the student
population likely reflected that of the neighboring traditional schools’ populations.
Definitions of Related Terms
Common Core State Standards (CCSS): A set of academic standards in mathematics and English
Language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning standards include what a student should know and
be able to apply at the end of each grade.
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): Essentially, a civil rights law originally
passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 that enacted the long-standing commitment to
fund primary and secondary education as well as to hold high standards and accountability
within education. The various types of funding for k-12 (Title I-VI) are included as sections of
the original 1965 Act. Acts of different names have since replaced the original 1965 Act, such as
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) under President George W. Bush and Every Student Succeeds
Act under President Barack Obama.
Four frames: What Bolman and Deal (2003) defined as the four leadership frames: structural,
human resource, symbolic and political.
Outperforming: Schools that have high SBAC scores relative to neighboring schools, district,
state; have high graduation rate/low dropout rate; high grade point average; have received an
award or distinction.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB): A federal law enacted under President George W. Bush that
required states to have a high-standard system to hold schools accountable for student learning.
The system components included assessments to monitor student progress as well as to measure
each school’s and district’s progress towards annual targets. The goal of NCLB was to help
disadvantaged and underachieving students improve their math and reading test scores
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 18

Pilot schools: Schools that may share a common campus, communal space and extracurricular
and sports programs, but operate autonomously in regards to budget, staffing, bell schedules,
administration, curriculum and assessments and the overall school calendar.
Professional development: Practical and theoretical learning opportunities for teachers to
improve and educate teacher practice.
School culture: The attitude and beliefs of any stakeholder of the school and community on the
school environment, cultural norms of the school and the relationships of the school.
Single plan for student achievement: A comprehensive plan that includes information and
description on all programs funded by federal grant programs, such as the ESEA Program
Improvement.
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC): A cumulative assessment given in grades 3-8
and in grade 11. There are assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science
available based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science
Standards (NGSS). The test is made up of two parts: a computer adaptive portion and
performance task portion.
Title I school: Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education to school districts and
schools to meet the needs of at-risk and low-income students.
Urban schools: A school situated in an area or community that is located in a cluster of no less
than 2,500 inhabitants, but also no more than 50,000 residents according to the United States
Census Bureau. Furthermore, the school needed to serve a diverse and lower socioeconomic
status population, which could be considered as being under-resourced.
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Zones of choice: Geographic areas that include multiple high school options for all resident
students to choose from. Essentially, it is a form of open enrollment for students living in that
area, and these students choose which school to attend.

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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Historically, students in high-poverty urban schools have not performed well
academically in comparison to students in affluent communities. However, there are non-
traditional urban schools with similar low socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that
outperform traditional public schools. More needs to be known about how these schools operate
in order to achieve excellence.
Purpose of Study
The purpose of the study is to identify the factors present in a non-traditional outperforming
urban K-12 school.
Research Questions
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
Background: Importance
Historically, students who attend urban/high-poverty schools experience inequity in
education. Although graduation rates have improved for low-income students over the past few
years, they still hold far lower positive statistics than their more affluent peers (DePaoli, Fox,
Ingram, Maushard, Bridgeland, & Balfanz, 2015; Royster et al., 2015). According to DePaoli
and colleagues (2015) the adjusted cohort graduation rate for low-income students was 73.3% as
of the 2012-13 term while the national graduation rate for middle and high-income students was
about 88% making the gap about almost 15% between the two subgroups. In addition, the same
study found that, while 85% or more of middle and high-income students in 38 states graduate
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 21

high school in four years (on-time), in 38 states, their counterpart peers had the same statistic in
only two states (DePaoli et al., 2015).
Not only are students who are of lower-income backgrounds at a disadvantage when it
comes to graduation rates, but they also fall behind when it comes to college readiness.
According to Royster et al. (2015), nationally, only about 19 of every 100 high school students
graduated prepared for the rigor and understanding postsecondary work entails in 2011. In
addition, students of color, who are overrepresented in urban/high-poverty schools, fall behind
their peers when considering graduation rates, college readiness, gifted and talented
identification and Advanced Placement enrollment rates (United States Department of
Education, 2011). For example, only 11% of Black students and 23% of Hispanic/Latino
students met three or more college readiness benchmarks according to the 2014 ACT report on
college and career readiness (Royster et al., 2015).
These statistics regarding graduation rates as well as college readiness are relevant when
considering employment data. In-demand jobs have vastly changed since the 1970s. For
example, in 1973, almost three-fourths of jobs nationally required a high school diploma or less
(Carnevale et al., 2010; Royster et al., 2015). Currently, the projection for jobs with a
requirement of a high school diploma or less is 38% by 2018 (Carnevale et al., 2010).
Furthermore, research have consistently revealed a positive correlation between level of
schooling and earnings (Day & Newburger, 2002). Hence, the fact that many of our students
from low-income backgrounds graduate at a lower rate compared to their middle and high-
income peers and will likely be at a disadvantage when it comes to employment opportunities
should be enough reason to acknowledge a national education problem concerning students who
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attend urban/high-poverty schools. Thus, investigation into what practices and characteristics
may attribute to helping these students succeed is warranted.
History: Poverty
Many urban schools deal with poverty, as it is a root problem that influences other areas
of student achievement. Most of the statistics regarding low-income students and their education
are not as favorable as the data for students with more fortunate backgrounds. For instance, 20%
of U.S. children live in official poverty (Coley & Baker, 2013). Furthermore, Logan, Minca, and
Adar (2012) noted that more than 60% of Black and Hispanic students attend schools considered
high-poverty. In comparison, 18% of White students and 30% of Asian students attend high-
poverty schools (Logan et al., 2012). These numbers are relevant because there is a negative
correlation between the concentration of poverty within schools and student performance even
after controlling for a student’s family background (Logan et al., 2012). In addition, Wright
(2012) found a noticeable funding gap between urban and suburban school districts.
Furthermore, due to this funding gap, urban school districts are subjected to less-equipped and
less-effective teachers, older and more run-down facilities, and curriculum incomparable to that
of their suburban counterparts (Wright, 2012). For example, Wright (2012) explained that, in
2002 and 2011, the 10 poorest schools spent, on average, a third of what the 10 richest schools
spent to educate each student.
These statistics shed light onto the inequities of unfortunate students in relationship to
their academic success as well as social welfare. For instance, Welner and Farley (2010) pointed
out that a child’s academic success can be positively predicted by the income, wealth and
educational level of his or her parent(s). Hence, students of color and of lower-income
background will be at a disadvantage in achieving academic success compared to their
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 23

counterparts. Furthermore, the achievement gap is twice as wide between Black and White
students in favor of White students (Coley & Baker, 2013). In addition, children who grow up
considered lower-income are prone to complete less school, earn less as adults, are more likely to
receive public assistance and are more likely to be in poor health (Coley & Baker, 2013).
Moreover, boys who grow up in poverty are more likely than their counterparts to be arrested as
adults, and their female equivalents are more likely to give birth outside of marriage (Coley &
Baker, 2013). There is a clear gap in academic and social success between students who are born
into uncontrollable circumstances that automatically place them at a disadvantage against their
counterpart peers who are fortunate enough to be born into more favorable conditions, and,
unfortunately, we, as a nation, have yet to resolve the inequity.
History: Initiatives
Different reforms have been implemented to bridge the gap of inequity within education.
The Elementary and Secondary Education ACT (ESEA) was enacted in 1965 to provide more
resources to help low-income students. Nearly 40 years later, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is
signed into legislation by President George W. Bush in 2002. This policy expands on ESEA with
the ultimate goal of closing achievement gaps and having 100% student proficiency by 2014
(Guilfoyle, 2006). Then, in 2010, President Barack Obama puts forth a new reform, the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS) in efforts to have a consistent set of standards that better prepares
students to be critical thinkers and globally competitive.
No Child Left Behind

Similar to previous educational policies implemented by past administrations, NCLB
aimed to improve student achievement. NCLB was signed into law by President George W. Bush
on January 8, 2002 and was designed to ensure all children would be proficient in reading and
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 24

mathematics by the 2013-14 school year (NCLB, 2001). The key way in which this goal was to
be reached was to have an accountability system for schools and districts. This system would
help keep schools and districts accountable for all their students’ mastery of state standards, as
measured by state tests. In addition, including all students meant including those with limited
English proficiency and students who received special education services. The key factors of this
performance-based accountability system were (1) creating clear definitions and goals for
desired outcomes; (2) identifying districts and schools not meeting progressive targets and
needing assistance/interventions; (3) providing information about schools’ performance in order
to enable parents, educators, and other stakeholders to make best decisions for our students; and
(4) having specific incentives and consequences tied to achievement in order to encourage school
and district improvement (NCLB, 2001). With the implementation of NCLB, a new wave of
accountability, local control, parental involvement, and funding became the new foci of the
nation’s education system.
NCLB looked to reauthorize and further what ESEA did by tying funding directly to
accountability expectations, which brought many unintended outcomes. The first unintended
outcome, and one of the most troubling, took place after implementation of NCLB: the
heightened focus on standardized-test scores and test administrators, teachers and school
administrators, going to great lengths to achieve higher scores. Due to funding being directly
linked to student achievement on these state standardized tests, teachers began to “teach to the
test” (Amrein-Beardsley, 2009, p. 6). Different ways of “teaching to the test” included teachers
practicing problems from previous tests with students, drilling skills repeatedly without focus on
conceptual understanding, and using multiple choice answers to solve mathematical problems.
(Amrein-Beardsley, 2009). One K-12 public education cheating story out of Atlanta, Georgia
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 25

