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Overcoming urban challenges: a succesful case study

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Overcoming urban challenges: a succesful case study

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Content OVERCOMING URBAN CHALLENGES: A SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY
by
Angela C. Fajardo

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

March 10, 2017

Copyright 2017 Angela C. Fajardo

2

OVERCOMING URBAN CHALLENGES: A SUCCESSFUL CASE STUDY

by
Angela C. Fajardo

A Dissertation Presented

in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

2017

APPROVED:

___________________________________
Stuart Gothold, Ed.D.
Committee Chair

____________________________________
Maria Ott, Ph.D.
Committee Member

_____________________________________
Dennis Hocevar, Ph.D.
Committee Member

_____________________________________
Kathy Stowe, Ed.D.
Committee Member

3

Abstract
This qualitative study examined organizational practices that narrow the achievement gap in
outperforming non-traditional urban schools. The history on the efforts to address the
achievement gap will be discussed, the impact of the achievement gap amongst diverse
populations will be addressed, and solutions will be offered. The study looked at a high school
completion rate, various test scores, and A-G completion to determine outperforming criteria.
Data collection was conducted via surveys, staff interviews, document analysis, and classroom
and campus observations. The data was triangulated to identify organizational practices that
narrowed the achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional urban schools through the lens
of instructional practices, leadership practices, and school culture.
The findings in the study were that the urban school studied can demonstrate high levels
of student achievement and success through a systematic approach that encompasses specific
actions that meet students’ needs. In this case study, seven tangible themes were found: college
focus, opportunities for success, high expectations, shared leadership practices, personalized
instruction, targeted instructional initiatives, and a deep sense of care for the students. These
seven themes are viable options to consider for students in urban school settings. The themes
encompass instructional, leadership, and cultural practices that are grounded in a growth model
approach that address students’ needs and enhance learning opportunities for diverse learners in
urban schools.

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this project to my daughter Regina Mercedes Espinoza-Fajardo, my parents
Luis Felipe and Marina Fajardo, my beloved brother Jorge Luis Fajardo and sister Veronica A.
Fajardo, CSC. To my abuelita Angela, abuelito Francisco, and tia Mercedes, I dedicate this labor
of arduous work for the last three years in a different land, in a different language than my own
but none the less the country that granted me the opportunity to receive an education. To all you
DREAMERS out there, Si Se Puede!
To my daughter Regina Mercedes, I am blessed to have you in my life and for that I
thank her father, grandparents, uncles, aunt, and cousins. I also dedicate this to my LMU Sister
Friends Araceli Loredo Meza and Maria Guerrero who dedicated their love and knowledge to
support me through this educational journey. To all the amazing teachers at Garfield High
School of the Class of 1991, especially my beloved Kimo, Mr. Jaime Escalante, his words of
“Anything is Possible with GANAS!” resonated in my mind through this learning and writing
journey. My beloved Kimo you continue to change my life even after your passing. I also want
to acknowledge my wonderful Chicana Latina mentors from Loyola Marymount University
Dr. Graciela Limon and Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, thanks for the inspiration and for being
phenomenal women. I am grateful to my extended family all the Nogueras for being with me in
spirit and encouraging me to continue in this journey. I am proud to dedicate this to my family
in Los Angeles, Nicaragua, and my amazing students and parents who inspired me to learn more
to serve them better. In my heart there is a special place for ESL, ELL students; I became a
teacher to serve you and lead by example that anything is possible with Ganas! Si Se Puede!

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to acknowledge my dissertation team Nina Denson, Cindy Guardado, Kenneth
Miralles, and Imelda Phillips thanks for the dedication and hard work. I also want to
acknowledge my friend and colleague Joanna Clifton who decided to grow with me in this
doctorial program. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and support during the writing process. I
am very appreciative of Dr. Stuart Gothold for his detailed guidance through my writing process.
I am grateful for Dr. Maria Ott and Dr. Dennis Hocevar for their time, knowledge, and expertise
in guiding me through this research process. Thank you for Dr. Kathy Stowe for being part of
my committee and giving me feedback in how to improve this thesis during the defense process.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................8
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................9
List of Appendices .............................................................................................................11
Chapter One: Overview of the Study .................................................................................12
Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................18
Purpose of the Study ..............................................................................................18
Research Questions of the Study ...........................................................................19
Importance of the Study .........................................................................................19
Limitations, Delimitations, and Assumptions ........................................................20
Selection Criteria ...................................................................................................21
Definitions..............................................................................................................22
Continuity of the Study ..........................................................................................26
Chapter Two: Literature Review .......................................................................................29
Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................30
Historical Perspective ............................................................................................30
Historical Perspective of the Achievement Gap ....................................................35
English Language Learners Impact in Urban Schools ...........................................38
Achievement Gaps for Minorities ..........................................................................42
Educational Opportunities .....................................................................................43
Promising Education Practices ..............................................................................47
Leadership Practices that Promote High Levels of Student Achievement ............51
Critique of the Literature .......................................................................................55
Chapter Three: Methodology .............................................................................................57
Introduction ............................................................................................................57
Qualitative Research Approach .............................................................................59
Research Questions ................................................................................................65
Research Design .....................................................................................................66
Instrumentation ......................................................................................................67
Research Bias .........................................................................................................67
Gaining Entry .........................................................................................................68
Chapter Four: The Findings ...............................................................................................70
Research Questions ................................................................................................70
Methodology ..........................................................................................................71
Student Centered High School: Background .........................................................73
School Site Visits ...................................................................................................78
Research Question One ..........................................................................................82
Classroom Observation Findings ...........................................................................82
Staff Interview Findings ........................................................................................87
The Survey Results on Instructional Practices .......................................................90
Research Question Two .........................................................................................95
Structural Frame at Student Centered High School ...............................................96
Academic School Structural Systems ....................................................................96
Human Resource Frame at Student Centered High School ...................................98
Political Frame at Student Centered High School ...............................................102
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Symbolic Frame at Student Centered High School .............................................105
Research Question Three .....................................................................................113
Emergent Themes ................................................................................................125
Focused Leadership for Educational Success ......................................................132
Summary ..............................................................................................................134
Chapter Five: Summary, Implications, and Conclusions .................................................136
Overview ..............................................................................................................136
Purpose, Importance, and Methodology ..............................................................136
Summarizing Themes ..........................................................................................142
Implications ..........................................................................................................147
Recommendations for Further Study ...................................................................149
Closing Remarks ..................................................................................................150
References ........................................................................................................................152

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Case Study Criteria Comparison with Case School .............................................63
Table 2. Comparison Table of English Language Arts Smarter
Balanced Assessment of 11th Grade Students ..................................................138
Table 3. Comparison Table of Mathematics Smarter Balanced
Assessment of 11th Grade Students ................................................................139

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Communicate Learning Goals ............................................................................91

Figure 2. Collaboration Opportunities ...............................................................................91

Figure 3. Self-Reflection Opportunities for Students ........................................................92

Figure 4. Teacher PD Aligned with Content Standards .....................................................92

Figure 5. Teachers Collaborate with Colleagues to Improve Learning. ............................93

Figure 6. Multiple Opportunities to Demonstrate Content Mastery .................................93

Figure 7. Data Analysis of Student Work ..........................................................................94

Figure 8. Administrator Visits Classrooms and Gives Feedback ....................................109

Figure 9. Supervisor Connects with Teacher and Gives Feedback .................................110

Figure 10. Participation in Decision Making for Student Achievement ..........................110

Figure 11. School Leadership Acts in Best Interest of Students ......................................111

Figure 12. Professional Opportunities are Provided to Perform the Job .........................111

Figure 13. Triage Intervention Process ............................................................................119

Figure 14. There is a Sense of Unity and Respect ...........................................................120
Figure 15. Student Recognition for Their Accomplishments ..........................................120
Figure 16. There is a Positive Working Relationship Among the Staff ..........................121
Figure 17. Positive Teacher-Student Relationships .........................................................121
Figure 18. Staff Recognition ............................................................................................122
Figure 19. Rituals and Routines Foster Student Academic Success ................................122
Figure 20. Parents are Informed of Their Student’s Academic Growth ..........................123
Figure 21. Afterschool Support for HW ..........................................................................123
Figure 22. Conceptual Model of Success at Student Centered High School ...................132

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Figure 23. Comparison Graph of English Language Arts Smarter
Balanced Assessment .....................................................................................138

Figure 24. Comparison Graph of Mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessment ..............140

11

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A: Cohort Increase or Decrease from the Class of 2013 to
Schools .......................................................................................................162

Appendix B: Dissertation Study, Outperforming Non-Traditional Urban
Schools .......................................................................................................164

Appendix C: School Selection Criteria ............................................................................167

Appendix D: School Staff Survey ....................................................................................168

Appendix E: Interview Protocol ......................................................................................171

Appendix F: Observation Protocol ..................................................................................176

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CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
The United States is a diverse nation that allocates significant resources to educate
children from kindergarten to 12th grade. Many of these children come from diverse ethnic
backgrounds with various languages and learning needs. According to the National Center for
Education Statistics (2015c), the ethnic make-up of students enrolled in public school has
changed significantly from 2002 to 2012. The group of students that has decreased in enrollment
has been White students. The amount of White students in 2012 decreased from 28.6 million to
25.4 million (NCES, 2015c, para. 1). Black students also experienced a decrease in enrollment
from 8.3 million to 7.8 million (NCES, 2015c, para. 3). Other ethnic groups like Hispanic
students experienced the opposite of White and Black students. The enrollment increase was
from 8.6 million to 12.1 million students (NCES, 2015c, para. 1).
Not only is the US ethnically diverse but it is diverse in other languages than English.
The language diversity in the US has posited several challenges in the US educational system.
According to national data from 2011-2012, the number of English Language Learners in the US
had a significant impact in public schools, with 4.4 million students or 9.2% of EL learners
(NCES, 2015a, para. 2). At the state level, California is one of several US states that serve a
high number of English Language Learners. The California Department of Education (CDE)
reported that during the 2012-2013 academic school years there were 1.4 million ELLs, an
estimate of 23% of students in California (Public Policy Institute of California, 2016,
Introduction, para. 1).
Given these needs there are many urban schools facing tremendous challenges in
demonstrating students’ academic growth as measured by federal and state examinations. There
are two metrics that can be examined that demonstrate the academic challenges that diverse US
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schools are facing. One is the nation’s dropout rate and the second metric is the State’s high
school proficiency examination. National data showed that the high school dropout rate among
Latino students in the 2012-2013 year was 12% higher than Blacks by 7% and Whites by 5%
(NCES, 2015a, Response, para. 4). This achievement gap is concerning because the US is
lagging behind in academic student achievement. The data clearly presented that the group of
students demonstrating learning gaps are ethnic minority children from a socioeconomic
disadvantaged background and students learning English. As a nation grounded in the
importance of a free public education, having students not achieve academically, undermines the
educational institution. The inadequacy of US school personnel in understanding the needs of
diverse learners in urban areas has led to educational challenges and gaps. These gaps are
hindering the US academically, socially, and economically.
At the state level, there are academic achievement concerns. According to the California
Department of Education (2015d) in the 2013-2014 cohorts of students, 80.8% of students
graduated and only 11.6% dropped out (see Appendix A). Superficially, this data looks
favorable, but when one disaggregates the graduation rates by ethnic groups, there are
concerning outcomes. First of all, among Hispanic or Latino group only 76.4% graduated and
14% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). In the Asian group, 92.3% graduated and
4.7% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). In particular, in the Filipino group, 92.1%
graduated and 4.5% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). Amongst African American
students, 68.1% graduated and 20.3% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). In the White
group of students, 87.4% graduated and 7.6% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A).
Also, in the specialized group of English Language Learners, the results are the most striking,
only 65.3% graduated and 20.9% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). For students
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categorized as socioeconomically disadvantaged, 75.4% graduated and 14.5 % dropped out
(CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A). The final group of students with Special Education needs,
62.2% graduated and 16% dropped out (CDE, 2015d, see Appendix A).
In order for the US to continue to compete in the international job market, the students
educated in public schools need to be proficient in 21st century skills. These 21st century skills
demand students to be effective critical thinkers, capable to problem solve, engage in high levels
of information literacy, and possess strong skills in collaboration (Rotherham & Willingham,
2010). Unfortunately, US children in international assessments are demonstrating poor results in
these skills.
The Program for International Student Assessment’s (PISA) measure illustrated the US
on average scored well below other countries in math, science, and reading (NCES, 2015e). The
US trails behind in academic achievement when compared to other developed nations (NCES,
2015e). These poor results are problematic because they speak to a systemic problem in the
quality of education in the US. The lack of success of US students tend to be highly represented
by diverse ethnic minority children and English Language Learners (ELLs) can be considered as
a perpetuation of what Paulo Freire (1972) referred to as oppressive systems of education. The
lack of success is oppressive because it is creating a group of ethnic minority students and ELLs
that are not able to compete for high skilled 21st century jobs. The 21st Century jobs require
high levels of literacy, applied mathematics, and science. Some of these high-skilled jobs are
environmental engineering, forensic science, health care management, interpreters, or translators
(Rotherham & Willingham, 2010). Instead, this group of students is coming out of public
schools with inferior education in reading, mathematics, and science; the lack of fundamental
15

skills can only lead to careers of servitude (Freire, 1972). A workforce of servitude only sets the
US workforce behind other developed nations.
Darling-Hammond (2007b) asserted the reason the US has poor academic achievement is
because of the way schools are funded. Nations in Europe and Asia are demonstrating stronger
academic success on international assessments. These nations fund their schools in a more
equitable manner (Darling-Hammond, 2007b). Furthermore, districts with higher socioeconomic
means spend 10 times more in funding educational programs than the poorest districts, who
serve a high number of ethnic/minority students (Educational Testing Service, ETS, 1991 as
cited in Darling-Hammond, 2007b; Kozol, 2005 as cited in Darling-Hammond, 2007). The
impact of these funding disparities contributed to the widening achievement gap in the United
States (Darling-Hammond, 2007b). Wealthier schools benefit from additional funds because of
the systemic access to resources referred to by Ricardo D. Stanton-Salazar (1997) as social
capital. Stanton-Salazar (1997) asserted in wealthier communities there is a systematic network
or “social freeways” that allow students to have social mobility (Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 4). In
contrast, students in lower-socioeconomic areas have to overcome social structural barriers to
move up (Stanton-Salazar, 1997). Therefore, it is not surprising that poor ethnic/minority
children demonstrate large learning gaps in core academic areas.
In the US, public schools receive funding from the federal and state government.
Additionally, the federal government directs educational policies, practices, and assessments
nationwide (U.S. Department of Education, 2016). In the past, the federal government provided
funding to all children through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965
(Thomas & Brady, 2005). In December 2015, Congress approved and President Obama signed
into law the reauthorization of ESEA known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015
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(U.S. Department of Education, 2015a). The changes of this new federal policy will have
consequences in the near future. For one, the transition from No Child Left Behind (NCLB,
2002) to the new ESSA (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a) will create an environment of
transition in the educational field. Districts will be unwrapping the legislation and developing a
plan of action. This may take several years. In the meantime, practices in the classroom will
continue to adhere to NCLB (2002) requirements.
Given the infancy stage of ESSA (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a), NCLB (2002)
policies continue to be relevant in this time of transition. This study will examine several
educational aspects established by NCLB (2002), and how the educational success of ethnic-
minority students, ELLs, and students with disabilities was shaped by NCLB (2002).
NCLB (2002) set lofty educational goals for all students and it held all districts
accountable for the success of all their students (Darling-Hammond, 2006). No longer could
districts hide the academic results of specialized groups, such as ethnic minority students,
English Language Learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged, and students with disabilities.
NCLB demanded all students be participants of state testing, since that would measure students’
progress towards meeting the content standards (Menken, 2010; Thomas & Brady, 2005).
NCLB expected all students be proficient in mathematics and language arts by the year 2014
(Menken, 2010). However, 15 years later, this educational goal was unrealized.
NCLB’s (2002) assessment mandates created an atmosphere of unprecedented high-
stakes testing and accountability. Challenges emerged when success was dependent on one test
(Menken, 2010). For many urban schools, when one or two particular groups like ELLs or
students with disabilities did not meet the yearly growth target, the entire school was deemed
underperforming (Thomas & Brady, 2005). In addition, the legislation demanded 95% of all
17

students within the subgroups, which encompassed students with limited English proficiency,
racial/ethnic minority students, and students with disabilities be tested (Thomas & Brady, 2005).
The high-stakes accountability environment deeply impacted ELLs who were being tested in a
language they had not mastered (Menken, 2010). A similar challenge existed for students with
learning disabilities. They were given examinations that were not modified to meet their
learning needs (Thomas & Brady, 2005). Unfortunately, the testing results did not demonstrate
student academic growth and achievement towards mastery of content standards (Menken,
2010). On the contrary, the annual federal results showed learning gaps of ELLs, racial/ethnic
minority students, and students with disabilities.
Undoubtedly, NCLB (2002) high-stakes tests, lack of funding for academic and
accountability measures, along with punitive sanctions failed to close the achievement gap for
poor minority children. NCLB’s intentions of providing quality instruction to all students, and
holding districts accountable for their students’ academic growth was unfulfilled. A group of
students that were impacted the most were urban schools with high populations of ethic/minority
children, ELLs, and students with disability. Research showed students attending urban schools
have multiple challenges to overcome in order to be successful in school. Some of the
challenges are academic learning gaps in core areas, difficult living conditions, lack of access to
appropriate medical care, lack of access to quality educators, lack of access to a school
environment where high levels of success is promoted, and a high exposure to violence (Lee,
2005). These challenges impeded learning for urban students because these students do not have
the infrastructure at home or at school to be academically successful in school. Instead, these
minority students have all these environmental barriers that are “reproducing social inequality”
(Stanton-Salazar, 1997, p. 5).
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The needs of urban students, ELLs, ethnic/minority students, and students with
disabilities are beyond a high-stakes assessment, testing mandates, or punitive sanctions.
Darling-Hammond (2006) described four components that demonstrate academic growth in
outperforming high schools. The four essential components are as follows: 1) students have
access to a well-qualified teacher; 2) students receive personalized instruction that meets his or
her diverse needs; 3) a common core curriculum structured around performance-based
examinations; and 4) adequate support for students that are struggling (Darling-Hammond,
2006).
Statement of the Problem
Many urban schools are not meeting the needs of students. Some non-traditional schools
are meeting their needs. More needs to be learned about what is being done in these
outperforming urban schools.
Although NCLB in 2002 made attempts to provide all students with quality educational
opportunities, dropout data for ELLs, students from socioeconomically disadvantaged groups,
and students with disabilities illustrate the achievement gaps for these students.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to identify organizational practices that narrow the
achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional schools. The study focused on identifying
classroom practices that demonstrate high level of student achievement in the classroom as
measured on multiple assessments. In addition, the study also examined leadership practices in
the school that focused and fostered high levels of student achievement school wide. In
conjunction with classroom and leadership practices, the study delineated school cultural
practices that promote student achievement.
19