concerned not only 11 teachers, but also the superintendent of public schools (Vogell, 2011). The
teachers and administrators felt pressure to meet specific score goals, or, in some extreme cases,
their jobs would be on the line; hence, employees altered, fabricated and falsely certified test
answer sheets (Vogell, 2011). This is one of the more extreme instances to arise from
implementing such a high-stakes accountability system.
The second unintended outcome from NCLB was the intense focus on solely
mathematics and literacy. In effect, there was a narrower focus on the curriculum to heavily
invest time solely on math and literacy to reach yearly progress goals. More than 70% of school
districts reduced instructional time in at least one other subject to elongate the time spent on
reading and mathematics (Cawelti, 2006). In addition, struggling students who needed
intervention received double periods of math, English or both, which, in effect, did not allow
them to take an elective course (Cawelti, 2006). Furthermore, Jennings and Stark-Renter (2006)
found that 97% of high-poverty districts had some sort of requirement to increase time spent on
math and English compared to 55% to 59% of districts with lower levels of poverty.
The third unintended outcome NCLB had on our nation’s students and education system
was the even greater gap in achievement between students considered low-income and students
from affluent communities. Hursh (2007) found that teachers’ expectations and teaching differed
for low-income students of color in Texas schools. For instance, these teachers lowered their
expectations for the lower-income students of color by drilling them and “teaching to the test,”
while their counterpart students did not receive as much drilling. In the end, the disadvantaged
students fell further behind their affluent peers (Hursh, 2007). In conclusion, urban schools
framed their curricula around test preparation and basic skills, limiting students’ wealth of
knowledge.
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Common Core State Standards
The most recent school reform constructed and exerted onto states is the CCSS via the
ESEA by President Barack Obama in 2010. The new reform called for states to adopt a
“common” set of content standards developed by the National Governor’s Association and the
Council of Chief State School Officers across the nation. In addition, to pressure states to adopt
the new standards, the administration called for federal Title I aid to be withheld from those
states that did not adopt these or comparable standards (Mathis, 2010). Most states adopted the
CCSS, although several initially adopted them before reverting to their old state standards
(Mathis, 2010). The purpose of these new standards was (1) to make all students college and
career ready, (2) up the rigor in terms of critical thinking skills, and (3) better prepare students to
be globally competitive (Hess & McShane, 2014; Mathis, 2010).
Results and feedback were not only mixed, but also not enough to make strong
correlations due to adoption and implementation of the standards being recent at the time of this
study. The Educational Policy Improvement Center suggested a positive correlation between
students who are generally proficient in the CCSS and their readiness for postsecondary-level
courses (Conley, Drummond, de Gonzalez, Rooseboom, & Stout, 2011). The authors asked
university instructors across the nation to rate different CCSS on their usefulness and importance
as prerequisites for the specific course they taught. Specifically for English language arts (ELA)
and literacy standards, applicability ratings for non-literary reading and writing standards were
very high (Conley et al., 2011). For the mathematic standards, applicability ratings differed
according to the domains included in the standards; however, for a majority of the instructors
surveyed, the mathematical practices were rated as applicable (Conley et al., 2011). In general,
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almost every standard surveyed received a mean rating well above 2.5 (on a scale of 1 to 4),
which was the midpoint between “less important” and “more important” (Conley et al., 2011).
Another study conducted by Porter, McMaken, Hwang, and Yang (2011) pointed to
similar conclusions concerning the correlation between the intentions of the new standards and
the results. Porter and colleagues (2011) found a definite emphasis on and evidence of higher-
order cognitive demand presented by the standards. In addition, in comparison to our
international top-achieving country counterparts, the new CCSS place less emphasis on perform
procedures. Conclusions as to whether these practices are beneficial in achieving intended goals
of the CCSS were unclear as of this writing. Porter and colleagues (2011) indicated occurrences
related to the new CCSS and their comparisons to international competition counterparts, and not
to the effectiveness of such occurrences.
On the other hand, Schmidt and Houang (2012) explored the relationship between the
CCSS in mathematics and student achievement. Schmidt and Houang (2012) compared states
who adopted standards more like the CCSS and their National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) scores using techniques similar to the Third International Mathematics and
Science Study. Schmidt and Houang focused on two main characteristics, focus and coherence,
to compare with students in the top performing countries. Focus is defined as the number of
topics covered; coherence is evident when standards or topics are articulated over time as a
sequence that is logical and hierarchical (Schmidt & Houang, 2012). Their findings were that (1)
mathematics standards under CCSS are coherent and focused compared to their international
benchmark countries, (2) the closer a state’s standards are to the CCSS, the higher the assumed
score for the state’s NAEP test(again, not a strong correlation due to the lack of time and data of
CCSS assessment scores), and (3) states with a higher percentage of students who come from
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low-income families and attend the state’s public schools are more likely to implement the CCSS
(Schmidt & Houang, 2012).
A Rise in Non-traditional Schooling Options
In response to NCLB and CCSS, school districts and schools developed with different
strategies to close the achievement gap between not only higher achieving students and lower
achieving students, but also, in particular, between White students and students of color.
Resistance to the idea of one-size-fits-all drove many school districts and schools to become
innovative in the types of schooling and programs they provided all students. Furthermore, this
led to the rise of non-traditional schooling options, such as charter schools, home-schooling,
small learning communities (SLC) and pilot schools within SCD.
Charter schools have been gaining press and enrollment since the early 1990s. By the
mid-1990s, 11 states had laws authorizing charter schools (Wohlstetter, Wenning, & Briggs,
1995). Charter schools have steadily expanded nationwide to offer a non-traditional schooling
option for students and parents. As of 2014, charter schools encompassed about 5% of all public
school students nationwide (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). In addition, there
was a steady increase in this rate from 10 years prior, which was 2% (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2017). In addition, as the number of students enrolled in public charter
schools increased, the number of students attending traditional public schools continued to
decrease (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017).
What first started as a religious and secular push, homeschooling, found another reason to
gain steam and to establish legal rights with NCLB. According to the National Center for
Education Statistics (2017), homeschooling accounted for about 3.4% of public school students
nationally as of 2012, which represents a 1.2% increase from a decade prior. Similar to parents
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of charter school students, parents who homeschool their children expressed the idea of their
children benefiting from a non-traditional schooling option to get away from the one-size-fits-all
curriculum they believed traditional schools implemented. Other reasons for homeschooling
include religious reasons (64% of families choosing to homeschool) as well as to provide a moral
instruction (77% of families choosing to homeschool) according to the U.S. Department of
Education (2017).
Similarly, the SLC concept was initially authorized under ESEA of 1965 and later
reauthorized under NCLB. The SLC concept was created to help break up the bureaucratic
environments of secondary schools into smaller, more individualized settings (Bernstein,
Millsap, Schimmenti, & Page, 2008). Specifically, SLCs were to improve schools enrolling at
least 1,000 students and would take form as smaller, focused academies, schools-within-a-school
structures and magnet schools (Bernstein et al., 2008). Cumulative numbers are not as readily
available as SLCs may take form in different ways; however, many districts, including SCD
adopted SLCs and pushed for SLCs via increased funding opportunities.
A specific type of SLC that has become its own is the pilot school model that SCD has
adopted and implemented. The LA pilot school model was modeled after one that was
implemented by Boston Public Schools in the mid-1990s. For SCD, proposals for opening a pilot
school may be submitted by existing traditional schools or by a pilot schools steering committee.
This committee includes teachers, community representatives, administrators and advocates. The
application must include how the school will encompass (1) innovation, (2) vision and mission,
(3) optimal size (small), (4) research, (5) equity, (6) student serving (i.e. high expectations, rigor,
etc.), (7) parents, (8) professional learning communities and (9) self-government. Currently,
there are 49 pilot schools in SCD out of 1,147 schools in the district, and each school functions
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as its own academy and offers a different focus in terms of curriculum. Furthermore, such a
model became popular within SCD to compete with neighboring charter and magnet schools that
offer specific programs.
Non-Traditional Schools
There was a surge in non-traditional schools in response to the achievement gaps of
neighboring urban schools. These non-traditional schools may be part of an existing school
district, but many are independent. In addition, they function autonomously with their own
processes for hiring staff as well as curriculum implementation. These non-traditional schools
include charter schools, homeschooling, SLCs and pilot schools.
Charter Schools
A charter school is “a tax-supported school established by a charter between a granting
body (as a school board) and an outside group (as of teachers and parents) which operates the
school without most local and state educational regulations so as to achieve set goals” (Charter
school., n.d.). While charter schools have been one of the fastest-growing forms of non-
traditional schools, there have been differing results concerning their effectiveness in terms of
students’ academic achievement. Research by Dynarski et al. (2010) suggested that charter
schools can be “particularly effective in raising the achievement of low-income and minority
students in urban areas” (p. 1). Angrist, Pathak and Walters (2013) noted that charter middle
schools in Boston and Lynn, Massachusetts showed an increase of 0.2 standard deviations (σ)
per year in ELA achievement and about 0.4σ per year in math achievement compared to
traditional public schools. Other charter schools in the Harlem Children’s Zone and Washington
DC showed similar large gains as well (Dobbie & Fryer, 2011a; Curto & Fryer, 2011).
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Conversely, there is research that claims charter schools make little to no difference in
terms of student academic achievement compared to their traditional school counterparts. For
example, a study on North Carolina charter school students indicated that students who
transferred into charter schools made smaller gains than they would have made had they
remained in traditional public schools (Bifulco & Ladd, 2006). In addition, a publication from
the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) compiling a list of test results from the NAEP
showed that average achievement was higher in traditional public schools compared to charter
schools, both for all students overall and for low-income students (Carnoy, Jacobsen, Mishel, &
Rothstein, 2005). In particular, the AFT pointed out that Black students’ achievement was no
better in charter schools than in traditional public schools (Carnoy et al., 2005). Such conflicting
results show a need for further research on the charter school system and the best attributes to
learn and adopt from them.
Homeschooling
Another non-traditional form of education to have attracted numerous public school
students and parents is homeschooling. In general, students who are homeschooled are of ages 5
to 17 and either receive instruction at home led by a parent or via a satellite campus that provides
the curriculum (Ray, 2015). Homeschooling’s popularity is reflected by the fact that about 15%
of homeschooled students are non-White/non-Hispanic (Ray, 2015). In addition, a wide range of
people (i.e., people of different religious backgrounds; people of different political backgrounds;
people of different socioeconomic backgrounds) homeschool now as opposed to when
homeschooling was introduced (Ray, 2015). For example, according to National Household
Education Survey (NHES) conducted in 1999, 52% of families who chose to homeschool said
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they did so for religious reasons; however, in 2003, the NHES reported 30% of families stated
religious reasons for homeschooling.
Overall academic performance tied to homeschooling is positive. Ray (2015) stated that
there is a typical 15 to 30 percentile points difference between homeschooled students and public
school students with homeschooled students scoring higher than their counterparts. In addition,
regardless of their parents’ level of educational background and household income,
homeschooled students typically score above average on achievement tests (Ray, 2015). This is
also true for the Scholastic Aptitude Test and American College Testing that colleges require for
admissions (Ray, 2015). However, it is important to note that there is not as much available and
completely accurate information about homeschooling compared to charter schools or private
schools, as all information is based on surveys with response rates typically in the 50th
percentiles (Isenberg, 2007).
Small Learning Communities
In the current competitive global society, innovation within education is not only
something to be thought about, but also is something that is necessary. Other systems have been
innovating rapidly, such as the communication system. We have seen the communications
system evolve from the postal system to that of new technology. Similarly, SLCs emerged as an
alternative for many secondary schools in the recent decade or so to compete with non-traditional
schools that are more experimental in their education reform. SLCs refer to the idea of
implementing a specific curriculum for a smaller (typically fewer than 400 students) population
of students (Cotton, 2001). For example, magnet schools, pilot schools, and schools divided into
autonomous academies are considered SLCs.
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Successful SLC emphasize three key components: (1) collaboration and communication
among the school’s stakeholders, (2) consistent and focused teaching and learning within
collaborative work and (3) the usage of formative and summative assessments and data to
influence future decisions (Giles & Hargreaves, 2006; Newmann, King & Youngs, 2000;
Newmann & Wehlage, 1995). These key components provide students with a more focused and
committed staff and curriculum to help them from the process of attrition in education, especially
students of underserved communities and of color (Giles & Hargreaves, 2006). In addition, the
community-like environment not only helps teachers and administration in their wanting of
autonomy for innovation to take place, but also helps students feel a sense of belonging and a
have a clearer focus on a goal in terms of their education (Cotton, 2001).
An SLC is not the only answer to improving education and should not be used as a rapid
fix to problems pertaining to educating students. It takes much dedication and buy-in from all
stakeholders for one to be successful. In addition, it is a sharp contrast to the accustomed, top-
down, standards-based agendas that many traditional schools adhere to (Clinchy, 2000).
However, it does provide a more themed or focused learning environment for students and a
personalized environment for teachers to better facilitate learning (Cotton, 2001). Other positive
effects of a well-run SLC include increased consistency, higher school attendance and graduation
rates, higher levels of extracurricular activities participation, higher parent participation
engagement rates, higher quality of focused curriculum and greater cost-effectiveness (Cotton,
2001).
Pilot Schools
Similar to the SLC model, pilot schools were introduced to SCD as an alternative to the
traditional schooling options of the district. Pilot schools under SCD are a group of public
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schools that have autonomy over operations, including, budget, staffing, governance, curriculum
and assessments and the school calendar. Such schools were created with a developmental vision
that includes innovation, mission, small settings, research, equity, student centeredness,
community, professional learning communities and self-governance.
Examples of the types of SLCs to form under the pilot school system are specified
academies and programs (e.g., medical, arts programs, and engineering) in addition to magnet
programs that emerged. The average size of these pilot schools are 300 to 400 students with
certificated staff members numbering about 20 to 30. In addition, students who attend these pilot
schools are in a zone of choice with open enrollment. A zone of choice is a geographic area
wherein students choose from a selection of schools to attend rather than having to attend a
specific school. Therefore, all students who attend pilot schools in SCD do so out of their own
choosing and wanting.
Current Status: What Is Working?
Historically, students who attend urban schools struggle compared to their counterparts,
and urban schools, themselves, struggle in many aspects compared to their counterparts. For
instance, schools in urban areas have more trouble staffing teacher positions compared to schools
in suburban areas (Buckley, Schneider, & Shang, 2004). Furthermore, urban schools have
trouble keeping talented teachers and suffer higher turnover rates (Buckley et al., 2004; Jacob,
2007). In addition, due to funding hardships, urban schools tend to lag behind their suburban
counterparts when it comes to the different programs, curriculum and resources they offer
(Wright, 2012). However, despite the seeming disadvantages urban schools face compared to
their counterparts, there are specific practices and programs, leadership practices and cultural
norms that have helped urban schools be successful.
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Practices and Programs
Several practices have shown to improve student academic achievement in urban schools.
There are five main strategies that have shown great improvement in student achievement: (1)
strong academic focus, (2) a more rigorous approach to building human resources, (3) frequent
tutoring and intervention, (4) consistently using data as an informant to steer instruction, and (5)
creating an environment and culture of high expectations (Bottoms, O'Neill, Fry, & Hill, 2003;
Dobbie & Fryer, 2011b; Fryer, 2011; Kannapel, Clements, Taylor & Hibpshman, 2005; Picucci,
Brownson, Kahlert, & Sobel, 2002). Picucci et al. (2002) investigated seven outperforming urban
public middle schools, and four main characteristics emerged as pivotal in supporting teaching
and learning: high expectations for all students, an agreement to incorporate a collaborative
environment for all those involved, commitment to supporting all stakeholders via building the
human and non-human capacity, and a focus on differentiated intervention programs for students
to support their education.
Similarly, Kannapel and colleagues (2005) revealed the different characteristics and
practices eight high-performing, high-poverty elementary schools incorporated to close their
achievement gaps. The eight schools shared the following characteristics and practices: high
expectations of students and staff and implemented top-down by the administration; an emphasis
in relationship building between all stakeholders; a strong focus on academics and instruction;
incorporating constant and useful formative and summative assessments; a collaborative
decision-making process among the leadership in all schools involved; strong work ethic and
overall morale of staff; and intentional recruitment, hiring and assignment of teachers (Kannapel
et al., 2005). These shared characteristics remained consistent across all eight schools and
influenced the closing of the achievement gaps among different groups of students.
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Leadership Practices
Furthermore, leadership can be pivotal in veering a school in a certain direction. In a
study by Jacobson, Brooks, Giles, Johnson and Ylimaki (2007), interviews were conducted with
principals, teachers, support staff, parents and students at three different sites serving high-
poverty urban elementary schools in New York. Three leadership actions were confirmed as top
leadership practices needed for principals: setting clear goals and direction, positively
influencing the organization and strengthening the school culture (Jacobson et al., 2007;
Leithwood & Riehl, 2003). Additionally, Cosner and Jones (2016) noted three main practices
discovered in successful low-income schools’ leaders: (1) goal setting and appropriately
planning to achieve the goals, (2) encouraging and partaking in teacher learning and (3) actively
planning, coordinating and evaluating instruction and curriculum. Moreover, Tschannen-Moran
and Gareis (2015) found that successful schools display a trusting relationship between
administrators and faculty. In addition, while teacher instruction is crucial to student
achievement, the influence of a school’s leadership in the teacher’s instruction and curriculum
was also highlighted in Tschannen-Moran and Gareis’s findings.
Cultural Norms
School culture and the expectations the school sets of its students can easily shape its
teaching and learning environment. Such cultural norms and culture include themes of
personalization, rigor and relatable instruction and professional learning communities (Darling-
Hammond & Friedlaender, 2007). For instance, having a consistent idea of what is acceptable
and what is not of all teachers and students understood by both staff and students creates a
cultural norm that encourages a “safe and orderly environment” as Marzano (2003, p. 53)
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mentioned. This, in turn, lays a foundation for parent and community involvement to occur more
easily as well as effectively to influence the school’s culture (Marzano, 2003).
A school’s cultural norms can also be developed to include students’ cultural
backgrounds and the school community’s cultural traditions. Okagaki (2001) explained that a
family’s norms and belief system can influence a student’s performance at school. For example,
Asian parents see themselves as their children’s teachers and instill the idea of honor and success
in life being tied with academic performance. Hispanic parents view themselves to be
responsible for teaching their children moral education while believing teachers at school should
be the ones who teach subject area content (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Okagaki, 2001).
This sort of difference in cultural backgrounds and beliefs influence students and their
perceptions of school and education overall. Hence, schools must respond by reconciling
differing cultural backgrounds by creating one that is well-balanced and thoughtful of all
backgrounds in the school environment (Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001; Okagaki, 2001).
Critique of Literature
There are many different models and programs emerging in response to the competition
of closing the achievement gap for our students. In addition, educators have to be innovative to
better serve our students and their individual needs, especially our students of color and students
of lower-income backgrounds, as research proved these are the students who are least well-
served. Hence, the diversification attempted through the various educational models is necessary.
According to the literature, such innovative practices have been in place for some time, but some
have shown conflicting results. Also, there is not much recent research to support these practices.
Hence, because these attempts and models are still new in terms of full-implementation, more
research needs to be done on their long-term effectiveness. In addition, there needs to be more
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known about the process of implementation of these best practices and the direct implications of
these practices on student success.
This study sought to highlight the practices and programs of a successful non-traditional
urban school in California. It assessed specific school-wide and individual practices that appear
to be essential to promote the success of the school. These assessments were formed through
gathering and analyzing data from interviews, observations and artifacts. Analysis and inferences
made from the data will be beneficial for other urban schools that may have similar makeup in
demographics and goals of student achievement. In essence, this study sought to highlight the
different practices, programs and perspectives of a successful and outperforming non-traditional
urban school that may serve as a model for either replication or as an exemplary school in its
nature.
Different types of schools and forms of education have emerged in response to the
widening gap of achievement among urban school students. Some of these different types of
schools and forms of education have been successful in closing the achievement gap. In
particular, charter schools, vocational schools and single-sex schools have become legitimate
alternatives to traditional public schools. These types of schools implemented practices and
curriculum that focus on (1) high-standards academics, (2) relationship building, (3) intervention
programs, (4) data-driven instruction and (5) high expectations of all stakeholders. These
practices have proven instrumental in successful schools’ ability to close the achievement gap for
students, in particular for students of color, female students and students from low-income
backgrounds.
As presented by the review of literature, there have been many efforts to improve
education for our most underserved students. The different efforts include different types of non-
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traditional schools emerging in response to failing traditional schools as well as policies in the
form of federal laws to help with funding and implementation of programs for students
experiencing inequity in education. In addition, various key practices and programs have been
identified through the review of literature as best practices. These best practices have shaped the
formation of the research questions this case study will explore and attempt to answer through
the focus of a particular urban outperforming non-traditional school. The following chapter,
Chapter Three, provides a comprehensive description of the research design and methodology
for this case study.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this case study was to identify the factors present in a non-traditional
outperforming urban K-12 school. While traditional urban schools may face numerous
challenges, a non-traditional setting may allow for more flexibility and creativity in the programs
and practices implemented. Hence, this case study sought to uncover which specific programs
and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms a non-traditional outperforming school
implements. This study captured such programs and practices, leadership roles and practices and
cultural norms through observations, interviews and surveys. In addition, the research was
organized and perceived through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four-frame model of
leadership in order to emphasize on the organizational structure of a site and analyze how such
structure(s) can affect student academic achievement.
This study specifically focused on answering the following questions:
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
In this case study, the researcher examined three main factors, along with their roles and
contributions, to increasing student academic achievement at a non-traditional urban school. This
study is one of 12 case studies, which all study the same experiences at 12 different non-
traditional urban schools. The conceptual framework (Figure 1) provides an illustration of the
overall approach of the study using concepts from the research questions and data collection
tools.
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Figure 1. Conceptual framework.
As the conceptual framework shows, there were three main characteristics the thematic
dissertation group, studying the same phenomenon, believed contribute to increasing student
academic achievement. These factors were school-wide practices and programs and leadership
practices and cultural norms. These factors were identified and discussed in the literature. To
clarify, we did not view any of the three factors to be any more influential than the others; they
are organized using the associative property of addition, which states that you may add despite
how variables are grouped. These variables came from the review of literature and what the
literature revealed to be wide influencers of improved student academic achievement.
Research Questions
Research questions were constructed to provide in-depth information about what types of
school-wide programs, leadership practices and cultural norms influence student achievement.
The research questions, requirements of what was considered an outperforming urban non-
traditional school and instruments (interviews, survey and observations) were developed by a
thematic dissertation team who met over the course of seven months. Then, each member
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collected individual research on a specific school that met the requirements of an outperforming
urban school and that would contribute to answering the research questions. The study
specifically focused on answering the following questions:
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
Research Design
This study used a qualitative case study design. The primary advantage of doing a case
study was that it allowed for focus on one particular site. The researcher was able to build a
strong connection with the site and develop a strong understanding of the practices and programs
taking place while still abiding by ethical values in terms of presenting information in a credible
and valid way. In addition, the information and experiences collected and analyzed can be used
by other sites that may see similarities in population or in mission goals with the site presented in
this case study.
However, there are disadvantages to doing a case study that must be addressed and
clarified. One disadvantage may be ethical problems of researcher bias in the analysis of the data
and findings. The possibility of this occurring was considered carefully among all 12 researchers
through the selection of schools that have no direct, beneficial relationship to any of the
researchers in addition to the similarities in results among all studies supported by facts and data.
Through multiple data collecting tools, we verified the validity of results and ethics in collecting
the data and analyzing the results. The second disadvantage may be that it will prove difficult to
adapt the findings of this case study to another site in terms of generalizing findings, implications
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 43

and recommendations. However, it is important to make clear that this case study was not meant
to form a theory nor reveal a correlation; rather, this case study sought to provide a closer look
into one specific school and the different factors related to increasing academic achievement.
As this study aimed to unveil perceptions of different stakeholders and observe the
different happenings, trends and practices. Thus, it was most useful to conduct the research using
a qualitative method (Gall, Gall, & Borg, 2003). A qualitative method approach allows for data
consisting of words, conversations and experiences, which can be relayed as an analysis of
perceptions and happenings. On the other hand, a quantitative study would narrow the study’s
data to a value of instances, which would better lend itself to formulate a causation and
correlation analysis of the perceptions. In particular, this was a qualitative case study on a
particular school site and the different experiences and perceptions of key people interactive with
academic achievement attained within it. To collect detailed descriptions of the activities,
behaviors and experiences of these key people, a qualitative method consisting of purposeful
interviews and observations was relevant and imperative (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Interviews provide insight into to the inner thoughts of those who interviewed. In
addition, interviews allow for informative conversations to take place supported by structured
questioning and probing. Strictly collecting data quantitatively through surveys or questionnaires
would not have provided the same results concerning the different elaborated perspectives and
experiences. In addition, implementing a semi-structured interview protocol provides both a
basis for different experiences to be iterated and the openness of a more opinionated and specific
happening related to the questions asked. Also, it allows for the subjects to recreate instances that
happened in the past that cannot be replicated via words and with personal perceptions laced in
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 44

their recollection of events, which would not be able to be collected through a quantitative
method tool for data collection.
Observations provide a firsthand account of a situation (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). This
was an important tool for this study as it lent itself to verification of events as well as a holistic
interpretation of events. In addition, through observations, natural conversations, gestures and
actions that may take place during the event can be recorded and interpreted (Merriam & Tisdell,
2016). Also, observations provide a picture of the situation—from the layout of the room the
event is taking place in to the people involved in the event and their interactions. Such
observations are crucial so that interview responses can be compared to the live happenings of
the events as well as provide another perspective in a different environment.
Methodology Overview
This qualitative case study examined organizational practices that help narrow the
achievement gap in an outperforming non-traditional urban school. The review of literature
addressed the history of the achievement gap as well as the impact of poverty among diverse
populations in urban schools. In addition, it covered the various initiatives proposed and
implemented to improve student achievement and their effects on the achievement gap they set
out to reconcile. Furthermore, the case study summarized the different types of non-traditional
schools that emerged in response to achievement gaps. Lastly, the review of literature discussed
present best practices to improve academic achievement in urban schools.
The study looked at various criteria that distinguishes the school as outperforming, such
as student retention rates, high school completion rates, various test scores, and distinguished
school awards. Data were collected via surveys, staff interviews, document analysis, and
classroom and campus observations. The data were triangulated to identify organizational
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 45

practices that help narrow the achievement gap at an outperforming non-traditional urban school
through various school-wide programs and practices, leadership practices, and cultural norms.
Population and Sampling Procedures
The process for selecting the school and student sample was a collaborative effort among
all members of a thematic dissertation group. The group designed research questions and
definitions of an outperforming non-traditional urban school. The group met numerous times
over the course of about a year to identify various parts of the study, including the purpose of the
study, definitions of words, phrases and acronyms to be used in the study, criteria for selection of
school and type of study approach to be utilized in the study. To further support the process of a
case study, the thematic group determined that a purposeful selection of high-performing non-
traditional urban schools was in order, which set the stage for the qualitative study of these
various schools.
Criteria for Selection of Sample
The specific school chosen for this study was selected based on the criteria of high
academic performance in comparison to the local, neighboring traditional schools, which was
determined by graduation rates and SBAC scores. In addition to the academic achievement
requirements, the school had to be situated in an urban area. We defined this as an area or
community of no fewer than 2,500 inhabitants and no more than 50,000 residents according to
the United States Census Bureau. Furthermore, the school chosen needed to serve a diverse and
lower socioeconomic status population, which could be considered under-resourced.
Sample and Population
The high school, Academy A at Learning Academies, was chosen based on having high
levels of student achievement according to graduation rates, grade point averages and SBAC
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 46

scores. A pilot school, Academy A was formed by a team of teachers who participated in SCD’s
Public School Choice 2.0 process. Academy A opened in 2011 and, at the time of this study,
served 477 students from an urban suburb of the Greater Los Angeles area encompassing 2.374
square miles and a population of roughly 25,000. In addition, according the 2010 United States
Census, demographic information of the area shows the population was primarily Hispanic or
Latino (almost 93%) and the median annual income was $55,192. The neighborhood population
was socio-economically disadvantaged and about 45% received federal aid from the Aid to
Families with Dependent Children Program.
Student demographic information showed that the students attending this high school
reflected the population of the community as 94% of students were classified as Hispanic, 2%
were classified as African American, 2% were White and 1% were Filipino. Furthermore, 83%
of the school population was considered socioeconomically disadvantaged and more than 70% of
all students enrolled in a free or reduced-price lunch meal plan through Title I. To break down
the student population even further, of the 477 students, 9% were considered gifted or talented,
12% of the students had disabilities, 11% were considered ELs, 51% were reclassified as fluent
English proficient students. In terms of student population demographic, Academy A met all
requirements of being situated in an urban city and serving a high-needs population.
This school particularly interested the researcher due to its uniqueness of being part of a
larger campus while functioning independently as a separate learning academy. Academy A is
considered a pilot school and is one of four academies on the Learning Academies campus: A, B,
C Magnet, and D. Each academy functioned on an entirely separate bell schedule, had its own
curricular program and employed its own administration team and faculty. In particular, A was
staffed with 9 classified employees, 23 certified teachers and 2 administrators. In addition, each
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academy had its own part of the overall campus; hence, no two students from different
academies crossed paths during a regular school day. All students at Learning Academies shared
only the athletic program and, perhaps, other after school programs. This structure of having
separate learning academies focusing on specific fields categorized this school as being non-
traditional.
In addition to its innovative structure, Academy A boasted impressive statistics in regards
to graduation rates and SBAC scores in comparison to the SCD averages. Shown in Figures 2
through 5 are SBAC results organized by achievement level for ELA and mathematics for the
years 2015 and 2016. As can be referenced from these figures, Academy A made incremental
movements year to year for both ELA and mathematics across all achievement levels. In
addition, compared to SCD, Academy A fared better in most achievement levels. In particular,
Academy A improved ELA scores and helped students achieve ELA mastery.

Figure 2. 2015 SBAC achievement level distribution: ELA.
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Figure 3. 2016 SBAC achievement level distribution: ELA.

Figure 4. 2015 SBAC achievement level distribution: Math.
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Figure 5. 2016 SBAC achievement level distribution: Math.
Furthermore, Academy A steadily increased graduation rates over the years with a drop
in growth in the 2015–2016 school year; however, its average was still above SCD’s average of
75%. Academy A’s students showed consistent improvement in passing courses required for
college admission (known in California as A-G courses) with a grade of C or better and enrolling
in more than one Advanced Placement (AP) course. Table 1 shows several years’ worth of data
in comparison to SCD’s average data to show Academy A’s efforts to raise graduation rates.
Table 1
School Data Compared to District Data
How many students... 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 SCD average
(based on 2015-2016)
graduate in four years? 73% 83% 76% 75%
are on track to pass all A-G
courses with a ‘C’ or better?
34% 47% 64% 48%
are enrolled in at least one AP
course?
13% 19% 26% 25%

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In terms of the study and the collection of data, the population consisted of employees at
Academy A, primarily teachers and administrators. No children were interviewed or surveyed as
part of this study. The population was notified ahead of time of all interviews and observations
and had the choice of opting into the research. The researcher employed help from administrators
to gain the support of key stakeholders.
Instrumentation
A qualitative research methodology was selected for this study; therefore, the study
included a triangulation of data from a survey, interviews, observations, and review of
documents. Hence, research instruments were designed to support validation of the findings. The
research instruments were also developed to sort observations and responses into four categories
developed using Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four-frame leadership model. The following sections
describe the methodology.
Document Review
Public documents such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Single Plan
for Student Achievement, local control accountability plan, professional development calendar,
staff meeting/training agendas, master schedule, mission/vision statement, classroom artifacts,
lesson plans, and assessment data were utilized to have a complete view of the school site
(Appendix A). Gathering this type of data provided the researcher background knowledge prior
to entering the school. In addition, when specific documents were not available online, assistance
was requested from school personnel to obtain the documents.
Survey
A one-time, multi-section survey with specific questions relating to instructional
programs, leadership practices, and culture norms was distributed to participants (Appendix B).
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The survey consisted of 57 questions that focused on answering the study’s three research
questions. It was constructed on Qualtrics, a research software adapted by the university, and
was distributed to all staff via a link in an email. The survey was voluntary and took about 25
minutes to complete.
Observations
Observations were approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour in length and took place over the
course of seven months and consisted of over six site visits (Appendix C). Some observations
were a result of convenient sampling due to the researcher having professional and personal
relationships with colleagues at the school site. Observations took place in the classroom, during
the school’s morning routine, a school-wide activity and general site visits. Observations allowed
for the researcher to observe happenings in the natural environment as well as helped collect
first-hand experiences of occurrences (Merriam, 2009). The observation protocol, which was
cultivated by the thematic group, was used during all observations in order to collect abundant
and in-depth information. In addition, the observation protocol provided a structured tool to
collect and analyze data as to not include researcher bias.
Interview
A one-time, approximately 60-minute in-person interview at a location convenient to the
participants was conducted with seven participants (Appendix D). Key participants included
staff, faculty, and school site personnel. In efforts to aligned with the research at hand, interviews
included questions regarding instructional programs, leadership practices, and cultural norms.
Prior to the interview, all participants were asked if they agreed to the interview being tape-
recorded; furthermore, all participants agreed, and the interviews were taped. However, if any
participant disagreed, then the interview was not taped and written or typed notes were used. All
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participants were still a part of the interview process even if they declined to be recorded via
written notes. If a participant refused to allow written notes to be taken, then they were excused
from the interview. Lastly, transcription of the interview, whether recorded or written, was the
responsibility of the interviewer or designees.
Intellectual Framework for Data Collection
Collecting and organizing data was done by adopting the four frames of leadership
(Bolman & Deal, 2003) during the data collection process. The researcher categorized the data
into four essential categories: structural, human resource, political and symbolic. All data and
resources were viewed through these frames and served as a basis for organizing all data
collection and properly expand upon according to the situation or setting which was being
observed or recorded. In addition, the frames served as a structure for the research and its
findings.
The structural frame provided a basis for better analyzing the different roles key
stakeholders at the school site took on as well as the relationships that key participants formed
with one another and the school. Furthermore, the structural frame allowed the researcher to
better align how the different school goals, policies and procedures affected student achievement
(Bolman & Deal, 2003).
The political frame laid the foundation for observing and analyzing how school
leadership practices affected student achievement. In addition, it allowed for the researcher to
focus on where the power came from in regards to decisions about the school site, resourcing the
school site, and dealing with individuals.
The symbolic frame helped funnel data collection on how the school’s mission and
cultural norms affected student achievement. All observations, interviews and survey questions
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pertaining to the perception of the school setting, rituals, practices and stories overall by key
stakeholders were viewed through the symbolic frame (Bolman & Deal, 2003).
The human resource frame assisted in perceiving how all individuals at the school site
interacted with one another and how these interactions overflow to the overall school
environment. Also, the human resource frame helped pull all observations together to form a
concrete perception of how the different aspects, including psychological, of the individuals
involved at the school site contribute to student achievement.
Data Collection Tools and Efforts
To be specific, data were collected over the course of 7 months through written surveys,
audio recording of the interviews, written record of observation and document analysis.
Additional information was obtained through informal interviews, websites and document
review. Documents included annual school report cards the district provides for each school and
SBAC results. Websites included the SCD official website, SBAC website and the California
Department of Education’s website. In addition, links to identity were kept separate from the
data. Furthermore, secondary data analysis and document review had no identifiers and reported
in the aggregate. Because researchers used multiple instruments to collect data, a combination of
coding and non-coding methods were used. For interviews and observations, coding was used to
match participants to what they shared regarding their instructional practices to what
instructional practices were observed by the researcher. In addition, surveys were anonymous,
eliminating any link to the participants' personal information.