Research Questions of the Study
1. What instructional practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
2. What leadership practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools that
address the achievement gap?
3. What is the school culture in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
Importance of the Study
The findings of the study identified outperforming organizational practices in urban
schools that may lead to the closing of the achievement gap. These practices can be used as a
model to follow and replicate in other urban settings. Secondly, one can examine effective
practices that foster high levels of academic achievement and promote these practices among
other educational leaders to improve students’ success in urban public schools.
Findings of this study and others–five studies–introduce the notion to promote
conversations of change among educational policy leaders. The five studies were developed
under the thematic concept of identifying practices that narrow the achievement gaps for
minority children in urban areas. The importance of the study stems from the desire to improve
student academic outcomes in poor ethnic minority urban schools that serve high numbers of
diverse learners such as ELLs. This is important because as US states like California become
more ethnic minority dominant these are the students that need to be served and educated to be
productive citizens in the 21st century demands. Failure to adequately educate these students
will be a detriment to the economic advancement of US. The economic detriment is the quality
of students the public urban schools produce, a workforce of servitude that leads to the cycle of
poverty to continue.
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This study focused on English Language Learners since this is one group that needs to
demonstrate successful mastery of academic standards. Findings of this study, can promote
conversations of change among educational policy leaders. Leaders must be willing to have
deep reflections of the failed educational practices and ensure these educational practices are not
replicated.
Limitations, Delimitations, and Assumptions
The threats to internal validity or limitation found in this study are that this was a
qualitative case study conducted at one school site with limited time. The study was done in a
limited time period of several weeks at the end of one school academic year (2015-2016) and at
the beginning of following school year (2016-2017). This presented a challenge because there
was limited opportunity to study a full academic school year from beginning to end. The
observations of the academic year 2015-2016 were culminating activities at that moment in time.
The observations at the beginning of 2016-2017 were observations of the first quarter of the year,
which involved classroom set-up as well as rituals and routines. It is essential to note that this
study presented a snap shot of what takes place in a non-traditional high school. It is
recommended that a study like this be done through a full school year to be able to get an
accurate picture of what unfolds for an entire academic school year.
The external validity threats or delimitation of the study were that only one school was
chosen for this case study and only a selected group participated in the surveys and interview
process. Only adults that worked in the school were survey and interviewed. The study did not
survey or interview any students or parents. The interviews and data collected presented the
perspectives of the adults employed at the school. Since participation in the study was
voluntarily, not all the adults in the school were able to participate in surveys and interviews.
21

This study cannot be generalized to all urban school settings. In Chapter Three, the researcher
biases will be addressed.
Assumptions considered in the study were that everyone in the school was willing to
participate. It was also assumed that all participants during observations and interviews were
truthful. During classroom observations, teachers conducted their lessons at the regular pace,
and followed the proper procedures teachers had in place prior to the observation. It was also
essential to assume that no special considerations were given to research in conducting this study
and the purpose of the study was for research purposes only.
Selection Criteria
The criteria for a school to be considered in this study encompassed elements of
academic outperformance, non-traditional, urban aspects in California (see Appendix C). This
school is located in Southern California and the academic metrics reported by the California
Department of Education demonstrate academic growth and progress. The criteria for
outperforming elements included: high school completion rate; high academic results throughout
time was considered which included the previous state assessment known as Annual
Performance Index (API) and now the new California Assessment of Student Performance and
Progress referred as CAASPP was examined (CDE, 2016a); strong results in the percent of
students passing the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE); in addition advanced
placement courses offered and student passage rate were taken into account; and the A-G
completion rate was considered. Some of the state local assessment system and examinations
have changed. The Annual Performance Index concluded in July 1, 2013 (CDE, 2016a). The
California High School Exit Examination was suspended on January 1, 2016 (CDE, 2016a).
Nonetheless, these past accountability systems and assessment provide a trend of student
22

progress throughout time. The non-traditional element of the school is that it is an individual
charter school not affiliated to any large charter organization. The urban element of the school
that meets the criteria is the location. The school is located in a compacted geographic area in
Los Angeles. The school also serves over 50% of minority students and over 64% of the
students participate in the free and reduced lunch program at the school. There is a significant
amount of students that are English Language Learners and students with Special Education
needs.
Definitions
Accountability– The word is used to describe the school performance in a particular
academic program. Under NCLB (2002), the term accountability was used frequently because
state assessment results were used as a metric to hold schools accountable for the students’
academic growth.. Darling Hammond (2007b) stated that NCLB accountability brought
unintended consequences to struggling students. NCLB accountability test results diminished
student improvement because the results of the accountability measures were used in a punitive
manner. In some schools if a group of students performed low in the exams or accountability
measures, these students were pushed to special education or even kept in the same grade so their
test-score results would not impact the school performance. In this study, the term accountability
implies stress, sanctions, and punitive consequences (CDE, n.d.; Darling Hammond, 2007b).
A-G Courses– These are high school courses approved by the California University
system that prepare students for college. These courses encompass several core and elective
classes that students need to take during their high school enrollment. The intent is to ensure
students have a deeper knowledge of curriculum to prepare them for college. History/social
science “a;” English “b;” Mathematics “c;” Laboratory science “d;” Language other than English
23

“e;” Visual and performing arts “f;” College-preparatory elective “g” (University of California,
Office of the President, UCOP, 2016).
API– Academic Performance Index was a California state assessment. It was established
by State legislation, the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) of 1999. The API is a score
that summarizes academic performance and progress on statewide assessments. The API was
used as an additional indicator for federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements. The
Annual Performance Index concluded in July 1, 2013 (CDE, 2016a).
Assessment– Defined by the State of California as a vehicle that improves instruction
and the design of the program. There are different types of assessments–formative and
summative. The purposes of these assessments are to gather feedback in how students are doing.
The formative assessment is used to see how well students have captured the concept. The
teacher uses the evidence from the assessment to modify the instruction. The summative
assessment purpose is used to capture the student knowledge based at a particular time. The
summative assessments are given at the end of term, or units to evaluate student’s skills and
knowledge. (CDE, 2015a, Types of Assessment, p. 3-5).
CSU Mentor– It is an online college planning resource that California State University
established for high school students to sign-up and monitors their progress in meeting their
course eligibility for college (CSU Mentor, 2017a).
CAASPP– California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. This term is
used to described the new California accountability assessment. This system of student
accountability was established in January 1, 2014 and it replaced the former system of
assessment known as STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) which ended on July 1, 2013
(CDE, 2016a)
24

CAHSEE– California High School Exit Examination was an examination that tested
high school students’ proficiency in state standards in the subjects of reading, writing, and
mathematics. Students in public school were required to pass this examination to earn a high
school diploma. The first group of students who took this examination was the Class of 2006
and the test was suspended on January 2016 (CDE, 2016a).
Culture– The term of culture was adapted from Bolman and Deal’s (2003) reflections on
organizations as culture. The term in this study is twofold: the first is a set of beliefs that the
organization validated as worthy to adapt in order to solve complex problems. It includes ideas,
perceptions, and feelings in relation to a problem. The second component takes into
consideration the “wisdom from those who came before” (Bolman and Deal, 2003, p. 244) and
this is taught to the new member of the organization.
Dropped-Out– Students that do not complete all their academic courses to receive a high
school diploma. If a student leaves the school and does not report to a new school they attended,
that student is consider dropped-out (CDE, 2016e).
English Language Learners (ELLs)– According to California Department of
Education, these are students who have been identified in school as limited English proficient,
and their school records are marked as ELs. The identification label of ELs also includes
students designated as reclassified fluent-English-proficient who have not scored proficient or
above on the CST, the CMA, or a combination of both, in ELA for three times after being
reclassified (Public Policy Institute of California, 2016).
Graduation-Rate– According to the State of California, the 9th grade group of students
referred to as a cohort calculates the graduation rate. These four-year cohorts of students are
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considered graduates if they meet all of the state graduation requirements and are eligible to
receive a high school diploma (CDE, 2012).
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001– The federal law that came to replace the 1965
Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This law was a bipartisan legislation and was signed
by President George W. Bush. Under this law, all states in the US had to develop standards and
assessments to measure students’ yearly academic performance in the academic standards. This
was known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Every school had to demonstrate academic
progress yearly by student subgroups (CDE, 2016f; 2016g).
Researched-Based Strategies– Are strategies that different researchers have shown to
demonstrate measurable student outcomes in the classroom.
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students– Students neither of whose
parents/guardians have received a high school diploma, or students who are eligible for free or
reduced-price lunch program.
Students with Disabilities– Students who receive special education services and have a
valid disability code, or students who were previously identified as special education but who are
no longer receiving special education services for two years after exiting special education.
These students are not counted in determining numerical significance of the SWDs subgroup.
Urban Schools– Schools located in urban areas where there is a dense population living
in a small space. Urban schools are impacted by a high number of students in the school. In this
study, urban schools may face challenges such as dilapidated buildings and have scarce financial
resources to improve the conditions. Other characteristics include and are not limited to an area
with high concentrations of people of color. Many have concentration of recent immigrants
living in the location. There are high rates of reported crimes. The financial status of the
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community per capita has high rates of poverty. There are numerous inequities in the
educational system and in the legal system. The schools are large complex educational systems
with a lack of community connectedness (Lee, 2005).
Continuity of the Study
Chapters Two and Three in this study will present a literature review and the
methodology that was implemented to gather, collect, and develop findings from the field of
what organizational practices exist that narrow the achievement gap in outperforming non-
traditional schools. Chapter Four will present the findings of the study and Chapter Five the
implications of this study in the field of non-traditional urban schools.
Chapter Two is the literature review of the study; it is the grounding theoretical research
for the study. The chapter includes an examination of the evolution of federal policies in the
United States from the 1960s to the recent culmination of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(Darling-Hammond, 2006; Thomas & Brady, 2005). The literature presents how these federal
policies have impacted learning for minority students from socioeconomic disadvantaged
backgrounds as well as the impact for English Language Learners (Darling-Hammond, 2006;
McAndrews, 2005; Menken, 2010; Thomas & Brady, 2005).
The challenges of urban schools are defined and presented and how the lack of adequate
funding has contributed to the widening of the achievement gap for minority students and
English Language Learners (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). In addition, a brief history of the
achievement gap is offered and the pressing external factors that impede learning in urban
schools are divulged (Drake, 2000; Kincheloe, 2010). These factors include dilapidated learning
facilities, lack of access to quality educational environments that infuse technology, and the
27

biggest challenge that poor urban schools face is the lacked of quality teachers in this high need
learning center (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998).
The lack of quality instructional opportunities for minority urban children and English
Language Learners continues to produce an unskilled workforce not ready to take on 21st
Century high skilled jobs in the US (Darling-Hammond, 2007a). This impacts the United State’s
ability to compete in the work field for innovative jobs. Once the challenges and impacts are
brought forth in this literature review, a presentation of possible options will be introduced.
In order to address the achievement gaps that urban schools are producing, parents and
the public are looking at other public educational options that are non-traditional high school,
which include charter schools (Bulkley, 2011). The data of the popularity of charter schools will
be presented as well as a demographic make-up that charter schools tend to serve (National
Alliance for Public Charter School, 2010 as cited in Bulkley, 2011). The demographic
population that charter schools are attracting is minority children in disadvantaged urban areas
(National Alliance for Public Charter School, 2010 as cited in Bulkley, 2011). A strong attractor
that some parents mentioned in the literature review is safety, feeling part of the school, and the
parent-involvement components (May, 2006 as cited in Almond, 2012).
The literature review in Chapter Two will conclude with presenting researched-based
educational practices that teachers can use to meet the needs of their students in order to meet the
learning gaps that minority and ELLs have due to the lack of quality educational opportunities
(Darling-Hammond, 2006). In collaboration with researched-based classroom practices,
leadership practices were reviewed in order to identify components that lead to schools that
promote high levels of student achievement, engagement, and success (Drake, 2000; Marzano,
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Waters, & McNulty, 2005). The cultural aspects of outperforming schools will also be reviewed
in this literature review.
Chapter Three includes a focus on the methodology that was implemented in this
qualitative case study, the data collection process, the triangulation, and data analysis that led to
the validation of results and the themes that emerged from the data collection. Chapter Four
presents the results of the surveys, interviews, and observations gathered at the school site. An
in-depth data analysis revealed the pertaining emergent themes of this case study and the
essential findings of this outperforming non-traditional urban high school. Chapter Five will
conclude with a summary of the study, its implications, its impact, and recommendations for
further study.

29

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Public education in the United States has been shaped by a series of policies that at times
have been reactionary to issues of equity and access for minority disadvantaged children. In
examining the trajectory of public education, public education has evolved over time through a
series of political deals centered in reactive policies and deficit models (Menken, 2010). A
recent educational policy that has impacted and shaped the status of educational accountability
has been the legislation of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002), which was passed in
2002 (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
No Child Left Behind (2002) was bipartisan legislation that was passed by Congress and
signed under President George W. Bush (Darling-Hammond, 2006). This federal legislation
changed the way public schools were held accountable. It set lofty academic targets: by 2014, all
students would be proficient in English and mathematics (Darling-Hammond, 2006). For the
first time in history, a federal legislation mandated and expected academic growth of all students.
Under NCLB, students in public schools were categorized in subgroups that needed to show
academic growth towards mastery of academic standards. The law set annual growth targets for
all students, which included significant subgroups of ethnic students, economically
disadvantaged students, students with Special Education needs, as well as students that were
English Language Learners (Owens & Sunderman, 2006). The impact of NCLB in public
education has significantly changed the way schools are held accountable on a national level.
Also, researchers have found that this law has not improved the achievement gaps that have
existed among children that are disadvantaged (Thomas & Brady, 2005).

30

Statement of the Problem
The purpose of the study was to identify organizational practices that narrow the
achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional urban schools. Throughout the study, the high
school dropout rate of Hispanic students, as well as English Language Learners (ELLs) in
California’s public schools will be addressed and will be presented as an educational equity
problem. In California, the presence of Hispanic students and English Language Learners
represent a significant group of students.
According to the reported data of California Department of Education (2015c; 2016f),
Hispanic and English Language Learners constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in
California. Presently, the Hispanic dropout rate for the academic school year of 2013-2014 was
13.9%, with a graduation rate of 76.6% (CDE, 2016c, Table 2). The same academic year 2013-
2014, demonstrated a dropout rate of 20.8% for English Language Learners and a graduation rate
of 65.4% (CDE, 2015b). The results of ELLs not showing an equal graduation rate as Hispanic
students are problematic. This problem is important to address because these groups of students
represent the 21st century workforce that without the proper educational readiness they are going
to become part of the poor working force that may lead to inferior jobs.
As the dropout rate of Hispanic students and English Language Learners were examined,
the study identified organizational practices that narrow the achievement gap for ethnic minority,
ELL students living in urban areas. In conjunction with instructional practices, leadership
practices, and cultural practices in outperforming non-traditional urban schools were considered.
Historical Perspective
The first part of the literature review examines the evolution of educational practices and
policies that have contributed to the present state of public education. The literature review will
31

first present the historical path of federal policy, and its attempt to meet the needs of ethnic
minority students and English Language Learners.
The second part of the literature review identifies how urban schools have been impacted
and shaped by educational policies throughout the last 50 years. The goal was to identify
promising and responsive educational practices that can enhance student learning in urban
educational settings (Drake, 2000).
The third part of the literature review examines non-traditional urban schools that are
attempting to serve poor ethnic minority children, ELLs in urban areas. One type of non-
traditional schools is charter schools. Attractive aspects of charter schools will be presented.
Impact of Federal Policies for Minority Children
In the evolution of federal policies in the United States, the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (ESEA, Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 2014) was a key
federal policy that attempted to provide equity to minority children. This policy took seriously
the attempt to level the playing field for minority children all across the country. According to
Thomas and Brady (2005), President Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to provide federal policies
that were going to address the education inequities that poor minority children were facing in the
nation. The attempt to provide equity was tied to federal funding that was targeted to specific
purposes; funding sources were referred to as Titles (McAndrews, 2005).
Federal Support for English Language Learners
For many years Title VII, a federal funding source, supported English Language Learners
by developing students “English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic
Achievement” (McAndrews, 2005, p. 771). In 1968, Title VII emerged within the context and
influence of the Civil Rights movement. Title VII evolved to the Bilingual Education Act of
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1968 (Aleman, 1983). The specifics of this law were pivotal in providing equity and support to
minority children who were developing language proficiency in English. Researcher Menken
(2010) articulated that the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 recognized that not speaking the
English language was a type of “educational inequity in school” (p. 122). Therefore, the primary
focus of the law was to provide learning opportunities to students learning English that would
eventually lead to positive academic outcomes (Menken, 2010).
Federal Policy Changes its Focus of Support
In the early 1980s, under President Ronald Reagan, the steps toward providing equity for
minority children ended. During the presidency of President Reagan’s tenure, public education
came under attack and was heavily criticized as inferior due the report entitled A Nation at Risk
(Menken, 2010). The publication of this report resulted in diminishing essential funding for
programs that were set aside to provide equitable programs for minority children and English
Language Learners.
In the 1990s, additional inequities came to light with respect to quality of education for
minority children. In 1998, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported
that there were immense inequalities among high school seniors of minority and disadvantaged
backgrounds (Thomas & Brady, 2005). The study reported that when comparing White students
and minority groups, there were significant gaps in basic reading competency. In 1998, the U.S.
Department of Education stated that high school African Americans scored 43% in basic reading
competency; followed by Hispanics scoring 36%; American Indians/Alaska Natives with 35%;
Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders scored at 25%, and Whites with 17% (Thomas & Brady,
2005, p. 55).
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Congress became even more concerned when this report uncovered that in areas of
predominantly minority students, there was a significant presence of teachers not fully qualified
to teach these students, especially in subject areas of science and mathematics (Darling-
Hammond, 2001; SRI International, 1999; Thomas & Brady, 2005). Considering these alarming
results, Congress sought more accountability as well as better student success for Title I districts.
All these factors were the foundational ground for an overhaul of ESEA.
It this essential to reiterate that the federal policies of the 1960s were clear attempts to
support and provide equitable education for minority students in the United States. However
through the years, the political climate lessened the support and focus for equity for minority
children and English Language Learners. As a result, fundamental modifications in funding and
accountability for public education ensued.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
On January 8th, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the new bipartisan
legislation No Child Left Behind Act of 2001(NCLB, 2002), which renamed ESEA. NCLB
established new federal educational policies (Thomas & Brady, 2005). This new law
incorporated high accountability requirements and a focus on high performance of standards-
based instruction. Many who believed that ESEA lacked accountability measures for student
achievement in the past, applauded NCLB (Thomas & Brady, 2005).
There were positive aspects of NCLB that promised to improve quality of instruction for
all children in public schools. The law itself had specific language that ensured that all children
would “have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high quality education (NCLB,
2002)” (Thomas & Brady, 2005, p. 56). For the first time, schools receiving Title I funding were
expected to show academic achievement of their students in the established Annual Yearly
34