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Conceptual Approach to Data Analysis
To illustrate a rich and in-depth description of the qualitative analysis and reporting of
data, Creswell’s (2014) grounded theory was used as the conceptual framework for the data
analysis. All information and interpretation of all data from this study of a high-performing pilot
high school was framed around themes that emerged from a triangulation of all sources used:
observations, interviews and survey. Data analysis is an ongoing process and happens
simultaneously with data collection, data analysis and writing of the results obtained from the
data (Creswell, 2014). A general qualitative research approach was taken during analysis:
constantly reflecting on the data, writing notes throughout the research, coding the data for
analysis, perceiving the data through different lenses and digging deeper into the data to make
for meaningful interpretation (Creswell, 2014).
The data analysis was guided by Creswell’s (2014) six steps to qualitative research: (1)
organize and assemble data for analysis; (2) thoroughly read through all data in order to have a
general idea of the information to be used and reflect on the overall theme of the data; (3) start a
coding process in order to organize data collected; (4) use the coding process to culminate an in-
depth description of the settings observed and the people interviewed and surveyed; (5)
categorize data into categories or themes according to research questions; (6) interpret the data
from the perspective of the researcher and literature. Furthermore, all analysis was done in a
narrative tone to report findings for this case study. Choosing to present data and analysis of the
data in a narrative tone allowed for connecting information collected from all observations,
interviews and survey to cultural and social meanings (Patton, 2002).

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Table 2
Phases
Data Collection Phases in the Process of Research Timeline
Specific sampling strategies
Sampling

May-August
(2017)
Participants and site
Documents

Data Source
September-November
(2017)
Artifacts
Observations
Interviews
Audio recordings of interviews
Survey
Interview protocol
Recording the data/coding

November-December
(2017)
Observation protocol
Survey

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CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
Research showed an ongoing issue reconciling the achievement gap between children
from historically low socioeconomic and difficult demographics backgrounds and their peers
(Jeynes, 2015; Kozol, 1991; Sirin, 2005; Olneck, 2005). However, there are non-traditional
schools serving students with similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics that are
outperforming (Holland, 2002; Ragland et al., 2002; Shannon & Bylsma, 2003). These schools
utilize different programs and practices, leadership practices and have particular cultural norms
in place to cultivate an environment that is conducive to improving academic success with their
students (Ragland et al., 2002; Shields et al., n.d.; Stetson, 2013). There is a growing number of
types of non-traditional schools established as well as an increased number of students attending
these schools as opposed to their traditional public school, which makes studying their
effectiveness important to the larger educational community.
The focus of this case study was to produce new knowledge and learn more deeply about
programs and practices used in a non-traditional outperforming urban K-12 school. This case
study was one of 12 studies to identify and examine programs and practices, leadership practice
and cultural norms. The research questions were collectively developed by a thematic
dissertation group; however, all research, data collection and data analysis and writing were done
individually. The research questions were targeted to learn about the different efforts that go into
creating a successful non-traditional outperforming urban K-12 school. Accordingly, the research
questions that anchored the study were:
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
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3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
This case study used qualitative methods for the collection of data. In addition, to collect
data of detailed descriptions of activities, behaviors and experiences of key people (i.e., students
and staff) involved in the success of Academy A, a triangulated approach to data collection
consisting of purposeful interviews, observations, surveys and document review was employed.
Data collection took place at the school site over a period of seven months. Document review
was continuous from August to November 2017 as new data became available from the previous
school year. The documents enabled the researcher to obtain general information of the school,
including demographics, and unobservable behaviors of the school’s climate trend. During this
time between October and November, a voluntary 57-question survey, guided by the three
research questions, was administered to all certificated and administrative staff members through
email. The survey questions were developed collaboratively by the dissertation group; however,
the adaptation of the survey questions to an online platform or digital distribution tool was done
by the researchers individually.
Of the 30 certificated and administrative staff members to whom the survey was
forwarded, 14 responded and partook in the survey. In order to capture the different experiences
and perceptions of key people instrumental in Academy A’s success, seven certificated and
administrative staff members were interviewed over the course of three full school days.
Interviews were conducted privately in an office, classroom or open space during interviewees’
conference periods or outside of school hours. Furthermore, interviews were recorded and later
transcribed to provide accurate data. Lastly, observations took place onsite over the course of
three full school days and captured different programs and practices, activities, behaviors,
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 58

interactions and processes take place. Much like the survey that was administered, an
observation protocol was put together collectively by the dissertation group.
Description of the Case Study School
The idea of Academy A started with a group of teachers who wanted to bring better
educational opportunities to the students of the local neighborhood. This group of teachers not
only worked with students of the area for many years prior to starting Academy A, but they also
grew up in the neighborhood themselves and a few continued to live in the neighborhood
currently. The process took over a year to develop a teacher-driven, student-centered plan that
was later presented to the school board and community. The proposal was accepted, and the team
opened Academy A in 2011.
Academy A is a pilot school that is one of four that share a common campus, Learning
Academies. It is situated in Los Angeles and is a part of SCD, yet it functions autonomously in
many aspects thanks to its pilot status. It receives Title I funding as it serves a large population of
students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged. The school has 21 certificated teachers: 3
mathematics teachers, 4 ELA teachers, 3 science teachers, 2 history teachers, 2 Spanish language
teachers, 2 art teachers, 1 physical education teacher, and 4 special education teachers. As for
classified and out-of-the-classroom staff, there are 9 instructional aides and 1 instructional aide
also shared with another academy, 3 counselors, 2 office clerks, 1 instructional coach, 1 assistant
principal and 1 principal. During the 2016–2017 term, Academy A consisted of 463 students
across grade levels 9 through 12. Of the 463 students, 11% were ELs, 0.4% identified as foster
youth, 4.5% were homeless youth, 14.35% were students with disabilities and 83.2% were
socioeconomically disadvantaged. In terms of ethnicity make-up, Academy A’s student
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 59

population was divided as follows: 0.6% Asian, 0.6% Filipino, 0.9% African American, 2.8%
White and 94.6% Hispanic or Latino.
The school was located next to a tributary of the Los Angeles River and behind a large
neighborhood Swap Meet. Surrounding the school’s perimeter, there are large company
warehouses, and beyond the warehouses are the neighborhood homes. At first thought, the
school’s location may seem out of place, but it provides for a large acreage of space. The campus
is a new construction built with the intention of having four autonomous schools sharing the
same common grounds of a welcome center, multiple purpose room (i.e., auditorium), cafeteria
and sports fields. If facing the front entrance of the campus, there are steps that lead through
arched entryways with Learning Academies printed above it to the main quad of the campus. In
front of the main entrance, a drop-off safety zone allowing for easy pick-up and drop-off of
students was noticeable. To the left of the main entrance, there was a multiple purpose room at
the corner of the street where the campus began. Lastly, further down left of the multiple purpose
room was a designated school staff parking area that was solar paneled. Through the arched main
entrance, a library could be seen on the left, and the four academies’ buildings were on the right.
Each academy’s building was painted a different color to establish uniqueness; however, there
walkway bridges extended from each building’s second and third floors to connect all buildings
together.
Academy A was the third academy on the right on the walk into the main campus. There
were benches and tables outside of the building where students sat and socialized. The main
office for Academy A as well as a work lab classroom for student use were located just outside
the first floor’s main entrance doors. The main office was not only where the offices of the
administrative and support staff were located, but they were also where all visitors were to check
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 60

in. There was another big room attached to the main office that had cubicles as support staff
members’ (i.e., counselors and instructional coach) offices, a large conference desk in the center
of the room and copy machines for all staff to use towards the side of the room. Moving on to
enter the building, the walls are painted blue (Academy A’s color) and there were inspirational
and motivating quotes, such as, “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into
the world and do good—Minor Myers Jr.,” posted on the walls of the hallways. In addition, there
was student work and art posted on almost every bulletin board in the hallways of each floor of
the building. Moreover, through the stairwell from floor to floor, there were decorated
informational bulletin boards about upcoming school events and activities adorning the
beginning of each floor’s flight. Overall, the colorful and interactive displays exuded a sense of
pride and care the staff and students had for each other.
Background of Data Collection
The researcher had a professional and personal connection to Academy A. The researcher
worked as an educator for a middle school that served many students who eventually chose to
attend one of the four academies at Learning Academies; hence, professionally, she had visited
the campus several times in the past as part of an articulation field trip, knew and had met key
persons who worked at Academy A and was aware of certain data affiliated with Academy A. In
addition, the researcher had a personal relationship with a lead-teacher who works at Academy A
as they were former classmates in a master’s program. Therefore, the researcher was able to
connect with and communicate with participants for this study more easily than if she had not
had these types of relationships prior to the study. The researcher was granted permission to
conduct research at Academy A by SCD and the site administrator and confirmed with the site
administrator the dates that observations and interviews would take place.
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In addition, surveys were constructed on Qualtrics, a research software adapted by the
university, and were distributed to all staff via an email with a link to the survey. The survey was
voluntary and 9 teachers, 2 teachers with leadership roles, 1 classified staff member and 1 other
certificated staff member completed the survey. The seven participants interviewed for this case
study were as follows: the assistant principal, an instructional coach, the special education
coordinator who is also a resource teacher, a counselor and three teachers. Additionally,
observations of school operations, a school activity (a blood drive conducted by the student
body) and classroom observations (two ELA, two mathematics, one science, one government
and one U.S. history) were done over the course of two full school days in order to gain more
understanding of the functions, relationships and interactions of all pupils at the school site.
Participants
As Academy A was essentially started by a group of teachers and a few of these teachers
were selected to be interviewed, the need to thoroughly introduce each interviewee and their
backgrounds seemed fitting. The next section presents a short description of each interviewee to
give more understanding of their perceptions and experiences in regards to Academy A.
The assistant principal was referred to as the “idea originator.” She, along with the
principal, were the two main people who decided to put in a proposal to start Academy A. She
grew up in the neighborhood, having attended one of the local public high schools as well as
later worked as a science teacher at another local public high school. Hence, she had much
attachment and endearment for this community.
The instructional coach started his teaching career at a community school for middle
school students who were expelled from their previous, traditional school. Then, after not quite
agreeing with how the school was being operated, he looked for a new opportunity and found it
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at Academy A. Even though it took him an hour to commute each way, he stayed because he
believed in the school and the people who worked there.
The special education coordinator/resource teacher, like the assistant principal, grew up
in the neighborhood and also previously worked at a local high school. She was also one of the
core people who wrote the proposal for Academy A; hence, she had been at Academy A since
the beginning of the process and continued to stay for 7 years.
The counselor started her career at a charter school as a therapist for students and later
moved on to an opportunity at a SCD high school as a college counselor. After a year away from
the district due to personal reasons, she came back to the district working as a counselor for both
Academy A and another academy in Learning Academies. This was the first year that Academy
A had her on as a full-time counselor.
Teacher 1 was a fifth-year teacher who was one of the lead teachers involved in many
aspects of the school. She started her career in education at the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library and later joined Academy A as it was beginning its third year since its opening in 2011.
In addition, she was a National Board Certified teacher.
Teacher 2 was a fifth-year teacher who also grew up in the community, attended one of
the local high schools and continued to live in the community she served.
Teacher 3 started his career as a drama teacher at a low socioeconomic status high school,
then worked at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and began working at Academy A four
years ago.
Findings
Creswell’s (2014) grounded theory and Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four-frame leadership
model were used as the analytical framework for analyzing all data collected from this study.
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Creswell’s six steps (2014) to qualitative research provided a series of steps for the researcher to
follow during data analysis. Furthermore, Bolman and Deal’s Four Frames (2003) provided a
foundation through which all data were analyzed. In addition, the researcher utilized
triangulation of sources (survey, observations, interviews and documents) to further support and
validate findings. The findings section is organized by research question, then by theme that
emerged related to the research question and, finally, by the specific frame(s) used to analyze the
data related to the theme and research question (Bolman & Deal, 2003). The three main themes
that emerged from the data analysis were consistency, shared leadership, and relationships.
Research Question 1
The first research question asked, “What programs and practices are implemented in an
urban outperforming non-traditional school?” The theme of consistency emerged as a result of
consistent implementation of different practices and programs schoolwide. These practices
allowed for a strong foundation for effective instruction. The main programs and practices
repeatedly mentioned in interviews, seen taking place during observations and prevalent through
the survey were (1) expected working agreements, (2) the usage of interactive notebooks and (3)
the supplemental use of technology for instruction and assessment. The assistant principal
explained this process of finding consistent programs and practices that fit Academy A:
We spent a lot of time on that, like when we first opened up. I would say, maybe the first
three or four years where we’re really trying to home in on, instead of everybody doing a
bunch of different techniques or strategies that may or may not work, what’s five core
strategies that we can implement that are really beneficial to the students, that will not
just help them here, but when they leave here. Now, we’re at the point where we’re, like,
“These are the five ASE instructional strategies.”
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Further, data were looked at through the perspective of Bolman and Deal’s (2003) structural
frame to better understand how the school’s procedures and goals affected the programs and
practices implemented to affect student achievement. Furthermore, using Bolman and Deal’s
(2003) structural frame to analyze data helped determine which programs and practices were
prevalent at Academy A and how they aligned with the school’s procedures and overall goals
and vice versa.
Expected Working Agreements
As Academy A was a pilot school, it was able to implement an “Elect to Work
Agreement” contract among certificated staff members. This agreement consisted of a contract to
be read and signed by all certificated staff before working at the site and was to be reviewed
yearly. It included the following: the school’s vision and mission statement; an outline of the
commitments to Academy A expected of the certificated staff role; responsibilities of the
certificated staff role; work hours and schedule; salary, benefits, seniority and membership in a
bargaining unit information; and what a distributed leadership model entails. Essentially,
teachers, counselors and administrators who chose to sign this contract agreed to the included
information and expectations. Therefore, there was a collective understanding of what was
expected from each teacher, counselor and administrator at Academy A. In addition, this
collective understanding provided a consistent level of work output by the certificated staff.
Being a pilot school, Academy A was smaller by its definition and expected all staff to,
on average, work more than their counterparts may work. The instructional coach described a
common first impression that many visitors had of the school and staff by stating that there is an
initial “wow, they do a lot of work here!” stated by the visitors. Furthermore, the assistant
principal explained that everyone worked “really, really, really hard” and that they were in “a
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constant state of exhaustion.” However, she elaborated that this is because “the team [was]
working towards a common goal.” There was no room for discrepancy among the staff and how
dedicated one member might be as opposed to another. The special education coordinator echoed
this sentiment by explaining how hard everyone worked and how much time everyone dedicated
to Academy A. For example, all teachers were expected to hold office hours after school. Office
hours refer to two hours per week that teachers were to be available after school for either
tutoring or mentoring students. However, most teachers served more than two hours, on average,
per week. For example, Teacher 3 stated that he stayed after school every day until 5:00 p.m. and
school started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 3:30 p.m. This was to provide a safe and encouraging
space for students to complete their work with guidance. Furthermore, teachers used this time to
provide extra practice and intervention for many of the students as many of Academy A’s
students came into the ninth grade with far below grade-level mathematics and English skills.
The researcher observed office hour” take place during her visit to the site and recorded
an average of 3 to 4 students present at four different office hours. In addition, the following
survey statement asked participants to respond on a scale of “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly
Agree” to “The staff works beyond their official roles in order to help achieve school goals.”
Three participants responded with “Agree” and 10 participants responded, “Strongly Agree.” It
was evident that the staff at Academy A worked beyond scripted work hours to make sure they
did their best in providing a safe and conducive learning environment. In addition, it was clear
that all who chose to work at Academy A were committed to the agreement. Implementing the
agreement may also have helped filter potential staff. For instance, because the agreement had
specific expectations of its staff, it helped cultivate a group of like-minded people, those who
signed on to the agreement. Hence, the agreement provided a basis for consistency in
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expectations of the staff in terms of their work ethic, responsibilities and commitment to the
school’s mission and vision.
Interactive Notebooks
Interactive notebooks were seen as a main instructional tool for creating a consistent
environment school-wide. An interactive notebook consists of a notebook set up as a functional
and organized means for students to include and display their learning and ideas in one place. All
students were provided one composition notebook per class to facilitate the idea of implementing
and using interactive notebooks school-wide. These notebooks provided a means to practice
organizational skills and keep work in one place. In addition, they helped teachers provide a
consistent way of documenting student learning and a means for note-taking. In the words of one
of the teachers interviewed, “We have the interactive notebooks; every class uses that for
consistency’s sake.” The interactive notebook was not only used for students’ learning, but it was
also an instructional tool for teachers to use. The special education coordinator mentioned,
The notebooks [help keep] everything in one central location—all your assignments in
one location, helps the kids stay organized. The way we take notes, using the notebook.
All the kids are familiar with how to take notes, so, when they get to their senior year,
they’re able to, without being asked, take notes or, without being taught, to take notes.
Furthermore, Teacher 3 stated,
All the kids know how to use [interactive notebooks], and we all roughly have essentially
the same format and note-taking techniques...What I love about these is it’s kind of like
the students build their textbook. They get the text and then they can annotate it as they
see fit.
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The instructional coach added that “even students that are in college now still have a notebook
for every class and it’s an effective strategy for them.”
The note-taking technique mentioned by the teacher is an annotation technique called
CUBS, which is an acronym for “circle the main idea, underline facts, box unknown words and
side commentary.” This annotation technique was adopted by the school when teachers shared
different effective instructional practices and decided, collectively, to adapt the technique to help
students draw evidence for their writing. The assistant principal summed up the purpose of
adopting such a technique by stating that students did not know how to effectively take notes
based on what they read, so Academy A decided to “teach them, starting in ninth grade, ‘okay,
that’s not how you do that, don’t highlight the entire page. Here’s how you pull out important
information.’” Teacher 2 further explained,
[It is] used from [grades] nine through 12 in all subject areas. It’s something that [she]
thinks [is] improving students’ reading levels, because they’re not just reading it to
summarize it. They’re finding the evidence within the text, and they can quickly pull to it
and refer to it later.
Moreover, the researcher noticed that all seven classes observed implemented the
interactive notebook within instruction. Students seemed at ease with the routine of setting up
their notebooks as well as utilizing their notebooks for note-taking. As Teacher 3 explained,
“Consistency helps the students feel more secure as to the expectations in the classroom. I think
it also helps them adjust when they switch classes as well.” This was evident as there were
classes that also had a system that included student roles that showed ownership in the process of
their interactive notebooks being implemented in class. For instance, the student roles included a
distributor for the assignment handout, someone to pass out the glue sticks and another person to
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pass out highlighters. These roles were assumed without queue from the teacher and allowed for
a smooth transition in activities during class time.
Although the survey that was distributed did not have specific questions regarding the
interactive notebooks, it did include questions regarding instructional practices. Below is a table
that includes a question related to instructional practices and the responses of 13 participants.
Table 3
Responses Related to Instructional Practices
Question: What instructional practices do teachers often use in the classroom?
Instructional Practices Response Count
Collaborative Learning & Technology 13
Scaffolding, Direct Instruction & Project-based Learning 12
Differentiated Instruction & Hands-on Learning 11
Other: Constructive Conversations 1

These instructional practices were facilitated by the interactive notebook, as the notebook
provides a foundation for students to organize their learning and thought process. This allowed
teachers to further differentiate instructional practices to aide all students’ learning processes.
Technology Use/Programs
The use of technology and different online programs and platforms as a means to ensure
consistency throughout the site was evident. The following programs were specifically
mentioned and referred to repeatedly throughout the study: Google Chromebooks (Drive),
Achieve3000 and IXL. All classrooms were provided with a class set of Chromebooks kept in a
locked cart. The assistant principal validated the purchase: “We spent a lot of money on
Chromebooks. We have Chromebooks in all of our classrooms, including art and foreign
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language.” In addition, there were a couple of floating Chromebook carts in case of a need for
extra laptops. The Chromebooks provided a means for teachers and students to collaborate more
efficiently in their teaching and learning. For example, Teacher 1 mentioned that they
use Google apps all the time. So, whether it’s docs, or slides, or sharing spreadsheets or
some people use Google Classroom, so that students have more practical skills, I think,
instead of just referring constantly to paper-based assignments.
Echoing Teacher 1’s sentiments, Teacher 2 stated,
[Getting a Chromebook for every classroom] has made a huge impact. Rather than
sharing it with the neighboring teacher, I use it every single day almost in every single
classroom. My lesson plans and my teaching style are dependent on having Chromebooks
and laptops in the classroom.
Furthermore, the instructional coach added that a reason for their success has been the fact that
[they’re] very technology oriented. We’re going to have Chromebooks in every
classroom; we’re going to get more because we just need more, for more students. We
spend a lot of time teaching them computer skills. They type a lot. They do internet
research. We use a lot of online programs like Achieve3000 and IXL, so they’re just
becoming very computer literate at the same time as they’re becoming [more] educated.
With the purchase and access of these Chromebooks, Academy A was able to buy and
implement a program called Achieve3000. It is an online reading and writing intervention
program. Teacher 1 stated,
[We] noticed across the board that reading levels were super low. So, we made it a
school-wide implemented strategy that we are going to use this program to help raise
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reading levels; and it works, and it’s something that we consistently use and not just in
English.
The program provided a consistent base for teachers to differentiate instruction. Teacher 3
described the experience as follows:
What’s nice about it is it differentiates for the student. It first assesses their reading level,
and it takes the same article and it adjusts it for whatever level they are. The content is
the same, but maybe the vocabulary changes, the length can change, but it’s the same
[content].
The assistant principal added,
Kids need to read. [The] kids don’t read unless they’re forced to read, and the data we
were getting was like, “These kids can’t read these test questions, and they’re answering
this wrong, [because] they don’t know what that means.” And, so, we needed to improve
their reading skills. The only way to do that is to get them to read.
Another program purchased and used specifically for math, was IXL. Initially, the school
was using another program called TenMarks to aid students formalize their foundational
mathematics. However, the math teachers attend a separate meeting and learned about a new
program called IXL. Soon thereafter, this program was requested by the math teachers, and, as
the assistant principal explained, “[Academy A’s] math teachers went somewhere, and they said,
‘We want [IXL] instead,’ and I said, ‘Okay.’ That’s an example of how long it takes to make
changes.” The instructional coach added that “the math teachers really like [IXL] in terms of
being able to go back and help improve [students’] missing foundational skills.”
Of the seven classroom observations that took place, the researcher noted that four
classes were utilizing the Chromebooks as an instructional tool. The Chromebooks were used as
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a means for researching and documenting research in the government, English and U.S. history
classes. The students easily accessed their Google accounts and collaborated in real time with
their group mates. In addition, students in a science class were observed using the Chromebooks
to access a web page posted by their teacher to guide them in answering formative questions
about a concept taught the day prior. Furthermore, all 13 survey participants marked technology
as an instructional practice that teachers use often in the classroom. In addition, 12 of the 13
participants marked “small group” as one of the top means of delivering instruction at Academy
A. This was observed by the researcher when students worked in groups to conduct their
research and collaborate via their Chromebooks to share their findings.
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Structural
Academy A’s vision statement includes the idea of cultivating a community of learners
who have developed effective communication and leadership skills while emphasizing character
development in order to develop future leaders. To meet this vision and mission, all stakeholders
at Academy A worked collectively and consistently. The “Elect to Work Agreement” helped set
consistent expectations of the certificated staff members and allowed for effective and consistent
programs and practices. Bolman and Deal’s (2003) structural frame provided a lens that focused
on stakeholders and how their relationships contributed to the combined success of these
programs and practices. The following table shows the different survey questions and responses
related to the idea of how Academy A worked collectively to provide a consistent pathway to
vision- and mission-related goals, which involved specific programs and practices.

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Table 4
Responses Related to Mission- and Vision-Related Goals
Question Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly
Agree
N/A
I have a clear vision of what the
school is trying to achieve
1 0 8 5 N/A
The school’s vision/mission is
evident in multiple methods/practices
0 0 9 5 0
The staff shares a common
understanding of what the school
wants to achieve
0 0 9 5 0
The staff keeps the school’s goals in
mind when making important
decisions
0 0 9 5 0
The staff works in teams across grade
levels to help increase student
learning
0 1 5 6 1