Progress (AYP). There were lofty expectations that expected all students to be proficient in
English and mathematics by the year 2013-2014 (Thomas & Brady, 2005). The law also focused
on improving the quality of teachers and paraprofessionals. Additionally, parents were informed
of teacher qualifications (Thomas & Brady, 2005). Unfortunately, the implementation of NCLB
became problematic and created bigger gaps for minority children, especially English Language
Learners.
Linda Darling-Hammond (2006) strongly critiqued the problems of this new legislation
and its implementation. According to Darling-Hammond, the NCLB requirements in
determining a highly qualified teacher was not rigorous and did not represent an accurate
measure of teacher quality. NCLB considered teachers that had a subject matter competency test
or if they were enrolled in a credential program to be highly qualified (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
This was problematic because enrollment in a program or passing a subject matter test did not
demonstrate if the teacher was competent in delivering instruction, or knowing how to have
effective routines in classroom management (Darling-Hammond, 2006). Yet, experienced
teachers that taught cross-curriculum subjects could no longer teach in this way because of the
credentialing limitations established by NCLB. Due to NCLB language, effective educational
practices that showed success in rural and urban schools could no longer be followed. For
example, “interdisciplinary teaching” was halted because of the new language in the law
(Darling-Hammond, 2006, p. 648). This aspect of the law was damaging to the quality of
instruction students received.
In addition, the law required school districts to make public their test scores, and their
program improvement status (Menken, 2010). This publishing of results impacted the
recruitment of strong teachers. The non-fulfillment of highly qualified teachers in areas of high
35

academic need was partly due to implications of publishing the test scores of underachieving
schools. Many teachers did not want to teach in these schools, and left these schools to find jobs
in districts that were not scrutinized or in need of program improvement (Thomas & Brady,
2005). According to Darling-Hammond and Sykes (2003), the U.S. Department of Education,
reported that during the 1999-2000 school year, there were over half of the teachers that did not
meet the NCLB requirements of highly qualified teachers. Moreover, there was no national
system to keep track of teacher certification and subject matter competency (Thomas & Brady,
2005 as cited in Sunderman & Kim, 2004). Once again, children in underserved schools not
only were being punished for not meeting academic proficiency, but more importantly,
unqualified teachers were not prepared to meet students’ academic needs. The promise by
NCLB of access to high quality education was unfulfilled.
In December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law Every Student Succeeds Act
(ESSA); this law replace NCLB (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a). Nonetheless, the 15
years of NCLB left a significant impact in the educational field. Further more in the literature
review, specific examples of how NCLB deeply impacted academic achievement for Hispanic or
Latino students but specially English Language Learners will be presented. The next part of the
literature review examines the local challenges that Hispanic or Latino and English Language
Learners encountered in their urban learning environments.
Historical Perspective of the Achievement Gap
Urban Learning Environments
To further understand the challenges students in urban settings faced, it is essential to
provide a contextual background of urban learning environments. There are specific physical
external factors that categorize an urban school. There are external environmental factors that
36

pose challenges for teaching and learning (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). The six external
environmental factors exemplified in the urban learning environment include the following:
achievement gap, large number of youths who have limited academic skills, and large
educational gaps (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). Students in this community live in an area
of concentrated poverty–many students have minimal access to appropriate living conditions as
well as access to appropriate medical care (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). Students in urban
schools face teaching challenges, which is the lack of quality teachers willing to work in high
poverty areas (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). The schools where these youth attend have
poor school climate as well as high levels of violence (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998).
Another factor is high student absenteeism and tardiness (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). Due
to the poor funding access to resources, students are forced to learn in dilapidated buildings,
where there is a lack of adequate books, supplies, and little access to quality educational
technology (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). The last external factor is the politics and
governance. Many of these needy urban schools are run by incompetent central administrative
systems that do not meet the needs of schools because there are so many local politicians, such as
mayor, city council, local boards, union officials, and in some cases state officials, involved in
trying to run the schools (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998).
Learning Challenges in Urban Areas
In addition to the external challenges that urban schools face, there are other challenges
in the learning environments of urban schools which include: emotional stressors such as
community violence and high rates of teen pregnancy, and low expectations from many of the
learning institutions (Lee, 2005). Daniel D. Drake (2000) critically examined urban schools that
have fallen into the mentality that schools are just a “market drive organization dispensing the
37

product” (p. 9). In other words, some urban schools have become a place where students are
viewed as products that generate funds, yet students are not being serviced with high quality
educational experiences. Furthermore, urban areas have a high concentration of diverse ethnic,
racial, and religious groups with unique living and learning needs (Kincheloe, 2010). Many
times, the schools and the teachers are not prepared to meet the needs of such diverse students.
The lack of financial resources, educational resources, and the community create challenging
learning environments for students to be academically successful (Kincheloe, 2010). To
complicate matters further, urban schools experience exceptional obstacles in trying to keep and
retain quality teachers, quality staff, and effective administrators who are willing to stay in the
school for extensive periods of time (Kincheloe, 2010). The challenges in urban learning centers
are many, and some cannot be remedied easily. However, understanding the contextual
challenges can lead to finding viable solutions to make changes in the learning environments for
urban children.
Urban Education is widening the Achievement Gap
Joe L. Kincheloe (2010) conducted an in-depth analysis of urban conditions, and he
reported there are more than 80% of high-density poor individuals living in the United States,
and they all live in 100 of the largest cities. In these cities, the make-up of students tends to be
heavily minority students from low socioeconomic means (Kincheloe, 2010). He asserted the
disproportionate percentage of minority students in urban areas, is an impediment of academic
achievement, due to the financial inequities these schools experience. Urban students in these
schools are not provided with quality instruction, and therefore, the achievement results are
consistently lower in comparison to White students from higher economic means (Kincheloe,
2010).
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Darling-Hammond (2007a) brought to light that as a nation the United States is lagging
behind in quality educational opportunities for minority children. She stated that in communities
of high income, more money is being invested in their schools. In communities identified as
“high-minority,” fewer dollars are allocated, as well as fewer resources. The disparity in funding
is clear: “the wealthiest 10% of school districts in the United States, spend nearly 10 times more
than the poorest 10%, and spending ratios of 3 to 1 are common within states” (Darling-
Hammond, 2007a, p. 320; Educational Testing Service, ETS, 1991; Kozol, 2005).
Urban Groups with Significant Challenges
National data from 2011-2012, reported the number of English Language Learners in the
US has a significant impact in public schools, with 4.4 million students or 9.2% of EL learners
(NCES, 2015a, para. 2). On the state level, California Department of Education (CDE) reported,
during the 2012-2013 academic school year that there were 1.4 million ELLs, an estimate of
23% of students in California (Public Policy Institute of California, 2016, Introduction, para. 1).
According to the National data, the high school dropout rate among Latino students in the
2012-2013 year was 11.7 %, African-American with 7.3%, and Whites with 5% (NCES, 2015d,
Table 219.70). This data demonstrated the Latino subgroup is having a higher rate of dropping
out compared to African-American and White students. The Latino subgroup is also impacted
by English Language Learners (ELLs). Also, a state that is heavily impacted with ELLs is
California (Jimenez-Castellanos & Okhremtchouk, 2013).
English Language Learners Impact in Urban Schools
Dropout Rates
In examining the dropout rate by the ELL subgroup, the California Department of
Education class of 2012-2013 reported a dropout rate of 21.6% for ELL students in comparison
39

to all other groups (CDE, 2014d, Table 2). When comparing the dropout rate of ELLs to Latino
students, there is also a significant gap. The dropout rate of ELLs was 21.6% compared to
Hispanics of 13.9% (CDE, 2014c, Table 2; CDE, 2014d, Table 1). The data showed a significant
learning gap for English Language Learners.
In reviewing the National dropout data, it is clear that the group of English Language
Learners is an urban group with achievement challenges. The learning gaps of ELLs are many
and their dropout rate is the end result of poor academic attainment. These students are not
graduating from high school and many of them have been in the US for many years and are long-
term English Language Learners (LTELLs). Freeman and Freeman (2009) further defined
LTELLs as students who have been in the educational system for a long time yet they have very
limited formal academic skills, they may be orally proficient in English but lack academic skills
in writing and in reading comprehension. These ELLs are not becoming proficient in English
within the allocated time of seven years, these learners are showing signs of losing interest in
school by the time they are in high school, and the learning gap is widening.
For English Language Learners, their lack of English proficiency increased the widening
of their educational achievement gap and eventually contributed to the drop-out rate in high
school. If the lack of success of English Language Learners is not addressed, it can be
considered as a perpetuation of oppressive systems presented by Paulo Freire (1972).
Oppressive systems is an unjust system of education that creates an oppressed group of people;
in this case, English Language Learners that experience inferior education which can lead to
careers of servitude to the dominant power (Freire, 1972).

40

Inaccurate Measurements of Academic Progress for ELL
Kate Menken (2010) explained when English Language Learners take content tests in
English, these students do not have mastery of the language, thus posing serious shortcomings to
the test results. Specifically, one shortcoming is test scores generated from these exams are not a
true measure of content mastery because these exams are “linguistically complex” (Menken,
2010, p. 123) for ELLs. The term “linguistically complex” refers to exams that have literacy
levels beyond the vocabulary knowledge and comprehension that English Language Learners
possess. This includes reading passages that use idioms or phrases that may be common to the
native English speaker, but not to ELL students (Menken, 2010, p. 123). They are also
“linguistically complex” in subject matters, like math and science. These exams ask students to
read word problems in English, and expect them to “extract from the language the calculations
they need to complete the problem” (Menken, 2010, p. 124). Expecting ELLs who still possess
English gaps to perform complex tasks with language and calculations is difficult considering
there is a gap in English language mastery for these students.
Accountability Measures Impact ELLs
Due to the high stakes accountability testing mandates of NCLB (2002), as well as some
states administering culminating exit exams, English Language Learners are expected to take
these exams, like everyone else. Yet, these students are failing, and the schools view ELLs as a
burden to their test results (Menken, 2010). Other researchers, such as Thomas and Brady
(2005), concurred that, since the beginning of the accountability measures, to expect Limited
English Proficient (LEP) or ELL students to take these types of assessments, is not appropriate
due to the test rigidity, and the results would not be valid measures of knowledge or progress. If
anything, these exams are labeling ELLs as “failing,” regardless of the progress in English these
41

students gained during the school year (Abedi, 2004; Novak & Fuller, 2003; Sterba, 2004;
Thomas & Brady, 2005). Additionally, the number of ELL students not graduating is alarming
and concerning to the progress of urban students in the nation, and in states like California,
where the amount of English Language Learners is significant.
Challenges for 21st Century Skills Readiness
In an effort to improve the quality of education in the US, the dropout rate of students
needs to be examined and reduced. According to the National Center for Education Statistics
(2015d), there has been a 5% decline of students dropping out of high school nationwide
(para. 1). During the time interval of 1990 and 2013, the race/ethnicity dropout rate was lower
for Whites than for African-Americans (NCES, 2015d, para. 4). The Hispanic group continues
to be of concern with a higher dropout rate as compared to other groups. In 2013, 12% of
Hispanic students dropped out in comparison to African-Americans who had a 7% dropout rate,
and Whites who had a 5% dropout rate (NCES, 2015a, Response, para. 4). In examining this
dropout rate nationally, it is essential to identify existing programs with focus on eliminating the
dropout rate.
Disparities for Minority Children
In urban schools, academic achievement for minority students is a true concern. As noted
earlier, a group that continues to be severely impacted in American urban areas is English
Language Learners. This population needs to be examined closely because they constitute a
large number of students in US public schools today, and in the future. US public schools are
serving high numbers of English Language Learners, who are not reclassifying or becoming
English proficient. Freeman and Freeman (2009) concurred having so many students still
“classified as limited English proficient at the secondary level indicates these students are not
42

being well served” (p. 3). The impact of having so many students as limited English proficient
creates low skilled students not ready for the demands of 21st century learning. Equally as
important, these limited English skills are an impediment for these students to be able to meet the
basic graduation requirements for high school completion.
Achievement Gaps for Minorities
Challenges for California Minorities
Although California has eliminated the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE),
past data showed that California’s passing rate of the basic skills was extremely low. In 2013,
only 20% of Hispanic students were successful in passing the English Language Arts portion of
the CAHSEE (CDE, 2013, Table 1). This means 80% percent of Hispanic students failed to pass
the English Language Arts part of the exit exam. In the area of mathematics, only 25% of
Hispanic students were successful in passing the examination (CDE, 2013, Table 1). The
concerning aspect of these results is that 75% of the Hispanic students have poor mathematics
skills. These poor results are impacting the 21st century college readiness of students in
California. Additionally, this exam is directly linked to the high school dropout rate. The lack of
English proficiency widens the educational achievement gap and eventually contributes to the
dropout rate in high school.
Due to the inability of many urban schools not meeting the needs of poor minority urban
schools, a new wave of alternative schools have opened. One group of schools that are popular
in California and nationwide is Charter Schools. Charter schools have been making many
promises to families of poor minority students in urban areas. According to Linda A. Rezulli and
Lorraine Evans (2005), some attractive elements of charter schools are more freedom and
43

flexibility in the school structure and less bureaucracy. It is important to review this school
system in depth to examine what educational opportunities they offer.
Educational Opportunities
Charter Schools a Non-Traditional School Possibility
The development of charter schools emerged from the lack of public school
effectiveness. A charter school is a type of non-traditional school. Charter schools seem to be a
popular option for parents who are looking for alternatives to traditional schools (Garrison &
Holifield, 2005). According to Almond (2012), the majority of charter schools serve urban
areas, predominantly comprised of minority children from low socioeconomic status.
A distinctive characteristic of charter schools is how they operate. A charter school for
the most part is an independent organization that is monitored by other public entities commonly
referred to as authorizer (Bulkley, 2011). The authorizer can be the school board, state board of
education, and/or a public university. Their role is oversight of the organization not management
(Bulkley, 2011). The other characteristic that seems to attract the public to charter schools is
accountability measures. Charters have to abide to renewal clauses in order to continue to
operate (Bulkley, 2011). Since charter schools are under an authorizing entity, the school has to
demonstrate academic growth to be deemed “worthy” and allowed to continue to stay open
(Bulkley, 2011).
Every state in the US has different rules of operation for charter schools, not having
national rules of operation makes every charter organization unique and at the same time hard to
conduct comparative measures nation wide. Yet charter schools seem to be growing. According
to Garrison and Holifield (2005), charter schools have grown due to the failure of public schools.
In the spring of 2003, “forty states in the United States enacted charter school legislation; 2,500
44

charter schools are operating” (Garrison & Holifield, 2005, p. 90). In their research, Garrison
and Holifield did not find a strong correlation between charter laws and effective schools. Yet,
parents of minority children are opting to send their children to charter schools (Rezulli & Evans,
2005).
Furthermore, Bulkley (2011) asserted that charter schools are popular to minority parents
because the school is meeting the needs of minority children, something that traditional schools
have failed to do. Charter schools are serving students who were neglected by traditional urban
schools (Bulkley, 2011). Bulkley made reference to the National Alliance for Public Charter
Schools (2010b as cited in Bulkley, 2011), which stated that during the academic year of 2009-
2010 more African American and Hispanic students were enrolled in charter schools than White
students (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2010b as cited in Bulkley, 2011).
Specifically there were 32.2% of African Americans in charter settings than 16.4% in traditional
schools (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2010b as cited in Bulkley, 2011, p. 112).
For Hispanics, the enrollment was of 23.2% compared to 17.5% in traditional schools (National
Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2010b as cited in Bulkley, 2011, p. 112). For White
students, the enrollment in a charter school was of 38.9 % compared to 59.1% in traditional
schools (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, 2010b as cited in Bulkley, 2011, p. 112).
Autonomy and Flexibility
Charter schools tend to be attractive to many due to their claim of making decisions
quicker due to their autonomy and flexibility. Charter schools claim that autonomy in the hiring
practices allows them to hire innovative educators that at times may not have the state
certifications that traditional schools must abide under. A common practice in charter schools
was the institution uses their autonomy in hiring teachers who do not have a teaching
45