The theme of consistency was evident through the implementation of specific practices
and programs school-wide. In particular, the practices of implementing interactive notebooks and
the CUBS annotation technique as well as using specific programs, such as Achieve300 and IXL,
school-wide helped create consistent pathways for staff to reach the site’s vision and mission
goals. Furthermore, consistency in the programs and practices used within classrooms supported
teachers as well as students. Teachers benefited from sharing a common instructional practice
with their colleagues, which may have helped when collaborating. Students benefited by having
a common expectation from class to class and teacher to teacher.
Research Question 2
The second research question asked, “What are the leadership practices in an urban
outperforming non-traditional school?” An overall theme of shared leadership at this site was
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apparent at all levels of leadership. Administrators, teachers and students all shared this theme of
shared leadership in their actions, words and beliefs apparent through the observations,
interviews and survey responses. In addition, leaders shared responsibility as well as encouraged
one another by distributing roles and providing resources to practice instructional freedom.
Bolman and Deal’s (2003) political frame was chosen as a means for analyzing data collected
because it provided a base for better observing and analyzing how such leadership affected
student achievement and the overall culture of the school. In addition, Bolman and Deal’s
political frame provided a means for analyzing where the decision-making power came from and
how shared leadership influenced such power.
Distributed Leadership Model
A leadership practice at Academy A that was evident was the distribution of roles among
the staff. This idea of distributing the workload and allowing specific people to head certain
aspects of the school based on skill set makes sense, as this was essentially how the school’s
founding group began the school. The special education coordinator, who was also one of the
founding teachers of Academy A, explained the beginning of forming the academy:
There’s this opportunity that they’re giving us to open and run our own school. You are
very familiar with special ed. You can run the special ed. I’m familiar with this, you can
run that. I’m familiar with that. And everyone pieced themselves and got little bits and
pieces of this school.
This sentiment was familiar and understandable as the founding team of teachers did not have
much experience starting a school.
In addition, just as the distribution of workload was decided upon in the beginning, the
school continued this system as the school progressed and formalized. The instructional coach
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explained a little more in detail how this system worked at the time of this study: “We have [a]
distributed leadership model; so, five what we call action teams, make up some of the decision-
making processes, comprised of teachers.” The five action teams were (1) curriculum, (2)
instruction, (3) school culture, (4) assessment and accountability and (5) support (for students’
personal and academic growth). Two action teams, curriculum and instruction, were typically
run together because they went hand-in-hand as they both focused on how to support teachers
and the delivery of instruction. The school culture action team focused on different activities,
programs and relationships that may influence and affect students’ sentiments of and actions in
school. The assessment and accountability action team centered on different ways of formative
and summative assessments that hold students and teachers alike accountable in terms of
learning and performance. Lastly, the support team discussed different ways the school could
better support students in both their personal and academic matters. This system is a more
developed way of learning how to balance a growing and progressing school. The assistant
principal explained this process:
We’re kind of growing up a little, in terms of spreading out the responsibilities more and
being okay with allowing more people to take control of certain aspects of just all the
different things that need to get done, in order for us to function properly.
Hence, all teachers were a part of an action team according to their interests and strengths as
educators. For example, as the special education coordinator further explained, “Everyone has a
voice here. We have what is called action teams, so everyone is broken up into whatever fits
their personality or style. Being that we are allowed to have a voice where we fit is great.”
Teacher 1 further described this leadership practice of distributing roles at
Academy A:
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The first thing I do think we have at this school [is that we have] very clearly designated
roles in leadership and what each of those leaders is in charge of doing. And, so, you
would have your traditional administrative leadership roles, but I also think that we have
within our department leaders, within our grade-level leaders, always a point-person to go
to if you have an issue in an area.
This distributed leadership model allowed for more teacher leaders to take form and assume
more ownership of the school and their own teaching. Teacher 2 described how teachers were
also involved in deciding professional development topics and even leading them. Furthermore,
Teacher 2 explained how this practice of allowing and even encouraging teachers to become
prevalent leaders outside of their classrooms is empowering for not only the teachers, but also for
students. She explained,
I think that, for the teachers and even for the students to see those peers and leaders and
ourselves when it’s teacher-led PDs [professional development sessions], I think that
that’s very powerful. Then, all teachers take responsibility for the students again, not only
in the classroom, but outside in their interactions. I see that leadership.
It is clear that the administration at this site worked to not only allow for the space for teacher
leaders to rise, but also to encourage teachers to take charge and responsibility. Teacher 1
expressed this sentiment as she said, “I know that I feel very empowered to implement new
strategies or test things out...I feel the support to be empowered to make my decisions in the
classroom.”
Leadership can happen at any level and via any role, and Academy A showcased this idea
through distributed roles for staff and student leaders. Students took after their teachers’ example
of leadership by exemplifying ownership of their learning and shared responsibility in
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contributing to the school culture of cultivating leaders. Teacher 2 expressed what she thought
was one of the most effective leadership practices at Academy A: “I think the most effective
[leadership practice] is our ASB [associated student body] team. I would say that those are our
student leaders. One of the reasons for that is that they’re so involved.” These student leaders
were the same leaders who put together different school-wide activities, including a blood drive
researcher observed. The blood drive was an idea formulated by the associated student body and
was run by the students involved. The blood drive, from observation, was orderly and put on
with much enthusiasm by the student leaders. In addition, many students partook in the blood
drive as there was a good number of students missing from classes (per researcher’s
observations) in order to participate in the drive. It was a successful activity put on by the student
leadership team.
Another way students showcased their leadership practices, which are encouraged by
their teachers and administrators, was through a mentorship program that all staff at the school
participated in. The mentorship program consisted of students becoming peer mentors just as
teachers and out-of-classroom staff members took on specific students to mentor and form
special relationships with. Teacher 2 elaborated on this peer mentorship:
Another really big leadership role I see is the peer mentors. I have tenth graders for
college and career, and they go out on either Tuesday or Thursday and they talk to ninth
graders and they say, “Hey, how’s it going?” They act as leaders for their peers. 12th
graders are also peers to the 11th graders; that’s really wonderful to see that here.
This act of peer mentorship not only reestablished the idea of cultivating leaders, but it also
encouraged students to make relationships they might not have made otherwise. These special
relationships were also made between staff and students through a mentoring that happened
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when staff took on certain students to mentor and look after throughout the years. These
relationships were highlighted during times of great need from the students, such as when
discipline might have been involved. The special education coordinator described the dynamics
of this type of relationship between mentor and student in times of conflict:
We build a sense of family so that we feel we can communicate with the kids and they
can respond in a way that they don’t feel attacked or blamed. They feel like they
genuinely disappointed their mentor, their person that they look up to or whatever. They
switch, and they change. Rare is a time where a kid won’t respond to us, and that’s when
I tell you that [Academy A] might not be their fit, and then they find another place where
they fit.
Relationships were important to Academy A, and the way they reinforced the significance of
interactions and relationships was through cultivating leaders and emulating designated
leadership roles.
Instructional Freedom, Trust and Resources
Another leadership practice implemented at Academy A is the all-encompassing practice
of fully entrusting staff members’ capabilities and perspectives with enough freedom to test out
different ideas supported with sufficient resources. Teachers feel empowered by this trust and
freedom given to them by administration to exercise and implement their curiosities. This trust
and freedom is backed by administrators providing the resources sometimes needed to fully
experiment and effectively implement an idea. Teacher 3 expanded on the trust felt between the
teachers and administration: “That’s one of the beautiful things about this school, is that we have
control over the curriculum in our class. The administration trusts us to get things done the way
we see fit. I think that’s [also] something that has really helped students get involved.” This trust
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shared by the administration and staff is not distributed only in a one-way direction; it is also
reciprocated, as expressed by Teacher 3 when he said, “I think establishing trust. I trust [the
principal] quite a bit more than my previous principal.” Even for out-of-the-classroom staff
members, such as the counselor, this trust is felt and further encouraged. The counselor
expressed that “we can make our own best judgment…[administrators] are supportive.”
Trust and freedom can facilitate a structure of shared leadership and helps to be able to
fund such trust and freedom so that they can flourish into something that can be implemented
and practiced. The assistant principal openly stated that “the staff is fairly spoiled” and if
“they’re like, ‘I need this for my class,’” then it’s “done” and administration provides resources.
Teachers validated this sentiment of being “spoiled” or empowered. For example, Teacher 1
expressed,
I feel super empowered. I feel like the majority of teachers would probably feel
empowered, too. We have lots of buying power. I can give an example. [A teacher who
teaches a digital imaging class] told my principal that he wanted to buy a 3D printer and
she said okay. So, we currently have two 3D printers now. And that’s just because he felt
a need for that for his class.
Furthermore, Teacher 1 expanded on that instance by stating,
With our budget, because we’re a pilot school, we have more autonomy of our budget
and where those funds get allocated. If I said I needed a new…I don’t even know.
Whatever [it may be], if I told [our principal], then she would make it happen in terms of
our budget.
Teacher 3 echoed these thoughts:
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I think we’re extremely empowered. In terms of our own classroom and whatnot, [the
administrators] have never said “no” to me—about anything. If I need a certain resource
or something to happen with a kid, IEP or anything like that to happen, reassessment. No,
they’ve never said “no” to me.
Teacher 2 further explained, “I think that’s what’s really great about [our principal] is that she
most often will say yes, and if she says no, then it’s for a good reason. I think that that’s really
empowering.”
The overall idea was that administrators’ jobs were to give teachers the freedom, trust
and resources to showcase all their talents; it is the administrators’ jobs to support teachers. The
assistant principal explained, “the idea behind that for [the principal] and myself, is that if you’re
giving teachers all the tools that they feel they need to be successful, then there’s no reason for
them not to be successful.” This practice of giving the teachers ability to be their own leaders by
supporting them with the appropriate freedom, trust and resources not only benefited the overall
culture and environment between staff and administrators, but it also allowed for the best
instruction for their students to be implemented and practiced. In addition, it gave teachers the
confidence and assurance to follow through with their ideas.
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Political
The vision statement for Academy A included cultivating community leaders. Through
the division of roles and encouragement to take on these different types of roles, Academy A
worked towards bringing their vision statement alive. Using Bolman and Deal’s (2003) political
frame to ground all observations, the data revealed the leaders worked collectively to bring about
a culture of ownership and designated responsibility among staff and students. Hence, there was
no direct route to the one place the power may be coming from. It was apparent through the
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responses from the interviews, observations and survey that there was a collective effort when
making decisions and resourcing ideas to affect the school and students. The following table
shows the various survey questions/statements regarding leadership, professional development
and opportunities for growth that participants replied to and their responses on a scale of
“strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
Table 5
Leadership, Professional Development and Opportunities for Growth
Question/
Statement
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly
Agree
N/A
The leaders at my school lead by
example.
0 0 8 5 0
Leaders/administrators hold staff
accountable for improving
student learning.
0 1 10 2 1
The school gives teachers
substantial freedom to carry out
lessons and activities.
0 0 3 9 0
Professional development
activities are consistent with
school goals.
1 1 9 2 0
The school provides enough
opportunities to grow
professionally through
professional development
opportunities.
0 3 7 3 0
Different staff members
periodically lead professional
development activities for other
staff.
1 0 8 3 1

As shown by the participants’ responses, most participants “agree” or “strongly agree”
with the general idea that Academy A provides opportunities aligned to its vision statement of
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wanting to cultivate learners and critical thinkers who are able to communicate effectively and
become community leaders. Through observations, it was evident to the researcher that teachers
felt a sense of shared leadership and empowerment to do what they felt was best fit for their
students’ learning process. In addition, there was a sense of confidence and ease when
participants spoke about their relationships with other staff as well as administration. Also, on
top of their overall supportive tone when speaking about their relationships, participants were
seen throughout the day engaging in conversations and comfortably spending time with one
another (i.e. having lunch together) - further exemplifying their cooperative relationships.
Research Question 3
The third research question asked, “What are the cultural norms in an urban
outperforming non-traditional school?” An overarching theme of relationships was clear in all
interviews, survey responses and observations pertaining to the overall cultural norms of
Academy A. As a pilot school, Academy A had more control over decisions concerning the
school as well as creating a more intimate culture. Specifically, the school was able to be more
relationship-based due to its small size and its focus on character development for its students. In
addition, the fact that Academy A focused on relationships allowed for consistency within
instructional programs and practices and a distributed leadership model to take place. Bolman
and Deal’s (2003) symbolic and human resources frames were used to analyze data. The
symbolic and human resources frames helped observe how different relationships and cultural
norms at Academy A contributed to their overall progress towards achieving its vision as a
school (Bolman & Deal, 2003). In addition, the two frames of data analysis helped understand
how individuals’ interactions and relationships connected back to Academy A’s overall school
vision and mission.
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Small Family
Academy A enrolled fewer than 500 students and about 30 certificated and classified
staff; hence, the word “small” was often associated with it. Being a smaller learning environment
had pros and cons. A couple of the disadvantages of smaller schools were staff having to take on
more workload and having to deal with constant changes due to staff changes or curriculum
changes. This was partially reflected through the distributed leadership model used throughout
the school—the idea that all staff take on a leadership role on top of their normal day-to-day
workload and role. However, despite the disadvantages of increased workload and constant
changes, Academy A embraced the positives that came with being smaller: the ability to focus on
each student individually, creating familiarity and strong relationships and emphasizing character
development.
The concepts of being smaller and able to create individualized relationships with
students were brought up in almost all interviews. For example, the counselor explained the
difference size may make at a more traditional high school versus at Academy A:
I think in bigger schools, it’s very easy for your kid to get lost. If they’re having
difficulties, whether it’s time management, or just adjusting, or social-emotional things
like that. At a bigger, comprehensive school, people just don’t have time because there’s
just so many classes and there’s so many kids. A lot of kids fall through the crack[s], but
here it’s smaller and my caseload is smaller. I know the majority of the kids’ needs and
it’s easier to not let kids fall through the cracks than it would be at a bigger high school.
The fact that the school is smaller allowed staff to familiarize themselves and create substantial
relationships with students. The instructional coach described how these relationships helped
create a small community of sorts:
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It feels very much like a small community. Students are very comfortable with us and
each other, and I think that often, after the initial “wow, they do a lot of work here!” that
that’s the second thing that comes across is like, “wow, you guys are really tight-knit.”
We know each other’s business too well.
The norm of being cooperative and close is not only represented in teacher and student
relationships, but also in staff and staff relationships; the entire school becomes a supportive
community for one another. Teacher 2 shared this perception as she explained that she really
enjoyed working at Academy A “and collaborating with [her] peers. It’s another reason why
[she] wouldn’t plan on leaving the community that [they’ve] built” at Academy A.
The cultural norm at Academy A emulated that of a family—familiarity, care and
constant communication. The assistant principal described this family-like cultural norm as
follows:
I think that, because we’re small, the teachers and students know each other really well. I
think, compared to a large, comprehensive high school, even though they have the same
number of students in a day, I think [there’s] a lot more like a family feel to it than a
regular high school. The interactions seem a little bit more personalized versus a larger
school.
This sense of familiarity is shared by everyone on campus and the smaller environment
helped facilitate it. Teacher 3 described the idea that the smaller environment makes it easy for
teachers to get to know all their students:
Everyone knows everybody. If there’s anyone I don’t know, it’s just because they’re a
ninth grader and I haven’t had them yet, but I will know a lot of their names by the end
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because I’ll get to know them. I think that really helps. You get to know your teachers.
We have small class sizes, you can get to know the teachers, we are available.
In addition, just like a family, there is constant communication among all parties
involved, but especially between teachers about their students. The smaller size of the site
allowed for most, if not all, staff familiar with a particular student to have a joined conversation
about that one student and the different ways they can collectively support that one student. The
instructional coach further explained how this looked on a daily basis:
When you have a small campus or a small student body, each person is going to get a lot
more individual attention and that’s definitely true on every level. [At] staff meetings,
[teachers] are constantly checking with each other about how students are performing.
That conversation carries over into the office where the counselors are constantly going
back and forth: “What’s going on with this kid? Are there issues at home? How can we
help?” So, there’s just a lot more personal attention, to each individual student, not only
just for the problem cases, but [also] for those that are excelling as well.
Teacher 1 echoed this explanation by stating that everyone “just works really collaboratively”
and “because [it is] a small school, [there is] a small staff;” Therefore, she continued that
“everybody knows all the kids.” She elaborated that this was further possible because there were
teachers who were either co-teaching or there are shared in-class support personnel who saw
students in different classes. Similar to a family, whether one wants it or not, the constant
interaction and communication was there all with the sole purpose of helping each student
individually. In addition, all persons involved with a student, from teachers to out-of-classroom
staff, contributed to furthering the student’s academic and personal paths.
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The interactions and constant communication were fueled by the genuine care all persons
involved have for not only the school, but also for the students and their well-being and
development as upright citizens. Teacher 3 explained it succinctly: “I think this is a small
community and, in a sense, yeah, it’s a family. Big family, but it’s small enough that everyone
gets to know each other and everyone’s a person, not just a number.” The efforts by the staff at
the school site to value each student as an individual and constantly strive to support each student
through consistent practices and resources were reflected in their interview responses and in the
observations. When visiting the school site, the researcher noticed all students greeted all adults
they came in contact with. The overall rapport all staff had with students seemed to be positive
and comfortable. The researcher observed students quickly checking in with various adults in
passing by answering how they were doing and also staying after school to either receive
additional help from various adults or just to converse. The special education coordinator further
validated what the researcher saw: “The students. I mean, the students get our vibe. They feel
that we care. They get it.”
Character Development
Another cultural norm indicative of Academy A was the emphasis on character
development. The site’s smaller size allowed for a more family-like environment, and like most
families, Academy A hoped to develop not only capable beings, but also kind-hearted activators
of the community. The motto of “Do good, be good” was printed on a lanyard given to all
students when they first entered Academy A as ninth graders. All students were expected to wear
their lanyard with their student ID attached around their necks to school every day as a means to
enter school. Teacher 2 expanded on this motto:
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It’s always silly, and I know that the first couple of years, it was always said all the time,
“Do good, be good” or, “Are you showing good character?” But it’s something that the
kids really feel cared about, and it creates this culture of caring.
The researcher observed these lanyards worn by all students on site as well as the motto, “Do
good, be good” written in various areas of the school—n classrooms as well as on the walls of
the hallways of the school.
A way Academy A further emphasized the importance of being good citizens was by
implementing a curriculum based on character development with ninth graders in order to set a
foundation for the cultural norm expected of them. Teacher 1 elaborated on the character
development curriculum:
The first semester, we do a character development and leadership course. So, it’s
somewhat [a] scripted curriculum, but, then, I supplement a ton of things. We think that
it’s really important for the ninth graders to take that just to get them all on the same page
for the rest of the year with our school culture; make sure that they know what’s expected
of them. But one of our big hopes in our school-wide learning outcomes is that they’re
culturally responsible, too, in their communities.
Students were given the reason as to why they needed to be good students to further their
communities by learning how to be good citizens first. This cultural norm of being tight-knit,
caring and a good person was something the staff hoped was reflected in their work as well as in
the observations of their students. The assistant principal explained her wishes as not only an
educator, but as a family member for the students of Academy A:
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The other big component, like if you were to put [Academy A] in a nutshell, is character
education. So, for us, it’s super important that when our kids leave here that they’re good,
decent human beings, not just smart jerks. And, so, we push that a lot.
All staff at the site worked hard to consistently implement the motto as well as the idea of
becoming more than just a scholar. As Teacher 2 stated, “I think that they all play a significant
role in this culture of caring and a climate of ‘do good, be good.’”
Four Frames of Bolman and Deal: Symbolic and Human Resources
Bolman and Deal’s (2003) symbolic and human resources frames served as a framework
for all interviews, observations and survey questions and their relevance to Academy A’s vision
statement of wanting to cultivate able and contributing learners and leaders through cultural
norms. The lanyard was just one symbolic representation of the overall cultural norm of “do
good, be good.” Another symbolic representation of the consistent cultural norm of character
development implemented by the site was through vision posters. These vision posters were seen
in every classroom observed. The poster includes the following narrative: “Academic Achievers
& Thinkers; Self-disciplined Responsible Citizens; Effective Communicators.” It was one way
that the school vision statement was communicated to students and reminds them of the different
characteristics that the school expects them to grow and develop.
In addition, Bolman and Deal’s (2003) human resource frame allowed the researcher to
further examine the interactions among all individuals at the school site and how such
interactions contributed to the overall school culture and environment. The family-like
interactions and environment were noticed by the researcher during observations and also
allowed the researcher to feel comfortable during observations. Such school culture where
students feel comfortable and cared for can be observed as a means for student achievement
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(Kannapel et al., 2005). Furthermore, Table 6 shows a compilation of various survey
questions/statements pertaining to the development of school culture and cultural norms and the
responses of the participants on a scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”
Table 6
Development of School Culture and Cultural Norms
Question/
Statement
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Agree Strongly
Agree
N/A
Schoolwork is meaningful
to students.
0 0 9 4 0
Instruction is adjusted to
meet individual needs.
0 0 10 3 0
Teachers show they care
about all of their students.
0 0 6 7 0
The staff respects the
diversity of all their
students.
0 0 5 8 0
Student interactions are
polite and supportive of one
another.
0 3 9 1 0
Teachers regularly discuss
teaching issues.
0 0 6 7 0

As evident from the responses to the above survey questions, participants felt mostly
positive about the different efforts made to create a culture centered on wanting to create able
and good students. The theme of relationships in regards to cultural norms and school
environment was apparent through the interviews, observations and survey responses.
Specifically, school staff members strove to create personable relationships with each student by
establishing a family-like culture and by focusing on character development of each student.
Additionally, through constant interaction, displays of compassion and frequent communication
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staff created a family-like environment within which students felt comfortable. Lastly, through
an emphasis on character development, Academy A provided the “why” for students in their
education and achievements.
Chapter Summary
The structure of a pilot school enabled Academy A with the autonomy and flexibility to
implement various types of practices and programs, exercise non-traditional leadership practices
and conform to a more intimate cultural norm and environment. In addition to the structure of a
pilot school, Academy A’s cohesive staff and their focus on a collective vision statement allowed
the academy to be outperforming and provide students the best care they are able to give. All of
this was done via focusing on, from the researcher’s perspective of data, three main themes
overall: consistency, shared leadership and relationships. Consistency was seen through the
various programs and practices implemented schoolwide across all content and classes. Shared
leadership was evident in the cultivation of leaders at all levels of the school population—from
administration to teachers to students. Lastly, relationships were observed through the genuine
connections and care all staff had for the students at Academy A and their academic and personal
successes.

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CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION
There has been much research and concern regarding the success gap between our
disadvantaged students in urban cities and their counterparts. In addition, there has been much
effort, including new policies and the creation of alternative schooling options, to assist students
of lower socioeconomic backgrounds attending urban schools. The policies that have formed out
of this concern include NCLB pioneered by President George W. Bush and the Elementary and
ESEA by President Barack Obama. Both policies were implemented in efforts to raise the
standards for all students and educators across the nation while still supporting our most
marginalized population of students towards graduation through different title funds.
Furthermore, there has been a rise in non-traditional schooling options to help diversify
educational opportunities for students to help close the achievement gap between higher
achieving students and lower achieving students. Such non-traditional schooling options include
charter schools, homeschooling, SLCs and pilot schools.
Purpose, Significance and Methodology
The purpose of this qualitative study was to focus on one of these types of non-traditional
schools, a pilot school, that is outperforming while being situated in an urban area in Southern
California serving lower socioeconomic status students. This study homed in on the different
instructional programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms that are
implemented at the site. The different programs and practices identified at this site were seen to
be the core reasons for the school’s success in high graduation rates and academic preparedness.
In addition, the leadership practices recorded and observed at the school were considered causes
for fostering responsibility among students and staff members of the school site. Lastly, the
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cultural norms indicated in the findings explain the foundations for which successful programs
and practices can take place.
The significance of this study not only relates back to the review of literature, but also
adds to the research already done on outperforming non-traditional urban schools. The findings
of this research can be useful to practitioners, administrators and policymakers. Practitioners who
work with a similar school site and students of similar demographics of Academy A will be able
to identify and adapt instructional programs and practices indicated in the findings. Furthermore,
the findings of this research may influence administrators regarding how they approach and
implement programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms at their site. Finally,
the hope is that the findings better inform policymakers when making policies regarding the
formation, governance and funding of schools.
This qualitative case study is one of 12 studies to examine what programs and practices,
leadership practices and cultural norms contributed to a successful non-traditional urban school
and how they were implemented. The main criteria used to determine the school as
outperforming for this case study were (1) graduation rates and (2) SBAC scores. Triangulation
of multiple data sources (survey, interviews, observations and document review) was
implemented to validate the findings of this study. The thematic dissertation team collectively
developed three research questions:
1. What programs and practices are implemented in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?

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Summary of Findings
Academy A was an outperforming non-traditional urban high school as identified by the
definitions provided in the methodology section of this research. The review of literature noted
that outperforming non-traditional schools employ different instructional programs and practices,
structural implementations and school cultures (Ragland et al., 2002; Shields, Ireland, City,
Derderian, & Miles, n.d.; Stetson, 2013). Similarly, Academy A implemented specific programs
and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms to foster its ability to be outperforming.
Furthermore, three main themes emerged when analyzing the findings related to the three
research questions: (1) consistency, (2) shared leadership and (3) relationships.
The first theme of consistency was most evident when analyzing the findings regarding
programs and practices implemented at Academy A. Specifically, Academy A implemented the
usage of interactive notebooks and the supplemental use of technology for instruction and
assessment. In addition, these programs and practices were implemented schoolwide across all
subjects and classes to provide a consistent foundation for instruction. When asked about what
others who visit Academy A would notice as their first impressions, the instructional coach
stated that “you would see (a) a lot of the same strategies being used from room to room, subject
to subject, [and] (b) you would find that the teachers are pretty organized, and the rigor is fairly
high.” In addition, teachers interviewed mentioned the “constant” usage of technology to
supplement their teaching and students’ learning within instruction.
The consistency of using the same instructional practices not only provided teachers with
a common resource for instruction, but also provided students with a consistent set of
expectations no matter the class or teacher. Furthermore, Bolman and Deal’s (2003) structural
frames provided a basis for analyzing the findings related to the programs and practices
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implemented at Academy A. Using Bolman and Deal’s structural frame, one can discern that by
implementing a shared expectation of specific instructional programs and practices Academy A
is able to create a consistent structure to influence student academic achievement. In addition, it
makes it easier for the school to assess how and if particular programs and practices are affecting
student achievement.
The second theme of shared leadership was examined when analyzing findings for the
second research question regarding leadership practices. Academy A emphasized and functioned
on the idea of having leadership at all levels from students to administrators. All teachers were
empowered to make decisions for themselves, their instruction and the school. The sentiment of
feeling empowered was repeated throughout all interviews and was observed by the researcher as
all persons at Academy A functioned with independence. For example, student leaders of the
associated student body orchestrated and facilitated a blood drive independently of adults except
for having a supervising adult at the event present. Moreover, all teachers were part of an “action
team” responsible for a sector of the school: (1) curriculum, (2) instruction, (3) school culture,
(4) assessment and accountability and (5) support. Teachers chose which action team to be a part
of and partook in the process of decision-making as well as the process of rolling out different
programs and practices related to the topic.
Another way staff felt empowered and partook in shared leadership was in the way
resources are decided upon and funded. Teachers felt the freedom of being able to experiment
with different curricula or activities in their classrooms. In addition, when teachers had an idea or
a need for certain resources to help aid their experimenting, administrators not only supported
them, but they also helped fund their ideas. For example, Teacher 1 explained her empowerment
supported by resources by stating:
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Whatever [I needed], if I told [the principal] she would make it happen in terms of our
budget. I know that I feel very empowered to implement new strategies or test things out.
I feel the support to be empowered to make my decisions in the classroom.
This view was echoed in all interviews and via observations. For example, a teacher
wanted the opportunity to observe a colleague to see how certain instructional practices were
being implemented in a different setting; therefore, a substitute was provided to cover her classes
and the teacher was seen observing another colleague. Overall, the theme of distributing
leadership roles at every level of the school site is supported by leadership practices of trusting
with freedom and funding resources.
The third theme of relationships was especially apparent when identifying specific
cultural norms of Academy A. Academy A was a pilot school and consisted of a small staff and
student population. There were advantages and disadvantages of it being a pilot school. One
advantage included having autonomy not only with operational implementations, but also with
finances. Another advantage was the relationships the academy fosters among students and staff
by being a smaller school. On the other hand, a disadvantage was the fact that everyone involved
was expected to put in more work because there were fewer people on hand. In addition, another
disadvantage was the fact that there was little room for anonymity and all staff and students were
familiar with one another. However, all advantages and disadvantages had one commonality: the
central theme of relationships.
Academy A was a small school and relied heavily on relationships—relationships
between staff and administrators, students and their teachers and teachers and their colleagues.
Relationships were important to Academy A as Academy A was started by a group of teachers
who shared a common mission and vision of providing a better educational option for students in
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 95

the community they were already serving. Hence, staff placed importance on character
development and compassion when building these relationships. Staff and administrators worked
together to come up with best programs and practices for students and the school; teachers
worked closely with students and give more specified attention; staff worked together
collaboratively to lesson plan and communicate their concerns about shared students. All these
relationships were founded on the idea that Academy A was a “small family” formed with the
common goal of wanting to develop students who “do good” and “be good,” a school motto
emphasized by all staff.
Implications
This case study offers an in-depth analysis of an outperforming non-traditional urban
high school. The findings of this research include specific programs and practices, leadership
practices and cultural norms that are implemented at a high-performing pilot school situated in a
lower socioeconomic community. In addition, three main themes emerged from the findings: (1)
consistency, (2) shared leadership and (3) relationships. There are significant implications of
these themes and findings for educators.
One key implication the findings of this study offers teachers and administrators is the
practice of having a clearly understood mission and vision for the school. Teachers and
administrators must have a shared mission and vision for the school that they are all committed
to. Simply put, teachers and administrators need to be able to pinpoint what it is exactly that they
want their students to leave their site with upon graduation. For example, Academy A’s mission
and vision statement includes being able to grow both critical thinkers and community leaders.
Furthermore, the mission and vision must be the foundation for decisions made for students.
Academy A implemented programs and practices that were consistent across not only content,
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 96

but also grade-level because the teachers and administrators had a shared mission and vision in
mind beforehand.
For Academy A, this process includes the following: (1) have a clear mission and vision
statement; (2) hire those who believe in and will commit to the mission and vision statement; (3)
encourage shared leadership and collaboration among staff; (4) allow for staff to experiment with
the implementation of different ideas for instruction; (5) decide on programs and practices that
work; and (6) implement programs and practices department-wide, grade-level-wide or school-
wide. Implementing consistent programs and practices department-wide (i.e. IXL program for
math), grade-level wide (i.e. character development course for all incoming ninth graders) and
school-wide (i.e. interactive notebooks) was an essential part of Academy A’s success. Academy
A had such consistent programs and practices because all persons involved believed in and were
committed to the vision and mission statement, which included cultivating compassionate leaders
of their community. Therefore, teachers and administrators looking to implement more
streamlined and consistent programs and practices within their school or practice should seek to
establish clear mission and vision statements that all persons involved are able to fully invest in.
Another essential implication of the findings from this research is that size may matter in
terms of the leadership practices and relationships able to be formed at a school site. Academy A
was a pilot school, which was essentially a school within a school. It shared a common campus,
but it functioned and was funded autonomously. The student population was fewer than 500
students and the staff population (including classified staff) was fewer than 40 people. Hence,
due to the size of the school and population, there was a sense of a family-like environment on
campus. In addition, leadership was shared among all staff through action teams that took on
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 97

portions of the school, and staff was encouraged to be independent while still maintaining
interdependent relationships.
The implication is that, due to its smaller size, Academy A could implement and
encourage a distributed leadership model and have a school culture that emphasized
relationships. This implication may be something educators and policymakers alike consider
when forming schools and implementing policies regarding the formation and funding of
schools. In addition, the findings in this research may serve as an indicator for plausible
opportunities that stem from a smaller school size.
Lastly, a key takeaway from the findings is the importance of collaboration. All three
themes of consistency, shared leadership and relationships emerged and manifested themselves
in the different programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms due to the
amount of collaboration that takes place between staff and students. For teachers, this is an
important implication as leaders of the classroom. The implication gives reason for teachers to
collaborate with colleagues as well as collaborate with students to cultivate leaders and a cultural
norm of having compassionate relationships. Furthermore, by collaborating with colleagues,
teachers will be able to form consistent instructional programs and practices that benefit students.
In addition, for administrators, this implication of necessary collaboration becomes something to
consider when scheduling professional development, meetings and master schedules. For
example, for collaboration to take place, teachers must be given ample and common time and
space for the collaboration to happen.
Recommendations for Future Research
The researcher gained more insight into the different programs and practices, leadership
practices and cultural norms that help shape an outperforming non-traditional urban high school.
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In addition, it is clear from the data presented in Chapter Four that Academy A was
outperforming to benefit their students and cultivate smart, compassionate community leaders. In
addition, this study is one of 12 studies of a thematic group focusing on outperforming non-
traditional urban schools. Yet, further research will benefit educators and policymakers and
provide further justification for these successful schools’ programs and practices, leadership
practices and cultural norms. The results from this case study suggest that there be further
research, including:
1. Analysis of school-wide implemented programs and practices and their effects on student
achievement. Analysis should identify effective school-wide implemented programs and
practices and their perceived benefits.
2. Studies on pilot schools and their effectiveness on student achievement compared to
traditional schools. More needs to be known about pilot schools and the effectiveness of
this model.
3. Research on action teams/committees as a leadership practice. Research can include its
effect on staff culture and collaboration as well as overall school culture.
Conclusions
As students function in a competitive society and are exposed to the demands of the 21st
century, the need for non-traditional schools becomes more and more important. This qualitative
case study was conducted with the purpose of highlighting a successful non-traditional urban
high school and the various programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms it
implemented. Such findings are important to help educators and policymakers foster and
cultivate students who become not only critical thinkers, but also community leaders. In addition,
the findings add to the body of work that can further aid educators and policymakers make
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informed decisions about how to better support all students to successfully function in our
competitive 21st century society.

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OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 108

APPENDIX A
Interview Question Protocol
I. Introduction
Thank you for agreeing to participate in my study. I appreciate the time that you have set aside to
answer my questions. The interview should take about an hour.
Before we get started, I want to provide you with an overview of my study and answer any
questions you might have about participating. I am currently a doctoral student at USC and I will
be conducting interviews, surveys, and observations for my research. I have structured my line of
inquiry around organizational practices that narrow the achievement gap in outperforming non-
traditional urban schools.
Thank you for volunteering to participate in this study. I want to assure you that I am strictly
wearing the hat of researcher. This means is that the nature of my questions and observations are
not evaluative. I will not be making any judgments on how you are performing as an educator.
None of the data I collect will be shared with other teachers, administrators, or the district.
I am happy to provide you with a copy of the findings if you are interested. Do you have any
questions about the study before we get started? If you don’t have any further questions, I would
like to have your permission to begin the interview.
II. Setting the Stage
1. I am hoping we could start with you telling me a little bit about this year’s students that
you are serving here at the school.
2. Tell me about any specialized training you received to work with the students that you
serve.
3. What are some of the challenges and concerns the students bring to you?
4. How often do you meet with parents/guardians to speak on behalf of students academic
growth?
5. What are some of the instructional challenges that students encounter in the school?
III. Heart of the Interview (Interview Questions are directly tied to your Research
Questions)
Interview Questions
Questions RQ#1
What programs
and practices
are
implemented in
an urban
outperforming
non-traditional
school?
RQ#2
What are the
leadership
practices in an
urban
outperforming
non-traditional
school?
RQ#3
What are the
cultural norms
in an urban
outperforming
non-traditional
school?
1. Why did you choose to
come to this school, and
what are your experiences

X
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here in comparison to where
you were before?
2. When others visit your
school, what do you believe
their first impressions are?