background or teaching certification but may be experts in the their field. Charter school’s
ability to hire non-certified teachers is due to “relax state regulations” in hiring practices. There
are 25 states and the District of Columbia that offer charter schools with these types of flexible
regulations (Bulkley, 2011, p. 113). In addition, charter schools have more flexibility in the
dismissing of teachers because many of them do not have teachers’ unions protecting them due
to seniority (Bulkley, 2011).
Although there is not a set definition of what constitutes innovation in charter schools, it
is hard to measure if such innovation practices are transferring to having stronger student
achievement outcomes (Bulkley, 2011). Rezulli and Evans (2005) stated that charter proponents
argue that charter schools are good for the improvement of public education because charter
schools offer the public another choice in curriculum, school structure, and discipline. There is
the belief among parents and administrators that because charter schools experience a higher
accountability threshold, this pushes higher student academic achievement (Rezulli and Evans,
2005).
Parent Interest in Charter Schools
A practice that has set charter schools apart from other traditional schools is their strong
parent engagement with curriculum practices. Bulkley (2011) asserted that although charter
school practices in the classroom may be similar to practices in traditional schools, charter
schools take the time to inform parents of these practices in the classroom. Parents, in return, see
these practices as innovative because traditional schools did not take the time to engage them or
inform them of what was happening (Bulkley, 2011).
In a study of the popularity of charter schools among African-American parents, Monica
R. Almond (2012) found that many times parents chose the school not because of their
46

academics but because of how the school made the parents feel. Furthermore, May (2006 as
cited in Almond, 2012) conducted a query among African-American parents to find out why they
chose charter schools over traditional schools in Ohio. The African-American parents affirmed
that their qualification of a quality school was based on smaller classes and the positive
classroom environment that the teacher created (May, 2006 as cited in Almond, 2012). Parents
stated that teachers took the time to make the students feel a “sense of belonging, one-on-one
attention, and supportive staff” (May, 2006 as cited in Almond, 2011, p. 357). Another aspect
that African Americans stated that influenced them to have their children in a charter school was
the disciplinary measures that the schools implemented with their children; academics were
secondary (May, 2006 as cited in Almond, 2012). In her conclusion, May (2006 as cited in
Almond, 2012) found that for the reasons stated above African-American parents opted for
charter schools because the school made them feel valued and safe. Parents stated that for them,
charter schools offered enhanced learning opportunities than what the “underperforming city
schools” offered (Almond, 2012, p. 357).
Charter School Drivers
In addition to parent interest in quality schools for their children, there seems to b a
collective interest to charter school that has expanded the opening of more schools. According to
Wohlstetter, Smith, and Farrell (2013), there are specific things known as “drivers” (p. 37) that
have propelled the growth and development of charter schools in the country. These “drivers”
coincide in what other researchers have stated as reasons why this movement has been
successful. The “drivers” are: 1) Deregulation; 2) Decentralization to tailored specific needs of a
particular population, and 3) Niche Development which focus is to personalize the environment
for students. These “drivers” have shown to be successful because they are meeting a particular
47

need for the students in the school. In addition, charter school proponents use specific language,
which promote 21st century learning skills, curricular innovation, and the use of technology.
Based on this research, there is no doubt that charter schools are here to stay and provide
another educational option to urban minority children from low socioeconomic status. Charter
schools can be considered as a viable educational option for parents of minority students
especially when urban traditional schools are not providing stronger educational opportunities
for their children.
Promising Educational Practices
It has been established that urban minority children from disadvantaged socioeconomic
status and English Language Learners are groups that are struggling academically. It is
important to examine promising practices that can close the achievement gaps for these students.
The following are three possible options that urban schools can consider for improving student
academic achievement: instructional practices, leadership practices, and school culture.
High Performing Educational Approaches
For students that are experiencing learning challenges and gaps, the first thing is for this
gap to be addressed. The following are research-based approaches that teachers can incorporate
in the classroom to yield student academic outcomes. Darling-Hammond (2006) stated that in
order for urban children to succeed there has to be high school reforms that are targeted to meet
the needs of the students in the school. Furthermore, Darling-Hammond asserted that
historically large high schools have become “factory-model” places that focus on controlling
student behaviors rather than institutions of learning (p. 643). Darling-Hammond proposed that
the first thing for success is to break the large schools and make them into small learning
48

environments where adults can develop personalized connections with their students in order to
meet with academic needs.
Darling-Hammond’s (2006) proposition of smaller schools is an aspect that can provide
opportunities for students to start to receive personalized instruction along with other
fundamental aspects of teaching and learning. The following are elements found to yield high
performance in urban high schools: 1) Well-qualified teachers, 2) Personalization, 3) A common
core curriculum organized around performance-based assessment, and 4) Support for struggling
students (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
The role of well-qualified teachers is essential for urban students because the teacher will
be able to provide solid curricular content to the students and be able to provide modifications
for students that have special needs, English Language Learners (Darling-Hammond, 2006). At
the same time, the teacher is creating curriculum that is rigorous but attainable to her students
(Darling-Hammond, 2006). The well-qualified teacher is able to close achievement gaps and
provide rigor to the students with the end goal of improving student learning outcomes.
The concept of personalized instruction is a way for students to have a relationship with
one educator over a number of years (Darling-Hammond, 2006). This teacher is referred to as an
advisor; the advisor becomes an advocate for the student and works in conjunction with the
school counselor to support the students’ individual academic needs (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
In addition, the advisor becomes the primary contact person between the school and the home
(Darling-Hammond, 2006). This personalized advisor becomes the person who ensures that
students do not fall behind academically.
The idea of providing urban children with a common core curriculum organized around
performance-based assessment is an attempt to provide students with real-life application
49

experiences, that connects the real world with classroom curriculum with an end goal of
challenging the students (Lee, Smith, & Croninger, 1995 as cited in Darling-Hammond, 2006;
Newmann, Marks, & Gamoran, 1996 as cited in Darling-Hammond, 2006). The end product
with this curriculum is for students to develop “complete portfolios and performance tasks” that
involve the use of mathematics, science, and other disciplines (Darling-Hammond, 2006). This
culminating project is then presented to a panel where students will be expected to orally explain
and defend their work that was based on standards (Darling-Hammond, 2006). It is clear that
these types of curriculum experiences are both challenging and enhancing for urban students to
have learning opportunities beyond the norm.
The last component that Darling-Hammond (2006) suggested to support struggling
students is the one that addresses the achievement gaps of students directly. The way the
students are supported is not by placing them in remedial courses that are not core based; on the
contrary, students are placed in challenging curriculum. The difference is that here teachers are
expected to “use a repertoire of instructional strategies to adapt to students’ needs” (Darling-
Hammond, 2006, p. 645). In addition, the school should have numerous afterschool activities for
students to receive academic support like: homework support, tutoring, and at some schools,
Saturday school (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
Student-Centered Approach
In addition to Darling-Hammond’s (2006) four suggestions previously mentioned, Daniel
D. Drake (2000) suggested for schools to develop responsive school programs that are structured
and function to provide students’ welfare. The school becomes a place that is: student centered;
adaptive; and a learner centered, personalized treatment and bidirectional accountability between
teacher to administration and vise versa (Drake, 2000).
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Drake’s (2000) factors are all rooted in the concept that schools need to be a place that is
people- and student-centered at all times and adaptability implies that the organization is
constantly examining their practices to ensure that what the school is doing is meeting the needs
of the students it serves. Drake’s (2000) approach adds a different level of accountability and
that is that teachers do not just teach but support the students in applying the knowledge that was
taught to ensure students grasped the concepts presented by the teacher. Here administrators also
hold themselves responsible to deliver school “performance–parents, students and the
community” (Drake, 2000, p. 9). This is what is referred to as bidirectional accountability
among teachers and administrators.
Promising Educational Approaches for ELLs
The data that has been presented in this literature review demonstrated very clearly that a
group that needs attention and support is English Language Learners. This group of students
represents a large minority population in the nation and especially in California where there is a
large population of ELLs in the K-12 educational pipeline. Therefore, it is essential to examine
educational practices that could improve academic achievement for ELLs.
Theoharis and O’Toole (2011) proposed some promising educational approaches to serve
English Language Learners that can improve ELLs learning success. It is a holistic approach
that incorporates the entire educational organization where educators, administrators, and staff
focus and place the needs of English Language Learners in the center. The school functions as a
system of meeting the needs of their learners.
It has been established that teachers play an essential role in the instruction of their
students; in order for teachers to be successful with ELLs, they must possess a variety of skills
51

that include strong content area skills. T. Lucas, A. M. Villegas, and M. Freedson-Gonzalez,
(2008) further added that teachers also need,
pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of how children and adolescents learn in a
variety of settings, skills for creating a classroom community that is supportive of
learning for diverse students, knowledge about multiple forms of assessment, and the
ability to reflect on practice (Cochran-Smith & Zeichner, 2005; Darling-Hammond &
Bransford, 2005). (Lucas et al., 2008, p. 2)
Leadership Practices that Promote High Levels of Student Achievement
This literature review has presented urban schools as complex organizations, which
service students that experience both external and internal challenges (Lee, 2005). In order for
urban students to be successful, it is essential to identify characteristics of school leaders that
promote high levels of student achievement in urban settings. A model to consider to implement
in urban schools can be Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal’s (2003) four organizational
frames: structural, human, political, and symbolic. These organizational frames can be
applicable to urban school environments where educational leaders face challenging decisions
that impact the students’ learning.
Bolman and Deal (2003) suggested that leaders that have been effective are able to
navigate challenging situations if they use the appropriate organizational frame. The structural
frame gives an educational leader the opportunity to set “rules, roles, policies” to have the school
run smoothly on a day-to-day basis and throughout the school year (Bolman & Deal, 2003,
p. 16). The structural frame is an approach that allows the educational leader to develop systems
in school that support the people, the students, and school as a whole to be effective and efficient
(Bolman & Deal, 2003).
52

The human resource frame can support an instructional leader in understanding the needs
of the students, the staff, and the parents in order to provide students with the personalized
learning experience and skill sets that enhance student achievement (Bolman & Deal, 2003;
Drake, 2000). The human resource frame is all about the relationship building, a component that
has been identified as essential for student success (Drake, 2000).
The political frame supports leaders when they have to address organizational conflict,
power, and advocacy challenges by recommending leaders to learn processes of bargaining and
negotiating (Bolman & Deal, 2003). This political frame can be very useful for educational
leaders especially when local politicians and interest groups want to use urban schools as
platforms to advance personal agendas and initiatives (Lee, 2005).
The final frame presented by Bolman and Deal (2003) is the symbolic frame. This
frame’s central concept is rooted in symbols that embody the organizations’ cultural practices
and encompasses what the organization deems meaningful. This frame is very important for an
educational leader to build the culture of the organization, this is what gives the organization
meaning to function; it is the “glue that holds an organization together and unites people around
shared values and beliefs” (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p. 243). It is the symbolic frame that connects
the educational leader to the staff, the students and the parents; it serves as a unifying
opportunity that if appropriately used can build a culture of academic success for urban students.
Importance of Culture in Organizations
Schein (1992, p. 12 as cited in Bolman and Deal, 2003)) presented a very clear
perspective of culture and the role it plays in an organization. Schein, defined culture as
a pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group learned as it solved its problems of
external adaptation and integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid
53

and therefore to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel
in relation to those problems. (p. 243).
This definition of culture is developed in a team approach in the organization and it includes a
learning process that seeks solutions to problems. It is not the sole work of one person but a
group effort.
Furthermore, Deal and Kennedy (1982, p. 4 as cited in Bolman and Deal, 2003) concisely
stated that culture is “both a product and process” (Bolman and Deal, 2003, p. 243). Deal and
Kennedy further stated, “As a product, it embodies accumulated wisdom from those who came
before us. As a process, it is constantly renewed and re-created as newcomers learn the old ways
and eventually become teachers themselves” (Deal and Kennedy, 1982 as cited in Bolman and
Deal, 2003, p. 244). This concise definition takes into consideration the past experience from
members of the organization and allows the opportunity to collaborate and guide the new
members in how to do things in this organization. In this study the term culture will be referred
as a fusion of problem solving and passing down past practices that are successful elements that
can be considered in establishing a culture of reflection, practices, and respect in an organization.
Establishing a Focused School Culture
In order for schools to be places that foster high levels of student achievement, they must
be built or created. According to Marzano et al. (2005), in order for educational leaders to meet
the demands of 21st century schools, leaders must meet the staff needs to provide the guidance
and the support to find new ways of solving what they referred to as “old problem in new ways”
(p. 15). The educational leader in this environment must be inspiring and motivating when
communicating expectations to the staff and the students. The expectations cannot be just norms
but high academic expectations for both teachers and students.
54

Waldman (1993 as cited in Marzano et al., 2005) proposed that effective school leaders
are not just promoters of high expectations but they are active participants of changing the
organizational practices by modeling the following behaviors: change agency, teamwork,
continuous improvement, trust building, and eradication of short-term goals (Marzano et al.,
2005).
The educational leader acts as a change agent who takes on the role of eliminating
distractors in the organization that keeps the members of the organization away from the
essential work that needs to be done (Sosik and Dionne, 1997 as cited in Marzano et al., 2005).
Instead, the leader creates a shared vision and a sense of urgency in the organization that keeps
everyone focused on the task at hand (Marzano et al., 2005). A characteristic that is essential for
the educational leader here is the ability to communicate change and allow change to happen
(Marzano et al., 2005). The educational leader also works as a team builder who brings several
individuals together around a common purpose (Marzano et al., 2005). In this group, members
of the team hold themselves accountable to meet the common goal. This team can be
departmental in nature or across departments (Marzano et al., 2005).
Furthermore, the educational leader works with the entire school staff on continuous
improvement of the organization by having progressive improvement in areas of need (Massaki,
1986 as cited in Marzano et al., 2005). The leader ensures that there is a process in the
organization that is focused on building trust (Marzano et al., 2005). The leader works to model
integrity in order to foster a working environment of respect, faith, honesty, and openness among
the staff members (Marzano et al., 2005). Finally, the school leader is strategic in eradicating
short-term goals that are meaningless to the growth and development of the organization
(Marzano et al., 2005). The leader spends time in examining meaningful goals that are going to
55

lead to school improvement long term and then works with the staff to design and establish these
goals in the organization (Marzano et al., 2005). This type of action by the school leader is
targeted to building a school culture that is focused on the common goal of student success. All
the different components of the targeted leadership approaches are in alignment to develop a
school environment that has students in the center and the end goal is their academic success.
Critique of the Literature
In examining the literature presented, some very critical aspects arise and that is there is
no “magic pill” to fix the challenges of urban education. The attempts of the federal government
in the past had good intentions but the changes in political agendas in the 80s left public
education in very challenging situations. The attempt in early 2000’s with No Child Left Behind
(2002) legislation and the high accountability measures did not improve quality instruction for
poor minority students. If anything, it made things worst. It put a spotlight in public education
that specialized subgroups of students were left behind. Fifteen years after NCLB, the
achievement gap between poor minority students has widened and the most impacted group of
students are English Language Learners.
The literature has supported many of the criticisms Darling-Hammond (2001, 2006,
2007b) presented that unfortunately NCLB (2002) continued to promote inequities for poor
minority students and English Language Learners and a big factor was the lack of adequate
financial resources and quality educators that can meet the needs of students who have been the
victims of systemic negligence in public education towards underprivileged youth. Although
charter schools promised a different alternative, the quality of the schools needs to be examined
and reviewed to ensure students in these non-traditional schools are receiving quality instruction
to meet the demands of 21st century, high-skilled jobs.
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Chapter Three: Methodology will present the qualitative approach that was used to guide
this case study. In addition, the chapter will elaborate on the thematic coding method that was
applied to extract the prevalent themes that emerged from the data collected. A detailed data
analysis process will be explained to understand the findings of this study.

57

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In an effort to improve the quality of education and learning opportunities for urban
students in Los Angeles, it is important to thoroughly examine the educational practices of out-
performing urban schools. According to Daniel Drake (2000), the characteristics that promote
success for urban schools are as follows: learning environments are adaptable to student needs;
school services are centered on students’ academic and emotional needs; an encouraging
environment of personalized care for students is evident; there is a strong focus on the welfare of
the students; and the bidirectional accountability holds all the stakeholders accountable.
Effective approaches, like the ones mentioned by Drake (2000), are ways of bringing to light
promising educational practices narrowing the achievement gap.
Urban Challenges
The research on traditional urban high schools demonstrated limited gains in student
achievement. These schools lagged behind other schools, regardless of their improvement
efforts. According to Lee (2005), the following six factors exemplify challenges in urban
learning environments: public resources, political and local government interferences, extreme
learning challenges, high level of poverty within the community, lack of quality teachers, and
poor school ambiance. Internally, the schools face challenges with high student absenteeism and
tardiness (Lee, 2005). Externally, urban students in poor communities have limited resources
and living conditions are deplorable. In the school, lack of adequate books and supplies exist,
and little access to technology (Lee, 2005). An external factor that contributes to challenges of
urban schools is the constant political feuds of power and control between school board
58

members, school administration, and local politicians (Lee, 2005; Olson & Jerald, 1998). All
these aforementioned factors are impediments for urban children to succeed.
An additional impediment for urban children to be successful is the lack of high school
reform to address the high percentage of dropouts in urban high schools. Darling-Hammond
(2007a) conveyed that as a nation, the United States is straggling in quality educational
opportunities for minority children due to a disparity in funding. The disparity in funding is
clear; wealthiest districts in the United States invest more in the educational systems than poor
communities (Darling-Hammond, 2007a, p. 320; Educational Testing Service [ETS], 1991;
Kozol, 2005).
Possibility of Success in Urban Schools
However, many urban high schools have demonstrated that the achievement gap for
impoverished and minority children can be narrowed. A primary factor in increasing the
achievement of urban high school students is student engagement. Some action steps must be
taken to have a high level of student engagement. According to Drake (2000), those action steps
involved the school engaging in practices and procedures that promote high levels of
collaboration among teachers on a consistent basis. Furthermore, educators use the collaborative
time to examine and evaluate student progress, in order to make changes and adaptations in the
curriculum. These evaluative processes provide direction to teachers in order to tailor their
teaching practices to meet their students’ needs (Drake, 2000).
This study identified key practices made by urban schools that outperform, despite the
external horrid conditions of these urban environments and school buildings. Some essential
practices examined in the literature included Drake’s (2000) systematic approach of
responsiveness to students’ needs. His systematic approach promoted student-centered practices.
59

Furthermore, he enumerated specific characteristics and practices that urban schools could
follow to reach academic success for their students. The characteristics were: student-centered
policies and practices that support student learning. The school was adaptable to change and
made the necessary modifications in the best interest of students. All stakeholders in the school
were focused on providing strong learning environments for their students. There was a strong
culture of personalizing services to meet the need of each student in the school. The school had
established systematic bidirectional accountability; the accountability encompassed teachers,
staff members, and administration holding each other accountable.
Qualitative Research Approach
In this study the instrumentation used was the case study approach. The case study used
a qualitative and interpretive approach to examine a non-traditional school in southern
California. The purpose of this study was to determine the school practices existing at this non-
traditional urban high school. This high school has been recognized both at the state and
national levels for students’ academic success. The researcher engaged in a qualitative case
study approach in order to explore and evaluate the practices in this non-traditional urban school
with the intention to find educational practices that narrow the achievement gap (Merriam,
2009). The specific educational practices the study examined were instructional practices,
leadership practices, and school culture.
In this qualitative case study, aspects of the ethnographic research component known as
“thick description” concept were implemented. In 1973, Greetz made common the concept of
“thick description” (as cited in Merriam, 2009). The purpose of providing a “thick description”
was to provide a real representation of how the different stakeholders in the school interacted
with one another in order to narrow the academic achievement gap (Merriam, 2009). The “thick
60

description” demonstrated how the school supported their students in a systematic approach
(Merriam, 2009). By identifying these essential systematic approaches, essential high levels of
student achievement were identified. In addition, this researcher conducted a review of the
educational policies of this non-traditional urban school. The purpose of examining the
educational policies was to see which policies enhanced or diminished learning opportunities for
urban students.
Case Study Approach
This study used the case study approach. Additionally, the research was conducted at one
particular site, which is considered a “bounded system” (Merriam, 2009, p. 40). This school site
was examined “in-depth” (Merriam, 2009, p. 40). In this study, “in-depth” referred to the
approach of examining teaching practices in a deep manner in order to find out what were the
contributing factors that yielded high levels of student achievement. Leadership practices among
educators, administrator, and staff were also examined “in-depth” and how the culture of the
school contributed to a learning environment of high academic expectations (Merriam, 2009,
p. 40). The research focused on finding meaningful instructional practices that led to narrowing
the achievement gap for urban students. Furthermore, Merriam’s (2009) basic qualitative study
approach of data collection through interviews, observations, and document review were
implemented. The data analysis was “inductive and comparative” (Merriam, 2009, p. 175). The
findings during the data gathering in the field were “richly descriptive” and results were
exemplified in themes that were later placed “into the categories” (Merriam, 2009, p. 182).
Once the data was organized by themes, a “step-by-step process of analysis” (Merriam,
2009, p. 178) was applied. This process of analyzing data required “consolidating, reducing, and
interpreting what people have said and what the researcher has seen and read – it is the process
61

of making meaning” of the data (Merriam, 2009, p. 175-176). The data was read numerous
times with the intent of understanding what was found in the research (Creswell, 2009). A
systematic process of analyzing the data known as “coding” followed (Merriam, 2009, 178).
Creswell (2009) highly recommended the systematic coding approach. In coding, the data was
read in order to establish codes within the background of the information. There was an
identification of codes that addressed process, activities, and strategies. Other codes
demonstrated the perspectives of the participants in the research. In coding, there is a blend of
the ideas and feelings of the subjects involved in the research. The researcher has to make sure
there were codes that included relationships among social structures in the organization. In
conclusion, all the codes were arranged in groups of themes.
Sampling Population
According to Creswell (2014) and Merriam (2009), in the case study approach
intentionally selecting the sites and individuals to partake in the study helped the researcher
understand the problem in question. Merriam (2009) recommended that the researcher take the
following components into consideration when collecting data: (1) “The physical setting”
(p. 120); (2) "The participants” (p. 120); (3) “Activities and interactions” (p. 121);
(4) “Conversation” (p. 121); (5) “Subtle factors” (p. 121); (6) “Your own behavior” (p. 121).
The sampling groups for this analysis were administration, teachers and staff on the urban
non-traditional school in southern California (see Appendices D, E, and F). The sampling
groups were asked to participate in interviews, surveys, and observations. The high school
selected for the study met the established criteria of an outperforming non-traditional urban
school. The high school selected serves 575 students from an urban area of southern California.
The school serves a geographic area of 1.3 square miles with a population count of 23,000
62

residents (reference withheld for confidentiality). The demographic information of the area
shows the population is of racial/ethnic composition of primarily 93% Latino, with the annual
median income of $37,659. The participation of free and reduced lunch program is 85.4% of
students (reference withheld for confidentiality).
The student demographic information shows the students in this high school reflect the
diverse population of the community: 96.8% of students were classified as Hispanic, 2.3%
students were classified as African American, and .9% other. The major language groups at the
school are Spanish and English. The school also serves English Language Learners (ELLs):
17% of the students classify as ELLs, 9% Initial English Proficient or (I-FEP), or Reclassified
Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP) and 11% English Only (EO). There are approximately 2.6%
of students identified as special needs students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP;
(reference withheld for confidentiality).
In the areas of academics, all students in the school are required to take four-year courses
that meet the University of California admission requirements known as “A-G.” In addition,
students are expected to surpass the requirements in areas of math and science. According to
California Department of Education’s Local Control State Priorities Snapshot (2016d), 94% of
the students within their four-year cohort completed “A-G” requirements in 2015. In addition,
English Language Learners made 83% progress towards English Proficiency (CDE, 2016d). In
terms of graduation rate, for a four-year cohort, 95% were reported graduation ready in 2014
(CDE, 2016d). Table 1 exemplifies the established criteria to select the school to conduct the
study.

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Table 1
Case Study Criteria Comparison with Case School
Case Study Criteria School Elements
Criteria for Case Study School Selection

1. California high school
2. Outperforming
3. Non-traditional
4. Urban
Case Study School
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes
Outperforming Elements

The school is above the state average on the
following categories:

a. High school completion rate
b. Annual Performance Index
c. California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress

d. California State High School Exit
Exam
e. Advance Placement courses: number
of students taking the test and passing
f. A-G completion
School Outperforming Elements
Based on the Local Control Funding
Formula
State Priority Snapshot (CDE, 2016)
Based on Class of 2014

a. 4-Year Cohort Completion 95%
b. API-791
c. ELA- 39% Standard Exceeded and 37%
Standards Met; MATH-13% Standard
Exceeded and 26% Standard Met
d. 93.8% passed Math & 94.5% passed ELA
(CDE, 2016f; 2016i)
e. AP passed rate score 3 or higher was 58%

f. 4-Year Cohort Completed A-G is 94%
Non-traditional Elements

The school meets one of the following
criteria:

a. Charter
b. International Baccalaureate
c. Specialized programs such as Math,
Science, Arts, etc.
d. Private School
e. Magnet

School Non-traditional Element

a. The school is an Independent Public
Charter School

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Table 1 (Cont’d.)

Case Study Criteria School Elements
Urban Elements

The school meets the following criteria:
(each element needs to be confirmed by US
News and World Reports)

a. Setting: large suburb or large city

b. Serves over 50% minority students

c. Serves over 64% economically
disadvantaged students
d. Significant presence of diverse
learners
School Urban Element

a. Population 22,753 in a 1.093 squared
mile
b. Minority Groups: Hispanic/Latino 96.8%;
African American 2.3% and 0.9% other
c. Economically Disadvantaged students
93% (CDE 2016k)
d. English Learner 15%
Student with Disabilities 4% (CDE, 2016l)
Source: CDE (2014a; 2014b; 2016f; 2016i; 2016k; 2016l); Suburban
Statistics
(2016).

The high school is staffed with nine classified employees, 26 certificated teachers, 14 of
them hold advance degrees and two administrators. In addition, the school has seven para-
professionals and one parent coordinator. In examining all the factors from this non-traditional
school, the school meets the criteria for out-performing required in this case study.
Generalizability, Validity, and Reliability
In qualitative research, generalizability does not play a significant role, because of the
given constraints of where the study was conducted, at one school site (Creswell, 2009). The
issues and concerns of generalizability, reliability, and validation can be addressed as long as the
researcher follows what Creswell (2009) suggested as other strategies that address these
concerns.
The other limitations in this case study were the role of the researcher. According to
Hamel (1993 as cited in in Merriam, 2009), the limitations with a case study are rooted in the
fact the researcher is the one collecting, constructing, and analyzing the data. The direct
65

involvement of the researcher in this process raised issues of questionability and accuracy
(Merriam, 2009).
None the less, the validity and credibility of the study was validated by the
implementation of a strong process of verification, followed by: triangulation of different pieces
of data collected; re-checking the facts collected with the participants to ensure accuracy; and the
“rich, thick description” of what was identified in the field (Creswell, 2009, p. 196). The
researcher was transparent and open, talked about the biases she experienced while conducting
the research and the analysis. The researcher was very cognizant of presenting similarities and
or differences found in the themes. The researcher also talked about the length of time spent
doing the research to demonstrate trustworthiness of the findings.
Research Questions
Research questions were meant to solicit descriptive information about what happened at
the high school. A thematic dissertation team met over the course of one year and developed the
research questions. The team collected research on the factors that positively impacted student
engagement of non-traditional high school students, and narrowed their findings to the following
three key areas: instructional practices, leadership practices, and school culture. This study
specifically focused on answering the following questions:
1. What instructional practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
2. What leadership practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools that
address the achievement gap?
3. What is the school culture in outperforming nontraditional urban schools?

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Research Design
The research design began in October of 2015, with a review of the existing literature on
the history of non-traditional urban schools and the achievement gap, as well as efforts to address
the problem. The design of the research instrumentation took place in the months of December
2015 and January 2016, with the creation of the observation tool, survey, interview questions,
and a list of documents for review. After the creation of the data collection instruments was
finalized in January, the dissertation team met with the University of Southern California
Institutional Review Board (IRB) staff to complete the paperwork for institutional approval of
the study. Once permission was granted by IRB, each dissertation team member proceeded to
select a school that complied with the criteria designed by the team. Each researcher then
contacted the school principal who gave permission to conduct the study.
A qualitative case-study research methodology was applied to this study. The purpose of
this study was to inform practitioners about best practices concerning instruction, leadership, and
school culture. The team also used a variety of data sources to gather information. For this
study, the methods of data collection included observations of classrooms, individuals, school
meetings, and activities at the school site. Interviews were conducted with school personnel and
online surveys were given to school employees and administration team. The team also
examined school and district documents to gain a variety of information on organizational
practices and school culture. The research design matrix developed by the team is included as
Appendix B; a detailed description of the data collection methods as it refers to each of the
research questions is included. It is essential to emphasize that the team of five researchers
wrote their own dissertation.

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Instrumentation
Multiple forms of data and triangulation were used to validate the results of the study.
The thematic dissertation team designed the research instruments to collect data. These research
instruments included observation protocol tool, surveys, interview questions, and document
analysis. In keeping with the goal of data triangulation, research instruments were designed to
support confirmation of the findings. However, they were developed to obtain different
information and limit redundancy. The interview instruments were also developed to sort
responses into the categories developed by the four leadership frames of Bolman and Deal
(2003): Political Frame, Symbolic Frame, Structural Frame, and Human Resource Frame. In
addition, the staff survey instruments incorporated Darling-Hammond’s (2006) components of
effective instructional practices. Furthermore, the survey instruments also incorporated effective
aspects of leadership qualities from Marzano et al. (2005).
Research Bias
In a qualitative study, the involvement of research creates some concerns in the area of
biases. Since this is an interpretive study, the researcher is the one making interpretations of the
data collected. These interpretations may be influenced by the personal beliefs and experiences
of the researcher. In this study, researcher biases were addressed following Creswell’s (2014)
suggestion of being reflective about the practices implemented when collecting, examining, and
triangulating of the data. The reflective process involved openness and honesty on behalf of the
researcher in disclosing in a narrative the personal similarities she had with the students’ and
staff members in this case study. The researchers’ interpretation of the data may have a personal
influence due to cultural background similarities between students and researcher. There are
biases present due to the fact the researcher was a former middle school teacher in this
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community in the past. The researcher also shares a personal understanding of what it was like
to grow up in a household of a similar socioeconomic background like the students in the study.
The researcher is also a parent of high school freshmen attending this high school.
Therefore, the only way that the researcher could assure the validity of the data was the
researcher strictly followed the eight-step process of validating data as presented by Creswell
(2014). The eight-steps of the validating process were: (1) Organized and prepared the raw data
and transcribed the field notes and images; (2) Examined the data several times in order to make
sense of the information and be reflective of my behaviors; (3) Moved to the coding of all the
data in “chunks” or pieces of information with the attempt of organizing the data in categories
that would lead to themes and finding; (4) Applied the coding process several times to develop a
description of the “setting or people as well as categories or themes for analysis” (Creswell,
2014, p. 199); (5) Used descriptive words that describe the topics that emerged and used these
words as themes; (6) Decided what “abbreviations” could be used in the identified categories and
then placed the categories in alphabetical order (Creswell, 2014, p. 198); (7) Collected all the
data in one place and did an initial analysis; and (8) If it was essential, applied the coding process
once again with the collected data (Creswell 2014, p. 197-199).
Gaining Entry
In order to gain entry to Student Centered High School, the researcher spoke to the school
principal and asked if they would be willing to open-up the doors of the school for a case study
in early May. The principal did not hesitate to give an affirmative response. The verbal request
was followed up with a formal email after the dissertation team had received formal approval to
conduct the study. On May 12, 2016, the principal shared a list of dates and events that were
taking place at the end of the 2015-2016 academic school year. The researcher attended these
69

culminating events in order to have a picture of all the events that take place during a typical
school year. The researcher attended two events: the POL presentations of two seniors on May
25, 2016 and the graduation ceremony on June 9, 2016. The site visits started September 7, 2016
and concluded in October 2016.
The following chapter, Chapter Four: The Findings will explain the data analysis process
that led to the emergent themes of this case study. Furthermore, a detailed description of the
findings in the classrooms and other observations will be presented. An analysis of the findings
from the staff surveys and interviews conducted during the data collection period will be
displayed.

70

CHAPTER FOUR: THE FINDINGS
Public education nationally is experiencing many changes. As the nation transitions out
of the educational policy of No Child Left Behind (2002) into the new policy of Every Student
Succeeds Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2015a), schools need to continue to provide free
public education for all learners. In addition, the nation is facing new educational options in
public education, which include the existence on non-traditional public schools commonly
known as Charter Schools. The purpose of this study was to identify organizational practices
that narrow the achievement gap in an outperforming non-traditional urban school.
In this dissertation the first three chapters presented the problem and the importance of
the study, a literature review was provided with an attempt to address the problem, and the
methodology used in the study was specified. In Chapter Four, the findings from the Student
Centered High School will be examined. An in-depth analysis of what was found will be
presented as well as the themes that emerged from the data collected. In order to keep the
confidentiality of the school and the participants, the name of the school and school motto was
changed.
Research Questions
A thematic team of five members developed three research questions. While each
member of the thematic team is conducting their own study and writing an individual
dissertation, the research questions and instrumentation used in the study were developed
together. The research questions aimed to identify the organizational practices that narrow the
achievement gap in this outperforming non-traditional urban high school. The three questions of
the study are as follows:

71

1. What instructional practices exist in this outperforming non-traditional urban school?
2. What leadership practices exist in this outperforming non-traditional urban school that
address the achievement gap?
3. What is the school culture in this outperforming non-traditional urban school?
Methodology
The collection of the data was done during a period of four months from May to
September 2016. There were a total of 12 visits to the campus. The researcher was the sole
instrument of data collection. The data collected was primarily qualitative with one online
survey. The analysis of the data collected stemmed from multiple documents that included the
latest WASC self-study, Student and Faculty Handbook, Charter petition, Local Control Plan,
master schedule, school budget, electronic communications from the administration to students,
text messages to parents, classroom observations, agendas from staff meetings and professional
development, state LCFF snapshot, calendar of student activities, and Association of Student
Body (ASB) constitution. In addition, interviews with three teachers, four administrators, and
four staff members were conducted. Also, 26 classroom visits including lunch, before and
afterschool observations were completed. Once the data was gathered, the researcher reviewed
each piece of data using Creswell’s (2014) data analysis and interpretation. In addition,
Merriam’s (2009) process of qualitative data analysis was consulted to ensure a logical step-by-
step analysis of category construction was followed. The process of coding was implemented to
allow for the triangulation of multiple sources of information to be gathered in this case study.
The researcher applied “checks for the accuracy of the findings by employing certain
procedures” to ensure validity and reliability (Creswell, 2014, p. 201). The procedures included
72

triangulation, the use of a “rich, thick description to convey findings,” and clarification of biases
(Creswell, 2014, p. 202).
The document collection was done via email with the principal of the school being the
direct contact who shared all the outlined documentation requested by the researcher. The
school was very welcoming and supportive during the four months of the study and visits to the
site. The access to the campus was very smooth and the researcher was able to gather a “thick
description” (Merriam, 2009) of the real day-to-day student, teachers, and staff interactions at the
Student Centered High School.
The principal served as the conduit between the researcher and the staff. The principal
emailed the staff the online survey link and during a staff meeting introduced the researcher to all
the staff. There were 22 responses to the online survey, which encompassed 2 administrators, 15
teachers, and 5 staff members. The response rate on the survey was 42% of the school staff. The
findings of this survey will be analyzed further in this chapter. There were 11 interviews
conducted that included three teachers; four classified staff members, and four members of the
administrative team. The three teachers were accommodating to spend their prep period and
meet with researcher. The interview questions were on instructional practices, leadership, and
school culture.
In late May, the researcher observed two culminating Senior Thesis presentations known
as presentations of learning (POL). In these two presentations, two seniors, a male and female,
reflected upon their learning experiences and their mastery of the expected school-wide learning
results (ESLRs). The Senior Thesis presentations were very personable and emotional.
The researcher also had the opportunity to attend a family orientation for incoming
freshmen students. At this function, the principal addressed the parents for about an hour and
73

presented to the group the academic expectations of the school. In addition, there was a family
agreement that was explained and signed by parents and students. Parents were also given a
uniform voucher for uniform purchases. The principal explained to the parents the importance of
school uniforms and that the school was committed to supporting families with uniform
purchases. All freshman students received a voucher so that they could get the necessary attire
for the first day of school. The school communicated with parents in three different ways;
through voice messages, texts, and via email.
At the end of this first meeting, students left with a list of summer readings and math
assignments due on the first day back to school. The students received a flyer about important
dates that included a reminder about the freshman welcome orientation scheduled for one day
prior to the first day of school. Students were also asked to complete two online surveys, which
involved a personality inventory and a link for a peer-mentoring program.
The researcher conducted 26 classrooms observation for about 20 to 30 minutes. The
researcher was able to attend a back to school night, which was set up to follow a bell schedule
where parents visited their son or daughter’s six different classroom periods. The final activity
was the researcher observed a governing board meeting of this school. The data collected
surpassed the original expectation of the researcher providing enough data for triangulation and
validation of the finding in this case study.
Student Centered High School: Background
Student Centered High School is located in an urban area of Los Angeles that is densely
populated. The population is 22,753 in a squared mile (see Table 1, Chapter 3). The ethnic
make up of the community is predominantly Latino with 96.8%, some African-American with
2.3%, and some Tongan families around 0.9%. Similar to many other urban communities, this
74

community faces high levels of student dropout, teen pregnancy, gang violence, and poverty. At
Student Centered High School, over 80% of the students receive free and reduced lunch, which
is
1
an indicator that the students are economically disadvantaged (School Profile, 2015-2016
2
).
There are 15% English Learners and 4% of the students have been identified as students with
learning disabilities (see Table 1, Chapter 3).
Despite the urban challenges students in Student Centered High School encounter, the
following achievement data will show the most recent student achievement in the school in
formal state assessments.
Achievement Data
The following achievement data was examined in order to meet the criteria of the study.
The first data will examine English Learners’ progress towards English proficiency, followed by
academic college readiness through the percent of students meeting “A-G” requirements,
Advanced Placement pass rate, and graduation rate. The data was gathered by the California
Department of Education, Local Control Funding Formula Snapshot of 2015-2016 (LCFF
Snapshot, 2016d). This data is a synopsis of several years of academic outperformance.
In the academic growth of English Learner’s progress towards English proficiency,
students in Student Centered High School have shown consistent growth in three consecutive
years. In the 2013 the percent of students demonstrating English proficiency was 70%, in 2014
increased to 74%, and in 2015 it was 83%. It is clear that EL students at Student Centered High
School are developing their English proficiency at a greater rate than students in the state and
local district.

1

Reference withheld for confidentiality

2

Reference withheld for confidentiality

75

In California, there are specific courses students must complete to be considered college
ready. These courses are referred to as “A-G” requirements. In 2013, Student Centered High
School students met the “A-G” college requirement by 99% and in 2014 by 94%. The State high
school completion rate for 2013 and 2014 was in the 35% range. In 2013, Student Centered
High School surpassed the State by 65%. The following year in 2014, Student Centered High
School once again was above the State by 58%. This indicator demonstrates that students in
Student Centered High School have stronger opportunities in being prepared for college than the
students in the State’s percentage.
In examining the percent of students who were successful in passing the Advance
Placement Examinations with a passing score of 3, 4, or 5, Student Centered High students
passed at a 74% rate in 2013 and 58% rate in 2014. In comparison, the State pass rate of 67% in
2013 and 33% in 2014. In both years, 2013 and 2014, Student Centered High School performed
above the State.
The final indicator is the graduation rate of Student Centered High School and the State
over a two-year span. In 2013, Student Centered High School’s graduation rate was of 99% and
95% in 2014. Compared to the State with a graduation rate 80% in 2013 and 81% in 2014.
In conclusion, the achievement data demonstrated that English Learners, students taking
Advanced Placement exams, and Graduation Rates at Student Centered High School were
consistently higher by percentage of success than the state. These findings demonstrate the
student success that students can have at Student Centered High School.
History of the School
In 2003, the Student Centered High School opened its doors to the first class of freshmen
students, adding one grade level after that until reaching 12th grade. When this charter school
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was established, it was dependent upon an elementary school district. Two years ago, in July
2014, the school became independent from the elementary school district. The charter school is
now operated by its own governing board (Family Agreement, 2016
3
). The school serves 567
students and is highly supported by parents and the community.
In the 13 years of operation, the school has been committed to providing a challenging
curriculum with an emphasis in mathematics, science, and technology. The school strives to
provide students with real-world educational experiences that can develop well-equipped
students who can be critical thinkers, life-long learners, and productive citizens of society
(School Profile, 2015-2016
4
). The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has
accredited the Student Centered High School through 2019. Some of the commendations the
school has received include the following rankings:
• Ranked 106th National Rankings, earning a gold medal by US News & World Report in
2016
• Ranked 13th in California High Schools, earning a gold medal by US News & World
Report in 2016
• Ranked 37th Charter High Schools by US News & World Report in 2016
• Ranked 6th best charter school in California by US News & World Report Magazine,
2013; and 10th in 2014
• Ranked 9th best high school in California in 2012 by US News & World Report
• Ranked 21st best high schools in the nation in 2008, 25th in 2009 by US News & World
Report
• Title 1 Academic Achievement School award in 2007, 2008, and 2009

3
Reference withheld for confidentiality
4
Reference withheld for confidentiality
77

As a charter school, students at Student Centered High School are accepted to the school
by submitting an online application and then through a lottery process. The school prides itself
in providing students a safe, small, learning community where students are supported and
encouraged to succeed (School Profile, 2015-2016
5
). The school motto includes the following
pillars: strong will, family, and pride.
At the Student Centered High School, students not only are expected to complete the
University of California (UC) admission requirements known as “A-G” but they must go above
and beyond the minimum requirements (CSU Mentor, 2017b). The students must surpass the
requirements in mathematics: the minimum requirement is three years; at Student Centered High
School they must complete four years. In Lab Science, the minimum requirement is two years;
at Student Centered High School they must complete four years. In History and Foreign
Language, the minimum requirement is two years; at Student Centered High School they must
complete three years. In addition, students are expected to complete community service hours,
maintain a rate of attendance over 90% and present a Senior Thesis, known as presentations of
learning (POL), which includes the components of service learning (School Profile, 2015-2016
6
).
The college-focus expectation at Student Centered High School has the additional requirement
that all seniors must apply to at least two colleges. At the end of their academic trajectory,
students must complete a total of 250 credits (Parent-Student Handbook, 2014-2015
7
).
At Student Centered High School, parents are encouraged to be actively involved in their
children’s education. During the first parent orientation meeting, parents and students were
introduced to a family agreement, which outlined the responsibilities of the parents and the
students. Parents are required to give 15 hours of service or 60 hours at the end of four years.

5

Reference withheld for confidentiality

6

Reference withheld for confidentiality

7

Reference withheld for confidentiality

78

Parents are asked to attend parent conferences and their child’s end-of-the-year presentation of
learning (POL) on a yearly basis. The POL is where parents witness their children’s educational
growth and attainment of the expected school-wide learning results (ESLRS). During their
senior year, the students final POL will be a culminating project of the previous presentations
that the student did while attending the school (Family Agreement, 2016
8
). Other parent
expectations are to abide by the school rules regarding attendance, uniform and dress code
policy, maintenance of good academic standing, etc.
School Site Visits
The day of the first visit the researcher came in the front office and was greeted by the
front office secretary who was very cordial and directed me to meet with the assistant principal.
The assistant principal was the main person who supported the researcher during school visits.
There were several times the assistant principal shared very in-depth reflections on how the
school has evolved, such as the different initiatives the school has embarked on in order to meet
the growing needs of the students they serve. The assistant principal’s reflections provided a rich
context of how the school has evolved over the past 13 years.
School Environment
Before presenting the observations of the visits, it is important to provide a representation
of what the school campus is like. The campus is located at the corner of a main intersection and
in front of the subway station parking lot. The campus is small with a two-floor main building
that is mainly where all the classes are held. There are two bungalows on the north east of the
campus, which are occupied by the student support counselors and the manufacturing class.
There is another permanent structure west of the main building that has three additional
classrooms for music, art/psychology, and an introductory engineering class. It is important to

8

Reference withheld for confidentiality

79

note that the high school is on a campus that was originally built for an elementary school.
Nonetheless, the students and staff have made accommodations to maximize the space. The
school perimeter is gated and well kept.
The front office is located at the main entrance of the campus. Every visitor is required
to provide identification, which is scanned, and a pass is created for the visitor. The front
counter has a banner that reads: “Be a Person of Character” and right below six pillars of
characters are listed: “Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and
Citizenship.” To the right of the counter is the Nurse’s office and above the door there are
different university banners such as “MIT, Dartmouth, Cornell, Loyola Marymount University,
Pepperdine, UC San Diego, and others.” To the left side of the counter on that wall there are
tiles with students’ pictures of the first graduating class of the school. Adjacent to the Senior
Tiles, there are plaques with students’ names recognizing outstanding students following the
school motto of “strong will, family, and pride.
After you enter the main office, there is an L-shape corridor where you will find two
statues of the school mascot. On the opposite wall, a bulletin board recognizes students of the
month. Every month has a group of seven to eight students that were recognized during the
academic school year. In examining this display, it is clear that the school recognizes their
students for their six pillars of character. These recognitions are in alignment to the school
commitment of developing students with high character (Parent-Student Handbook, 2014-2015
9
)
The main hallway of the first floor has student-created science posters that provide in-
depth explanation about different body systems, their function, how the malfunctioning of these
organs impacts health, and ramifications to the environment. The content of these posters are
inquiry based and provide an impact analysis and how this is shaping the future of science; the

9

Reference withheld for confidentiality

80

posters are not just displaying information but probing the viewer to think about these science
topics. These posters exemplify two of the expected school-wide learning results (ESLRs) which
are No. 2-Effective Communicators who are able to articulate a variety of forms in this case
through a poster display, and No. 3-Critical Thinkers who effectively analyze, synthesize, and
evaluate information to develop a meaningful product (Parent-Student Handbook, 2014-2015,
p. 2)
It is essential to note that the school participates in Project Lead the Way (PLTW)
curricular program for engineering, biomedical, and computer science. The PLTW curriculum is
high caliber. Teachers must attend seminars and conferences in the summer and then must
follow rigorous lesson plans designed by this program (Project Lead the Way, 2017). At the end
of the hallway there is a green boat, which is the project that students in the Project Lead the
Way Engineering class are working on. Students participating in the PLTW also display their
knowledge through professionally made poster displays. These posters display the engineering
challenges students have participated in, from Solar Boat Cups in 2015 and Electrical Car
Competitions in 2016. Not only are the posters professionally printed but also the content of the
information is well organized demonstrating the scientific process followed, the design process,
testing trials, graphs, and the conclusions. Some major gasoline companies’ logos are on the
posters along with the school logo and the Project Lead the Way program. These displays
demonstrated students working on the fulfillment of the expected school-wide learning results
which are: No. 1-Acacemic Achievers who apply the concepts and skills learned in their courses
to make connections or solve problems that exist beyond the classroom; No. 2-Effective
Communicators who are able to clearly articulate in a variety of forms; and No. 3-Critical
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Thinkers who effectively analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information to develop a meaningful
product.
The second floor of the main building also has corridors and there are big pillars from the
ceiling to the floor with the big reaffirmation of: “Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility,
Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship.” The second floor has three horizontal hallways and every
hallway has a theme. These posters clearly display the school’s promotion of the six essential
pillars of character development to promote them throughout the day in the school community.
One hallway is called the, “Our Hall of Academic Excellence.” This hall had a very
impactful display that was addressing abuse against women. Students in Spanish 3 created the
posters but the topics that were brought to light in the images presented were abuses that women
around the world endure. The display showcased the deprivation of education against Muslim
girls, child brides, arranged marriages, domestic violence, college sexual assault, and sexual
exploitation. In examining this particular display, there is evidence of high levels of critical
thinking and it definitely triggers the observer to think about these social issues impacting the
global society. Once again, this display shows an alignment to ESLRs No. 2-Effective
Communicators and No. 3-Critical Thinkers.
It is a fair statement to describe the external environment of the school based on the
examination of the students’ work on display. The students’ posters probe the reader to be
curious and interested in the topics the students presented research on. There is strong evidence
that students in the school are exposed to a strong curriculum that stimulates critical thinking and
an exposure to courses in science and engineering. It is clear that the school has a focus in
embedding their ESLRs in the work the students are displaying which shows targeted
instructional practices that demonstrate high levels of student learning. Following the
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description of the school environment, this research will now move into the findings of the study
in accordance to the three research questions.
Research Question One
What instructional practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
In an effort to identify the instructional practices that are being implemented in
outperforming non-traditional urban schools, the researcher visited 26 classrooms. During the
classroom visits, the researcher made note of what the teacher was doing, what the students were
doing, as well as students’ responses. The researcher made note of the classroom environment
and the information posted on the walls. The daily agenda, objectives, and the classroom
configuration were noted. The observations took anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. In an effort
to demonstrate the findings, the researcher will present a synopsis of the observations by
department and will delineate the teaching strategies and practices observed. The researcher also
interviewed the administration team, three teachers and four classified staff members to gather
their perspectives on instructional practices, leadership roles, and the school culture in the school
that makes the school outperforming. The online survey results will also be presented to validate
the findings in the classrooms and in the interviews.
Classroom Observation Findings
Problem Solving Focus
The researcher had the opportunity to visit most of the teachers in the school. These
visits demonstrated the type of curriculum practices students in Student Centered High School
are exposed to. Every student in the school has a laptop that was assigned to them along with
their backpack. It was impressive to see all the students in the school carrying their backpacks
from class to class. All the backpacks are identical; the only thing that sets them apart is the tag
83

with the students’ names on them. The researcher observed several of the classrooms that are
implementing the Project Lead the Way where students were actively using their laptops. The
classes visited were Human Body and Biomedical Science as well as Introduction to Engineering
Design, Digital Engineering, and AP Computer Science. In all five classes, it was observed that
the teachers were using the lessons from PLTW, which infused a technology and project-based
learning.
The teachers presented students with a problem and they had to use engineering-thinking
process to solve them. In the Human Body class, the students had to come up with a diagnosed
type of bone disease a child was living with. In the Biomedical class, the students had to solve a
simulation of the causes of death of a young woman, who fell down, collapsed, and died using
the clues provided. In the Introduction to Engineering Design, the students had to create a
durable box to protect a “Pringle chip” that was going to be mailed to the teacher. The Intro to
Engineering Design teacher firmly told her students: “You are in engineering;” “You are going
to engineer a box to keep the Pringle safe” (9.13.16EngDsgObs). All these examples showcased
the type of inquiry-based instruction the students are presented with and in return the students
have to apply their knowledge to solve these real-life problems.
The instructional practices that were observed in these science and engineering classes
were constant probing from the teacher towards the students to come up with solutions as well as
high expectations. Students in the class were mainly in small groups talking, taking notes, and
being responsive to the tasks presented to them. The AP Computer science class was composed
of mostly freshmen students, which shows that freshmen students have access to advance
placement courses early in their educational trajectory at the school.

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Empowering Students’ Voices
In the area of English, all four grade-level teachers were observed. Having the
opportunity to observe all four grades gave the researcher a holistic perspective in how students
are being supported in English. In the freshman class, the teacher was observed twice. During a
first visit the students were watching a documentary of holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel and Oprah
Winfrey as the narrator and companion to a visit to the concentration camp. On the second visit,
freshmen students were doing verbal presentations on advertisements and identifying the type of
rhetorical devices or messaging these advertisements were projecting. As different groups of
students went up to present in pairs, the students downloaded their presentation from Google
Drive. The quality of students’ presentations varied. Some students were struggling in verbally
presenting their perspectives, ideas, and opinions. The teacher was there to guide them in this
process. At other times, the teacher challenged the presenters and probed them to go deeper on
what this advertisement was really saying. It can be inferred from these observations that the
teacher is building student’s verbal expression and pushing the students to articulate their
opinions with facts, not just emotions, as well as exposing them to rhetorical devices to build a
solid argument.
The 10th grade English observation revealed a process of analysis development. The
teacher was working with students on a New York Times article that introduced the author of
Fahrenheit 451. The students had the article but were not just passively reading it. The teacher
was explicitly going through the article with students probing them to tell her what each line was
saying. What did this article provide the reader with, and the teacher would go back to the
students and state, “I need commentary” (9.13.16.Eng10.Obs). When a student would respond in
a low voice, the teacher would say, “What did it do? Say it loud. Say it Proud!”
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(9.13.16.Eng10.Obs). Also, the teacher was marking the text on the overhead and expected her
students to do the same, such as underlining the text of words they might not know. The
instructional practices observed here were explicit instruction on how to analyze an article, how
to extract meaning, and reach understanding.
In the junior class, the researcher was able to see students developing and editing essays
using the online resources and each other as a resource. The class was set up in groups. Some
students in one side of the room were writing and gathering supporting evidence. On the other
side of the room, other students were editing someone’s paper. The editors had a color sheet to
edit the essay on. The blue sheet examined citations and fact checking. The green sheet was the
proofreading specialist. The orange sheet was the objectivity specialist. The teacher herself was
editing a paper online. The teacher called out a group for not following the criteria and checking
correctly on a citation, which needed a quote introduction. It was very interesting to see this type
of free, yet highly structured, writing and editing environment. Meaningful feedback between
the teacher and the students was observed as well as student-to-student feedback.
The senior English class was totally different from the freshmen classroom. In this class
the teacher was leading a quiz review on the novel of Brave New World. The students opened up
the discussion very quickly. Both male and female students gave applicable examples of what
was happening in the book and parallels to the real world. The teacher brought the topic of
conditioning from the novel and a student gave the example in how babies are many times
conditioned; for example, a student stated “young guys buy separate toys for boys–action
figures, blue and girls–princess in pink” (9.16.16.English12.obs). It was evident that the senior
students were prepared for the discussion and could find applicable examples to be active
participants in the class discussion, tangible examples, and solid arguments. Once again, here
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the teacher role was more of a facilitator and he probed the entire class to participate in the
discussion.
In examining the practices of the English teachers in grades 9 through 12, there was
cohesiveness in the practices the teachers implemented with their students. These practices
include the teacher acting as a facilitator probing students to share out their perspectives,
opinions, and views. There was also the opportunity to observe the teachers explicit guidance of
students on how to develop their argument and the empowerment of students speaking up and
finding their own voice. These practices are definitely in alignment to the ESLRs that expects
students to be effective communicators who can think critically and solve complex real-life
problems.
Concept Building and Group Work
Part of the classroom observations included examining the practices in the math classes.
At Student Centered High School, the math department collaborated and decided to move into
the Integrated Math approach and adopted the curriculum of CPM, which stands for “College
Preparatory Mathematics” (CPM, 2015). It is a very constructivist model, which involves
student discovery process; it is not a typical math curriculum where the concept is taught and
students do practice problems. The teacher’s role is to guide the students in their learning groups
to foster mathematical conversations and discoveries (CPM, 2015). The researcher was able to
see how this program was implemented in Integrated Math I, Math II, Pre-Calculus, and
Calculus.
The discoveries in these math classes were that all teachers had their classroom set up in
groups of four and every student had a role to fulfill in the class. One student was the recorder
responder, another a facilitator, a resource manager, and task manager. This classroom set was
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consistent and posted on the board. In addition, the teachers were observed guiding students
when presented with a math word problem. In all the classes, the teachers were walking from
group to group and guided students in using the problem-solving procedure.
In the Integrated Math II class, a student asked a question regarding the graphs they were
working on. The teacher responded to the student with another question. The student response
was, “I asked a question and got a question.” The teacher then worked with the group longer. It
was evident, in this case, that the teacher was not giving answers but probing the students to
reach an understanding of the math concept that they were working with.
The math classes were not just a place where students were in rows doing practice
problems. The students were in groups solving world problems or completing projects, which
involved in-depth explanation of the mathematical concepts used. In the Calculus class, the
students were taking an examination; here the teacher shared with the researcher that he wanted
his students to explain the why of the problem. Therefore, the examination involved students
explaining the problem three different ways: graphically, algebraically, and in proof form. The
same expectation was observed in Statistics class. The teacher told the students that their test
was not going to be multiple choice but it was going to involve terms to fill in the blanks,
explanation of the distribution of the data, creation of plots, graph naming, and explaining
boundaries. It was evident that the pedagogical approaches in the math classes were grounded
on concept building and students’ ability to work in groups to problem solve.
Staff Interview Findings
The researcher has presented some of the classroom practices observed in this
outperforming non-traditional high school. For triangulation purposes, the researcher will now
present some of the findings from the interviews with administrators, teachers and staff, which
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supplement the findings of what practices yield high-student achievement in this case study.
Interview results brought to light that staff collaboration, instructional accountability,
acknowledgement of students learning barriers, and the systems of support the school uses to
close the learning gaps of students. The finding of the staff interviews will follow.
Collaboration Spaces
In the interviews, staff members were asked the following question:
• Do you have the opportunity to collaborate with teachers to address students’ academic
needs?
The administration team and the teachers stated that there are multiple spaces where
collaboration happens. These spaces include formal committees like the instructional leadership
committee, staff meetings, and department meetings. In these multiple spaces, the focus was to
address student needs. The classified staff that works directly with students stated that they
collaborate with teachers in the classroom. When the staff sees students not grasping a concept,
they go to the teachers and share the concern, the teachers then take the feedback and makes
modifications on their teaching.
Accountability Phases
The interview protocol asked the following accountability question:
• What instructional accountability practices exist in the school (student test scores, grade
distribution, mastery of standards)?
The teachers had a different perspective on accountability than the administrators and
classified staff. The teachers viewed their instructional practices as something they are
accountable for. They stated that there is a collaboration focus among the teachers. Teachers
hold each other accountable by visiting each other’s classrooms and providing feedback to one
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another. The researcher was able to verify that teachers visit each other’s classroom during a
school visit on 9-15-16. Two teachers asked the researcher to come back to speak with them on
another day because they were heading to do a classroom observation during their free period.
The Administration team and the classified staff view the instructional accountability
practices through student assessment. They felt that giving students reading and math
inventories on a periodic basis (every quarter) is an accountability procedure that provides
meaningful data where student growth or student decline can be observed. The administration
perspective on assessments is that these exams are learning opportunities for students; these
exams expose and prepare students for high stakes assessment in the 11th grade. The high stakes
exams include college entrance exams like the SAT and ACT.
Understanding Barriers to Advancement
The interview protocol included a question on educational barriers that students face.
The question was:
• Are there academic barriers that students experience when they come to this school?

Teachers, administrators, and classified staff all agreed that the barriers students face
when they come to the school is a lack of readiness in reading and math skills. Students are not
accustomed to the rigor of a college preparatory curriculum. The specific skills students lack are
analytical skills, oral skills, and writing skills. The classroom observations demonstrated that
teachers in English, science, and mathematics classes provide student opportunities to address
the identified barriers.
Systemic Support
During the interview, another question provided insight into what instructional practices
are influential in closing student achievement gaps. The question was as followed:
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• How do you provide systematic support for students in their transition to this school and
post secondary school?
The teachers and administrators agreed that the systemic support the school provides for
students in transitioning to the school and post secondary is the Teacher Advisory Class (TA
class). This is a class where students have one teacher for four years. This class was established
to support, mentor, and guide students while they transition to the high school and later it
becomes the transition to college class. For seniors, TA class is the place where they work on
their college applications. The classified staff identified the summer bridge program or activities
a way the school prepares students to transition into the rigor and routines freshmen will face
their first semester at Student Centered High School.
The Survey Results on Instructional Practices
In an effort to validate the classroom and interview findings, the researcher will present
the results of the online survey to teachers, staff, and administration. This online survey had
specific questions on instructional practices, school leadership practices, and the school culture.
The response rate of the survey was of 42% (22 staff members responded out of 52). There were
two administrators out of four, a rate of 50% that participated. There were 15 teachers out of 27,
a rate of 55% of participation. Among the classified staff, 5 out of 22, a rate of 23% of
participation.
The survey was on a scale of 1-4. The Likert scale of 1, 2, 3, and 4. A response of
(1) represented Never; a response of (2) represented Sometimes; a response of (3) represented
Most of the time, and a response of (4) represented Always. Figure 1 through Figure 7
demonstrates the results of the survey.

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NOTE: Based on the results, the learning goals and objectives are communicated to students on a regular basis.

Figure 1. Communicate Learning Goals

NOTE: It can be inferred that in the classroom students collaborate with one another on a regular basis.

Figure 2. Collaboration Opportunities
0

10

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Never
Sometimes
Most
of
the

Time

Always

1.
Communicate
Learning
Goals

1.
Communicate

Learning
Goals

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Sometimes
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of
the

Time

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2.
Collaboration
Opportunities
for

Students

2.
Collaboration

Opportunities
for

Students

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NOTE: The responses were equal on Most of the Time and Always which can be interpreted that student self-
reflection is present in some classrooms and more prevalent in others.

Figure 3. Self-Reflection Opportunities for Students

NOTE: It can be interpreted that not always is the professional development aligned to the content standards.

Figure 4. Teacher PD aligned with Content Standards

0

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Self-‐ReOlection

Opportunies
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Students

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4.
Teacher
PD
Aligned
with

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4.
Teacher
PD
Aligned

with
Content
Standards

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NOTE: The best way to interpret these responses is that there are probably some collaboration opportunities to
improve learning strategies and to develop curriculum.

Figure 5. Teachers Collaborate with Colleagues to Improve Learning

NOTE: There is strong evidence that students at the school demonstrate their content mastery through different
modalities.

Figure 6. Multiple Opportunities to Demonstrate Content Mastery

0

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Never
Sometimes
Most
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5.
Teachers
Collaborate
with

Colleages
to
Improve
Learning

5.
Teachers
Collaborate

with
Colleages
to

Improve
Learning

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6.
Multiple
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to

Demonstrate
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Mastery

6.
Multiple
Opportunities

to
Demonstrate
Content

Mastery

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NOTE: This can be interpreted that most of the time the staff is involved in analyzing students’ data.

Figure 7. Data Analysis of Student Work

The survey responses support the practices observed in the classroom. This includes
teachers being very strategic about providing structure and guidance to students along with
opportunities for students to demonstrate the content mastery through different modalities.
There is also the strong tendency that teachers along with administration and staff are involved in
examining student data, to gauge students’ progress
Summary of Research Question One–Instructional Practices
At Student Centered High School, the instructional practices that surfaced are several and
these practices not only involve teachers but also the entire school community. The instructional
practices involved are high levels of student engagement and teacher structure. The classrooms
at Student Centered High School provide curricular experiences where students are engaged in
problem solving. The classrooms foster students to develop their own voices. The classrooms
engage students in mathematical experiences where their knowledge is built upon by allowing
group collaboration to flourish.
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Never
Sometimes
Most
of
the

Time

Always

7.
Data
Analysis
of
Student
Work

7.
Data
Analysis
of

Student
Work

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Instructional practices that demonstrate elements of outperformance have collaborative
spaces where the entire staff is involved in addressing the students’ needs. The focus of the work
is closing the gaps that the students face during their educational trajectory at the school. The
awareness of the students’ challenges and having systemic supports of assessments to accurately
place the students is essential. There is also a high level of teacher accountability in their
teaching practices where educators hold each other accountable by observing each other and
giving each other feedback to improve their practices to enhance student learning. The final
element that was talked about was the systemic support through four years of guidance. The
mentoring class that is provided in the teacher advisory class is essential to student success. In
closing, there is not one instructional practice that outputs high levels of student success; instead,
multiple approaches and multiple people working together help close the gaps that learners have.
They also foster, build, and promote high levels of student achievement by supporting students to
be critical thinkers with their own voice not just complacent participation and memorization.
The next research question will examine the leadership practices in the school and how this
impacts the success of the school.
Research Question Two
What leadership practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools that address the
achievement gap?
In examining the leadership practices of this non-traditional school, the researcher and
four other collaborators developed an interview protocol that embedded the four leadership
frames presented by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal (2003). The four leadership aspects
encompass structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames (Bolman & Deal, 2003).
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The findings of the existing leadership practices at Student Centered High School will be
presented through these four frames.
Structural Frame at Student Centered High School
The structural leadership frame is grounded in the view that the organization has an in-
depth, taught-out process of roles in the organization. The organization also has designed a
system that meets the needs and goals of its members. Furthermore, institutions operate under
the following conditions: 1) existence of and willingness to meet established goals and
objectives; 2) there is a clear specialization and division of labor; 3) there is a coordinated effort
and systems of control that ensures the efforts of individuals and the group are interconnected;
4) there is a sense of rationality and not personal preferences and outside pressures; 5) the
organization must be willing to adapt to the different circumstances that arise in a school
environment; 6) when structural shortcomings arise a reflective process of remediation happens
and changes are made (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p. 45).
Academic School Structural Systems
The researcher was able to see a consistency of structural systems during Back-to-School
night led by teachers. The teachers reinforced the school structural system that the principal
shared at the parent meeting and other academic structural systems were also introduced. At
Back-to-School night, parents were invited to follow a rotation of classroom visits. Parents
followed their children’s academic schedule and the presentations started during the teacher
advisory class (TA). The researcher followed the schedule of a ninth-grade student. The TA
teacher introduced himself for the first time to the parents. He was clear and told parents that he
was looking forward to the next four years. When a parent asked the TA teacher what was the
focus of that class, his response was “exposure to college” (8.30.16.backtoschoolnight.teachera).
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In addition, the TA teacher told parents the importance of academics in the school and cautioned
students not to fall behind. The TA teacher told parents that the school uses an online
assignment system for students to follow, a grading online system, and a behavior tracking
system. All teachers at the school use these online systems of support.
During the Back-to-School night, other teachers informed parents of different technical
computer programs their children were going to have the opportunity to learn in the school.
These include engineering software to design and build models through 3-D printing; computer
science software used to expose students to software to write computer codes, and apps. The
teachers also informed parents that there are office hours that the teachers have established for
students to come after school or before school if the students need support.
In the Spanish and English classes, teachers talked about the importance of building
students’ skills and that students were expected to do oral presentations. In Spanish class,
students are expected to do presentations in Spanish and respond in the language. Teachers give
them wait time to formulate a response. In English, students are expected to develop their skills
in reading, writing, listening and speaking, and language. All students are expected to turn in
their work and as the teacher stated, she expects students to “take ownership of their learning”
(8.30.16.backtoschoolnight.teacherg.obs). In mathematics, the teacher reemphasized to parents
the importance of students not to give up. The teacher told the parents that students can be
successful in math by preparing for the class, attending office hours, and staying on track with
their assignments by following the online assignment management program.
At Student Centered High School, there are structural systems in place and procedures
that are not only on paper. There are systemic processes that the school uses to guide students
during their academic experience. The principal does not only promote these systems but they
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are also discussed and reinforced by the teachers in the classroom. The classroom observations
revealed the classrooms to be highly structured environments with high expectations and systems
of support for students.
Human Resource Frame at Student Centered High School
The human resource frame is based on an explicit philosophy that provides guidance and
direction. A “philosophy” can only achieve full fruition if there are ongoing events in the
organization that support the established goals of the entity (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p. 135). The
“human resource principle” encompasses a shared philosophy for managing members of the
organization where the stake holders build and implement the philosophy; a selective hiring
system to hire the right people; a system of rewards and appreciation to keep your people;
development opportunities for growth to invest in your people; and promote diversity and hold
managers accountable (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p. 136).
Common Student Learning Philosophy
In the area of building an explicit philosophy, the WASC Self-Study visiting Committee
Report (2013
10
) noted that the school has developed their learning philosophy in a collaborative
manner: “The process to ensure involvement of representatives from the entire school
community in the development/refinement of the vision and school-wide learner outcomes are
effective” (WASC Self-Study Visiting Committee Report, 2013, p. 10
11
). The school vision and
mission are presented in all formal documents such as the Employee Handbook, the Parent-
Student Handbook, and the school website.
In particular, the Employee Handbook delineates clearly the mission, vision, and
academic philosophy of the school. In examining the academic philosophy, it states the focus of

10

Reference withheld for confidentiality

11

Reference withheld for confidentiality

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the school is building students’ character and providing the students with skills essential for
success in higher education and the workplace. In addition, the school will instill a sense of self-
pride and community pride. The school also commits to providing a challenging curriculum
focused on solving real-world problems. Furthermore, the staff is expected to be role models
who exert trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. All
employees that are hired are expected to sign the handbook and abide by the status outlined in it.
It is clear that there are high expectations applicable not only for the students but for the
employees at Student Centered High School.
Right Fit for the School
During the researchers’ time visiting the site, one of the administrators shared that the
school has had teacher loss. Some teachers chose to leave the school because the school was not
meeting their needs. One teacher in particular made the statement that in the school the needs of
students were put first above the needs of employees. This anecdote was very telling that this
school is not a place for everyone. In reviewing the Employee Handbook, Section 5,
Performance, there are four core expectations of employees: 1) Decisions are based on what is
best for the students, 2) It is the staff’s responsibility to uphold the school mission and help shape
the community, 3) Communication, and 4) Interactions between employees and students and
parent shall be professional at all times. All four-core values have very clear rationales, which
address the obligations that the staff has in ensuring that everyone is working towards students’
success. Everyone is supporting the school rules, staff members are responsive to parent
inquiries, and students and parents treated with the upmost respect at all times. There is no doubt
that the school has very high expectations on how all staff members need to conduct themselves.
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There are high expectations about the quality of instruction and support that students and their
families are expected to receive. Not everyone is the right fit for the outlined expectations.
Rewards for All
The human resource frame also includes a system of rewards to recognize the members
of the organizations. During the staff interviews of administrators, teachers, and classified staff,
they all outlined a series of recognitions that the administration team does to recognize the staff’s
hard work. All interviewed agreed that at Student Centered High School all staff members are
recognized. One particular recognition is at the beginning of the year, the administration
convenes a school meeting with all the students and introduces all the staff to them including the
cafeteria, janitors, everyone. In addition, every staff member receives a recognition pin with the
amount of years of service they have given to the school. One of the classified staff members
stated that this event sends a message to the students of, “This is who we are, and we are here to
support all equally” (9.29.26.interviewprotocol.classifystaff1). Other recognitions involve lunch
celebrations where the principal cooks, or lunch parent recognitions for all staff members. Every
staff member receives a birthday card and a chocolate, a practice that is also extended to students
as well.
Collective Decision Making
The last two principles of the human resource frame involve giving staff member
autonomy and holding the management accountable. At Student Centered High Schools, these
two principles were examined in the Leadership Committee meeting. In this committee,
decisions on curriculum, school procedures, policies, and collaboration are made. The
committee has a diverse inclusive make-up. It is a large group that has the department chairs,
classified staff representatives for clerical and instructional support staff represented, as well as
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administrators. The researcher had the opportunity to observe the Leadership meeting during
September 2016.
At this meeting the agenda had a variety of topics, from considering a new online
resource to contractual concerns. It was in this committee meeting where shared leadership was
observed and where teachers and staff members are empowered to go back to their departments
and staff members to share the decisions being considered. During the staff interviews, teachers
and classified staff stated that in Leadership committee meetings items were discussed, then
these items were brought back to departments for further discussion, and then final decisions
were made. By following this process of bidirectional feedback, the staff stated they feel
involved in the decision-making process at the school. This statement is supported by the results
on the online survey.
When staff was asked, “Do you have opportunities to participate in decision making that
impact student achievement?” the participants reported favorably with 47% stating they have
opportunities to participate Most of the Time and 28% stated they are Always participatory in
making decisions favoring students’ achievement.
The Leadership Committee is a collaboration forum where you can see the leadership
style of the department chairs, the staff representative, and the administration. At this meeting,
the researcher observed the participants bringing their concerns to administration and probing for
solutions. The teachers stated their concerns about not having enough department time and
asking for this time to be given on a rotation cycle like in the past. An agreement was reached to
address this matter and next time department time would be allocated.
At Student Centered High School there is a shared philosophy among all staff members
to serve students and there is a sense of collaboration during the decision-making process for the
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best interest of students. There are department chairs that serve as teacher leaders and work
together to disseminate information, support their departments, and move student achievement
forward. Among the classified staff, there is that commitment to collaborate with teachers,
students, and families to provide a caring, safe learning environment for all students. The
administration team sets the clear vision and mission of the school and allows members of the
organization to be part of the decisions that are in the best interest of students. There is evidence
of a strong human resource system of support for students and staff members.
Political Frame at Student Centered High School
According to Bolman and Deal (2003), organizations are living organisms that
encompass power, conflict, and coalition; organizations at some point in time will have colliding
ideas, philosophies, and negotiation will be necessary to meet a common ground. It is the
complex maneuvering of ideas and negotiating that encompass the political frame. At Student
Centered High School, coalition of ideas is present and there were two particular meetings where
this dynamic was preeminent–those were the Leadership Committee meeting and the Charter
Board meeting.
Responsiveness to Challenges
In the Leadership Committee meeting, there were two items that were addressed that fall
under the political frame. The principal reported on a non-compliance concern from the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The principal shared with the staff that the item of
contention was the requirement of incoming students writing a biographical essay and the parent
statement. These two items were found to be out of compliance. Therefore, those two
components were going to be eliminated from the application. The principal shared with the
committee that he had addressed this concern with local newspapers clarifying the requirements.
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In addition, the principal also shared this issue on contention with the Board of Directors of the
school. This issue could have become a very big issue but instead the principal addressed it by
making changes to the application process. The issue was communicated to all stakeholders,
corrective action happened, and planning for recruiting students for the fall 2017 went on.
Openness to Discourse
The other issue that manifested as collision of ideas was teacher contracts. At the
leadership meeting, an item on the agenda requested clarification on contracts, the issuance and
longevity, and criteria for contract renewal. The principal explained to the group that this topic
was discussed the previous year. That the group had agreed on adopting a growth model of
evaluation, not just boxes to check-off. One of the teacher leaders stated that he was of the
opinion that as teachers’ self-regulation was the way to go and that was the pushed and this item
was previously voted on. The principal agreed with this teacher leader and moved on to the next
topic of the agenda. As the researcher observed, this item was not fully clear for some teacher
leaders and it was placed on the agenda for discussion but other teacher leaders felt clear on this
matter. Nonetheless, it seems like this topic will continue to come up in the future and the
principal will need to work with all stakeholders to have clear understanding and agreements
from all teacher leaders. It is a very fair statement that contractual and labor issues are ongoing
issues in organizations that at many times are contentious. At times, differences among staff
members and Student Centered High School arise, what was notable was the leadership of the
principal in addressing the issue and not ignoring it. This example exemplified accountability
towards the administrative team.

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Enhancement Initiatives
The meeting with the charter board was very insightful. There was a discussion during
the meeting on behalf of the board president to address the elementary school district’s desire to
pass a school bond. The elementary school district is the entity that leases the school building to
Student Centered High School. The board president shared that he had conversations with the
superintendent about the bond and how this bond would support the science and engineering
classroom development, something that positively impacts Student Centered High School.
Furthermore, this initiative would support a stronger science and engineering pipeline between
the high school and the middle school. The political aspect of this bond was gaining the support
in favor of this measure from the high school board and the high school community so it would
pass favorably in the community. The way the board president handled the issue was stating the
benefits that something like this would bring to the growth and enhancement program of science
and engineering that Student Centered High school offers their students.
It was clear that Student Centered High School is a dynamic organization that is facing
complex political issues like any school institution. What sets it apart from other schools is the
leadership that is exerted at the school. Thus far, the leadership is not hierarchical and top down.
There was leadership exerted from different members of the organization, not just the principal
of the school. The teachers and staff are leading their departments, the administrative staff is
leading the school, and the board president is leading the school board in unison to make Student
Centered High School a successful learning place. The students are experiencing success
through structure, and a deep sense of care for their emotional and instructional needs at their
school. At Student Centered High School politics are not tampering or halting innovation to
support and enhance student learning and achievement.
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Symbolic Frame at Student Centered High School
Student Centered High School is a school that from the moment you walk onto the
campus, there is a set of high expectations with a colorful banner in the front office that
welcomes students with a statement of “Be a Person of Character” (frontofficebanner.01).
According to Bolman and Deal (2003), the symbolic frames bring an institution a “cultural
tapestry of secular myths, heroes and heroines, rituals, ceremonies, and stories that help people
find purpose and passion in their personal and work lives” (Bolman and Deal, 2003, p. 243). At
Student Centered High School, the symbolic frame is the school motto of “Strong Will, Family,
and Pride.” This motto is found in the students’ seal on their uniform shirts, it is found in formal
documentations, and there are specific awards and recognitions for each of the words in the
motto.
Strong Will at Student Centered High School
The statement of Strong Will has been operationalized in different ways. One compelling
example is the name of student support counselors; they are called the Strong Will counselors.
During the interviews with the staff, on the question regarding the school providing support for
struggling students across all the groups their response was the Strong Will counselors. The
researcher further investigated and asked the assistant principal about this group. According to
the assistant principal, this group came about as an intervention initiative to help students’
academic development to be successful in high school. The phrase “Strong Will” encompasses a
determination that neither student nor the school is going to give up. These student support
counselors work with a group of about 25 students, track their academic support, attend classes
with them and provide after-school help for homework and projects. These counselors also
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make parent contact and inform the administration if students are falling behind or not willing to
participate in the program.
During the school Leadership Committee meeting, there were also discussions on the
importance of having weekly recognitions in Teacher Advisory Class for students demonstrating
a high level of Strong Will. At the entrance of the main office, there is a plaque with the title of
Strong Will awards and students’ names from the different classes are on it. It is clear that
Strong Will at Student Centered is not just a statement of not giving up. The school has
operationalized the phrase to symbolize student effort and academic support in high school.
Family at Student Centered High School
The researcher had the opportunity to observe beginning-of-the-year activities and the
motto phrase of Family is very prevalent and alive in the organization. From the moment
students are accepted to the high school, the flyers, the parent messages, and the activities are
focused on building the concept of family
At the freshmen orientation meeting, the principal stated to the parents very clearly that it
all starts with the family and explained that in the school there was a strong sense of family. The
school has established a class for students to receive mentoring and support from one teacher.
The classes are referred to as “The Family of teacher’s last name.” During the classroom visits,
on the walls there was an area dedicated for “The Family.” Every teacher had different themes.
Some had student posters, others student collages, others pictures of all the members of the class
through different years. There was a particular teacher who still had his recently graduated
students up on the wall. He shared with the researcher, “I am not ready to take it down yet”
(9.15.16.intemath1.obs). The wall was titled Seniors 2016 and it included baby pictures of the
students as well as four group pictures from each year the students were there.
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One particular event that sets the school apart from others is the graduation ceremony.
Prior to the students’ procession, there was the famous Mexican band called Mariachis. These
bands are expensive and are only hired for special occasions like weddings. They played for one
hour for the parents as everyone waited for the ceremony to start. After the procession and
welcome protocol, the administration team called each teacher up not just by their last name but
as “The Family of ____.” The teacher then went up to the podium and gave character
descriptions of the students, the great memories, and funny or sad moments they experienced
together. This presentation of each individual student was deeply moving. There were times the
teacher had tears rolling, and the students themselves were moved. After the teacher did the
biographical presentation of the student, the student walked down the stage and got their diploma
from the administration team. It was apparent that to Student Centered High School the word
Family is not just a motto but also a symbol of being part of family that happens to be a high
school setting. From freshmen to senior events, family is a strong symbol at the school.
Pride at Student Centered High School
The last symbolism Student Centered High School has is Pride. At the school, there is
the specific student organization that is focused on building school pride–that is the Associated
Student Body (ASB). The organization has a teacher and staff mentor who supports the students
throughout the year and the activities they promote. In their constitution, the organization states
the following:
The purpose of Student Centered High School ASB is to operate and manage the affairs
of the student body of the school. ASB will promote school spirit through school-wide
activities that will knit the student body together and help the community. (ASB
Constitution, 2016, Section 1.2).
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In their calendar of activities, ASB puts on Fun Activities to build students’ spirit and pride.
There are amicable competitions among grade levels and rewards to promote grade-level pride.
ASB also promotes student pride through a couple of on-going activities that the
researcher observed. Every day, two ASB students make announcements over the PA system.
The announcements include events that will be happening but also a birthday wish to students
whose birthday it is. If the birthday falls on the weekend, the students greet those students on
Friday. On the hallway of the first floor, there is a monitor and students’ birthday for the week
are posted and displayed. Students also get a card and candy from ASB and the school principal.
ASB’s role in the school is essential to promoting school pride.
The school also has formalized rewards in teacher advisory with the title of Pride. The
Pride recognition is to acknowledge positive student behavior and school participation. The
researcher observed that on Wednesday some students were not in uniform but in casual dress
attire. The assistant principal shared that the school is tracking students’ behavior through an
online program. If students do well they earn mascot points that teachers and administration
assign. The points can be positive or negative points. Positive points then become rewards like
having free dress on Wednesday. Other incentives include raffles through ASB and discount
coupons at the student store for snacks. Furthermore, the assistant principal stated that these
mascot points build a positive culture that give more students opportunities to be recognized,
“That no matter where you are you can get better” (9.15.16.discipline-
rewardsdiscussionadmin2).
At Student Centered High School, the symbolic frame has become an essential
component in building a positive school culture, a sense of family and a pride among students
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and the staff. This positive school culture is rooted in a growth model where students can be
better and this spreads across the school organization.
Leadership Results from Survey
In an effort to validate the classroom and interview findings, the researcher conducted an
online survey from teachers, staff, and administration. The online survey had specific questions
on school leadership practices and the results are reported on Figure 8 through Figure 12.
The survey was on a scale of 1-4. The Likert scale of 1, 2, 3, and 4. A response of
(1) represented Never; a response of (2) represented Sometimes; a response of (3) represented
Most of the time; and a response of (4) represented Always.

NOTE: Based on the results, administrators have limited opportunities to visit the classrooms and provide
meaningful feed back to teachers.

Figure 8. Administrator Visits Classrooms and Gives Feedback

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NOTE: The results indicate that there are few opportunities to connect with teachers/staff to receive
meaningful feedback from the supervisor.

Figure 9. Supervisor Connects with Teacher/Staff and Gives Feedback

NOTE: The results show the staff feels they participate in decision-making that impacts student achievement.

Figure 10. Participation in Decision Making for Student Achievement

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Achievement

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NOTE: The results indicate there is a strong sense of trust that leadership acts in the best interest of student
academic development

Figure 11. School Leadership Acts in Best Interest of Students

NOTE: The majority of the staff responded that they are provided with professional opportunities to perform their
job successfully.

Figure 12. Professional Opportunities are Provided to Perform the Job

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The results of the survey confirmed that teachers and staff have a lot of autonomy in the
way they conduct their classes and their work. That there are not frequent visits and feedback
from the administrators in how staff needs to do the work. There is the strong sense among the
staff that they are involved and participatory in decision-making processes that support student
achievement. In addition, the staff has a high level of trust that the school leadership is acting in
the best interest of students.
Summary of Findings for Research Question Two–Leadership Results
In examining the school leadership of Student Centered High School, the four frames of
leadership were very much alive and vibrant in existence. The school has demonstrated to have
structural systems in place rooted in supporting students. These structural systems are present in
the way the school is run and in the academic program that the school offers to their students. It
was evident that these structural systems are embraced and supported by all members of the
school from teachers to all the classified staff. These structural systems are communicated to
parents and their support is constantly elicited to make the work effective.
The school administrative team and its school board are navigating very effectively
through the political issues that arise. At the school, the administration team has openness for
dialogue, reflective practices, and is willing to make changes when necessary. There are times of
colliding ideas among members of the organization but there are several forums where these
ideas can be worked out. There is clarity on behalf of the board to work collaboratively with the
elementary school district on moving forward initiatives that enhance the instructional program
of Student Centered High School.
The school has a strong cultural root in the form of the school motto of Strong Will,
Family, and Pride. There are specific actions in the school that promote this motto. Students are
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very much engaged in working toward a positive school culture with high academic expectations
with embedded support for all students to develop, grow, and be successful life-long learners in
school and beyond. There is a high level of trust among teachers, staff members, and
administrators that they are all working together in the best interest of students’ academic
development.
The ties that bind the organization together are: strong human relationship between
students, faculty, and staff members. Strong bonds of relationships are important because
students will not do what you say until they know how much you care for them. In continuity,
the next section will present the findings of cultural practices in the school that contribute to the
success of Student Centered High School.
Research Question Three
What is the school culture in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
In order to present the outperforming cultural practices at Student Centered High School,
the researcher examined in depth the responses from the teachers, administrative team, and
classified staff members’ interviews and the results from the online survey. There were 13
interview questions in the area of culture that were asked; and eight questions on the online
survey.
A summary of the findings provides a sense of what the staff’s perspective is on the
school culture. These two tools were selected because the school culture is very much tied to
people as Bolman and Deal (2003) exemplified, “Culture is the glue that holds an organization
together and unite people around shared values and beliefs” (Bolman & Deal, 2003, p. 243).

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Vision, Mission, and Expected School-Wide Learning Outcomes
There were two questions on how the vision and mission of the school are revisited and
how they are incorporated in the classroom. All the staff members agreed that the school vision
and mission of the school are revisited on a regular basis. The teachers stated that at times of
disagreements among staff members, the vision and mission of the school is revisited. The
administrative team elaborated further stating that the vision and mission is revisited during self-
reflection times for the WASC visits. In addition, the administration shared that the vision and
mission are aligned with the expected school-wide learning results (ESLRs). There has been a
school focus in embedding the ESLRs in the classroom practices and this has manifested itself at
the end of the year in students’ presentations of learning (POL). The classified staff that works
directly with students shared that they see the mission and vision of the school implemented in
the classroom specifically through ESLRs. The ESLRs most commonly infused in the classroom
are those that require students to apply their knowledge to real life and preparing the students for
life beyond high school.
Staff Members
An essential aspect of culture is valuing the staff. Teachers and classified staff shared
that the school does different activities that recognize all the members of the staff. Everyone at
the school is equally valued and everyone participates in recognition lunches, gifts, and awards.
There were three specific activities that the group recalled as moving. The first one was the
beginning of the year assembly where all staff members were introduced to the students and
service pins were given to all staff members. The second event everyone recalled as moving was
having the principal cook for the staff and everyone was invited to the lunch. The third event
that was memorable and mentioned was the birthday card with a chocolate. The staff
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interviewed stated that they like the fact that everyone is acknowledged and recognized.
Although a strong majority felt appreciated at the school, there was 9% of the staff that stated
that they felt the school fosters positive working environment only “Sometimes.” Another 13%
stated on the online survey that their hard work is “Sometimes” recognized. It can be inferred
that a small group may feel that more recognitions and more positive relationships are needed to
feel they are valued.
Communication Tools
There were two questions on the method of communication used among staff and parents.
Overall, the communication methods with staff and parents are the same, which include phone
calls, email, and text messages. There is an emergency text message in place for teachers to
inform them on pressing issues during the day. Furthermore, students are participatory of email
communication. Every Sunday night the students receive a Memo from the principal letting
them know about the different activities of the week. At Student Centered High School, there
are clear means of communication, which include the use of up-to-date communication tools like
text messaging.
Parent Communication
The survey wanted to know how frequently the school communicated with parents
regarding their children’s academic progress. The responses demonstrated a personalized
approach to parent contact. All the respondents from the staff interviews stated that there are
quarterly reports that are sent to parents. The advisory teachers are the ones who monitor
students’ academic growth. In addition, students received an extra level of support from the
student support counselors who communicate with parents on a regular basis. If the student falls
below a 2.0 grade point average (GPA), parent conferences are set. The academic conferences
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involve the Assistant Principal. The Assistant Principal stated that when these meetings happen,
he tries to find out the causes behind the failure; is it motivation, is it skills, is it rebelliousness,
immaturity, or the student does not want to be in the school? Once the causes are determined,
actions are put in place to change this (9.