X
3. Why do you believe
parents should send their
children to this school as
opposed to the traditional
neighborhood school?

X
4. What do you believe puts
your school in a position to
outperform traditional
schools?

X
5. How significant of a role
do you feel the
principal/students/teachers
play in the molding of the
school culture/climate?
• What other factors
do you feel have an
impact on school
climate?

X
6. How does the school
resolve discipline issues
when they arise?
• How are stakeholders
involved?

X
7. How empowered is the
staff to make decisions in the
best interest of the students
without waiting on the
leadership? Can you give an
example?

X

8. What specific leadership
practices do you believe are
most significant factors
that sustain and improve
student achievement?

X

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9. How are decisions made
to implement researched
instructional practices at
your school?

X

10. How are resources and
programs used to increase
student academic
achievement?
X

11. What school-wide
programs or rules does
your school implement in
order to promote student
success?
• What was the
process in coming
up with these
school-wide
implementations?
• How are they
implemented?
(Action-
Resolution?)
• How are they
measured for
effectiveness?
(Specific
benchmarks?
Numbers?)
X

12. How would you
describe the
implementation of
professional programs,
training, and professional
opportunities to grow?
X

IV. Closing Question (Anything else to add)
I am wondering if there is anything that you would add to our conversation today that I might not
have covered?
V. Closing (thank you and follow-up option):
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me today! I really appreciate your time and
willingness to share. Everything that you have shared is really helpful for my study. If I find
myself with a follow-up question, I am wondering if I might be able to contact you, and if so, if
email is ok? Again, thank you for participating in my study.
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APPENDIX B
School Site Observation Protocol
School _________________________________ Date______________________________
Observer _______________________________ Grade/Subject______________________
Observation duration: ______________________ Time______________________________

RQ 2: What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional
school?
What was your first impression of the leadership?

Please consider the following items to help facilitate your observation:
● Single Leader or Leadership team
● Who are the formal leaders
● Who are the informal leaders
○ Where are they; what are they doing
● Traits of leader(s)
● Leadership practice
● Decision making process
○ how does it work; who is involved
● Leadership communication to/from stakeholders
● Leadership interaction with stakeholders
● Stakeholders role
● Clearly articulated mission and goals

RQ 3: What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
What was your first impression of the school site? Staff?

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In preparation for your observation, please consider the following
Do you see or hear information regarding the following questions/items
(this is a guide to help facilitate your observation):

Considerations for Professional Culture
● Collaborative practices
● Professional development
● Monitoring of instructional practice for consistency
● Use of data
● Program evaluation
● Common understanding of expectations
● Instruction reflect high expectations
● Student engagement
● Classroom environments

Student Support
● Advertised/promoted supports and resources: physically, socially, and emotional
support
● Service personnel accessible
● Identify/ support students at risk of dropping out, students in crisis, and students who
require intensive assistance
● Identification of students with special needs
● School resources to support diverse academic needs
● Procedures for lunch
● Group work/individual work
● Structure and organization of school
● Student work posted in hallways
● Communication of announcements and programs
● School spirit
● Appearance of campus

Various Stakeholders (Teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, board
members, community partners, etc)
● Stakeholder engagement
● Feedback opportunities
● Methods of communication
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 113

● Partnerships
● Interaction among/between stakeholders

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 114

Classroom Observation Protocol

Teacher_________________________________ Date______________________________
School _________________________________ Grade/Subject_______________________
Observer________________________________ Time______________________________
Observation duration: _____________________

Research Questions
RQ1: What practices and programs are implemented in urban outperforming non-traditional
schools?

Classroom Environment
Student Seating Arrangement (create a diagram of the classroom layout including what
direction students are facing, desk arrangement, tables, open space, instructional centers,
resources, computers, etc.):

Student Demographics:
Male:
Female:
Race/Ethnicity:
Description of classroom wall space:
(Students work to aid in learning, data, standards, posters, what is written on the
whiteboard/chalkboard, code of conduct, etc.)

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Instructional programs used in classroom
Curriculum:

Resources/Materials:

Instructional practices used by teachers in classrooms:

1. What does the teacher
do?

2. What does the student do? 3. What are the interactions
between teachers and
students?

Stakeholders involvement in the classroom (community partners, aids, tutors, etc.):

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Observation Protocol

Name of Observer Date Time

Location Study

Brief Summary of Observation

Physical Space
Define the physical
space.
· Geographical
· Temporal
· Physical
· Political

Utility: What is the
purpose of
event/setting?

Participant reactions to
physical setting

Other

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 117

People/Participants
Who are the participants
taking place in
observation/event?
How many participated?

Demographical
information:
· Racial
· Ethnic
· Gender
· Class

What are the roles of
those being observed?
How do you know?

What was each of the
specific participants
doing?
· Group interaction
· Individual actions
· Passive participants
· Active participants

Purpose of Events/Observation
Why is the event taking
place? Are there any
political contexts to be
discussed?

Who was invited to
event? Who was not?

Was there any
discussion of
educational policy?
Why? How so?

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 118

What are the positions
of the various
participants involved?
· Power dynamics
· Roles

What is being
discussed?

Sequence of Events
Beginning
Middle
End

Observer Role
What am I doing? What
is my role throughout
the observation?

Describe some of my
interactions with other
participants throughout
the observation.

How did my
interaction/presence
affect the observation
participants?

Other

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 119

Pictures

OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 120

APPENDIX C
Document Review Protocol

1. What practices and programs are implemented in an urban outperforming non-
traditional school?
● Master calendar
● Daily schedule
● Mission statement
● School plan
● SARC (school accountability report card)-state mandated
● Curriculum guide
● Parent handbook
● Student handbook
● Staff handbook
● LEA plan (Local education agency plan)
● School site council minutes
● School website
● WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation
● Departmental meeting notes/agenda
● Student work/portfolio
● LCAP
● Attendance rates
● Dropout rates
● Graduation rates
● Discipline records
● Clubs and organizations
● Volunteer/parent volunteer records
● Field trips
● List of faculty
● Fundraiser forms
● Fundraisers
● Grants
● Achievement test scores
● Recruitment information
● Organization chart

2. What are the leadership practices in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
● School plan
● District budget/fiscal year
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 121

● SARC
● LCAP
● Leadership Team Meeting Notes
● Departmental meeting notes/agenda

3. What are the cultural norms in an urban outperforming non-traditional school?
● Master calendar
● Daily schedule
● Mission statement
● School plan
● Display of student work
● Curriculum guide
● Parent handbook
● Student handbook
● Staff handbook
● School site council minutes
● Departmental meeting notes/agenda
● Student work/portfolio
● Departmental meeting notes/agenda
● Leadership team meeting notes
● Team meeting notes
● California Department of Education
Attendance records
Demographics
Retention rates
School Programs available
● Recruitment information

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APPENDIX D
Survey

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Agree
Strongly
Agree

Not
Applicable
Vision and Mission

1) The school has a clear mission/vision.

1 2 3 4
N/A
2) I have a clear vision of what the school
is trying to achieve.
1 2 3 4
N/A
3) The staff shares a common
understanding of what the school wants
to achieve.
1 2 3 4
N/A
4) The staff works beyond their official
roles in order to help achieve school
goals.
1 2 3 4
N/A
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1) What is your primary role at the school?
q Administration q Teacher q Teacher with leadership role
q Classified staff q Other certificated staff
2) How many years have you worked in your current role?
q 0 – 3 q 4 – 7 q 8 – 15 q 16 or more
3) How many years have you worked at this school?
q 0 – 3 q 4 – 7 q 8 – 15 q 16 or more
4) Have you previously taught at any other schools?
q Yes q No
5) What is the primary reason you decided to work at this particular school? (Mark all that
apply)
q Curriculum q Mission/Philosophy q Staff q Employment
Opportunity
q Unhappy at previous school q Other
__________________________________________

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 123

5) The school’s vision/mission is evident
in multiple methods/practices.
1 2 3 4
N/A
6) The staff keeps the school’s goals in
mind when making important decisions.
1 2 3 4
N/A

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Leadership

1) The leaders at my school lead by
example.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) The school provides a clear pathway
for leadership opportunities.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) School leaders/administrators consider
various viewpoints when making
decisions.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) School offers many leadership
opportunities for all staff members.
1 2
3 4 N/A
5) Leaders/administrators hold staff
accountable for improving student
learning.
1 2
3 4 N/A
6) When issues arise at the school,
leadership responds in a prompt manner.
1 2
3 4 N/A

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Learning Environment

1) The school environment is conducive
to learning.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) Teachers use effective strategies to help
different subgroups of students meet high
academic standards.
1 2
3 4 N/A
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 124

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
School Environment

1) Student discipline is managed well. 1 2
3 4 N/A
2) Teachers show they care about all of
their students.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) The staff respects the diversity of all
their students.

1 2
3 4 N/A
4) Student interactions are polite and
supportive of one another.
1 2
3 4 N/A
3) Teachers use a variety of approaches
and activities to help students learn.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) School work is meaningful to students. 1 2
3 4 N/A
5) Instruction is adjusted to meet
individual needs.
1 2
3 4 N/A
6) Classroom activities are intellectually
stimulating and engaging.
1 2
3 4 N/A
7) What instructional practices do teachers often use in the classroom? (Mark all that apply)
q Scaffolding q Direct Instruction q Differentiated Instruction q
Technology q Collaborative Learning q Hands-on learning q Project-based learning
q Other _______________________________
8) How is instructional content delivered at your school? (Mark all that apply.)
q Traditional Classroom q Small group q Independent Study q
One-to-one q Blended Learning q Distance Learning q Dual language
q Other ________________

9) How does student attitude toward learning compare to your last teaching experience?
q Better q About the same q Worse q No previous experience
q Not Applicable
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 125

5) What are the common discipline practices at the school?
q Detention q Rewards/Consequence Programs
q Parent/contact meeting
q Restorative Discipline q Office referrals
q Other _________________________
6) Which of the following clubs/activities/sports are offered at the school?
q STEM/STEAM q Visual arts q Performing arts
q Technology programs q Sports q Advanced
academics q Other ________________

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Monitoring of Teaching and Learning

1) Assessment results are used to determine
professional learning activities.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) Teachers receive regular feedback on
how they are performing.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) Teachers provide feedback to each other
to help improve instructional practices.
1 2
3 4 N/A

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Standards/Expectations of non-traditional schools

1) Students are expected to achieve at high
standards.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) All students are consistently challenged
by a rigorous curriculum.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) Teachers are involved in creating and
implementing a culturally relevant
curriculum.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) The school gives teachers substantial
freedom to carry out lessons and activities.
1 2
3 4 N/A
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 126

4) Students receive regular feedback about
what they need to do to improve.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) The school gives teachers substantial
freedom to carry out lessons and activities.
1 2
3 4 N/A
5) What is the evaluation process for teachers at the school?
q Portfolio model q Formal observation q Value-added model q Teacher
survey
q Parent/student survey q Informal Observations q None of the above
q Other __________________

Strongly
Disagree

Disagree

Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Collaboration and Communication
1) School staff are interdependent and value
each other.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) I feel comfortable sharing my ideas with
other staff members.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) The school supports and appreciates the
sharing of new ideas by staff members.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) Teachers regularly discuss teaching issues. 1 2
3 4 N/A
5) The staff works in teams across grade
levels to help increase student learning.
1 2
3 4 N/A
6) Staff routinely work together to plan what
will be taught.
1 2
3 4 N/A
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 127

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Family and community involvement
1) The school works with community
organizations to support its students.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) Teachers have frequent contact with the
families of their students.

1 2
3 4 N/A
3) The school provides ample information to
families about how to help students succeed
in school.
1 2
3 4 N/A
4) Many families are involved as volunteers
at the school.
1 2
3 4 N/A
5) Compared to your last teaching
experience, how involved are
parents/community with the school.
1 2
3 4 N/A
6) The school has systems or structures in place to support and encourage parents to be
involved in the school.
q The school has many systems and structures in place that encourage and support
parent involvement.
q The school has some systems and structures in place that encourage OR support
parent involvement.
q The school has a few systems and structures in place that encourage OR support
parent involvement.
q The school does not have any systems and structures in place to encourage and
support parent involvement.

Strongly
Disagree Disagree Agree
Strongly
Agree
Not
Applicable
Professional Development
1) Professional development activities are
consistent with school goals.
1 2
3 4 N/A
2) The school provides enough
opportunities to grow professionally through
professional development opportunities.
1 2
3 4 N/A
OUTPERFORMING NON-TRADITIONAL URBAN HIGH SCHOOL 128

3) Different staff members periodically lead
professional development activities for other
staff.
1 2
3 4 N/A

Abstract (if available)

Abstract The purpose of this qualitative case study was to hone in on a successful non-traditional urban high school to learn and determine the different factors that affect student academic achievement. The study focused on programs and practices, leadership practices and cultural norms. Interviews with school faculty, observations of classrooms and school activities, review of important documents and a survey distributed to school staff were used to explain the background of the school and the findings of the different factors that contribute to the school’s success. ❧ Three major themes emerged from data analysis: (1) consistency, (2) shared leadership and (3) relationships. Consistency was evident school-wide through implementation of an “Elect to Work Agreement” certificated staff members read and signed before, use of an interactive notebook as an instructional tool across content areas and grade levels, and the supplemental usage of technology in all classrooms and specific instructional programs to support learning. Shared leadership was apparent via a distributed leadership model and the instructional trust, freedom and resources that were provided to staff by administrators. Lastly, cultivating a family-like environment with the help of its small school size and stressing character development among students contributed to relationships in regards to cultural norms. Furthermore, the study identified implications for practitioners and policymakers based on the findings of the research. In addition, suggestions for future research include furthering research on school-wide programs and practices, pilot schools and action teams.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Kim, Susan (author)

Core Title Look into an outperforming non-traditional urban high school: what's their secret?

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 04/05/2018

Defense Date 03/08/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag cultural norms,High School,instructional practices,instructional programs,leadership practices,non-traditional,OAI-PMH Harvest,outperforming,pilot school,Urban

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Ott, Maria (committee chair), Gothold, Stuart (committee member), Hocevar, Dennis (committee member)

Creator Email kim716@usc.edu,nasusmik1@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-490954

Unique identifier UC11266747

Identifier etd-KimSusan-6149.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-490954 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-KimSusan-6149.pdf

Dmrecord 490954

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Kim, Susan

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA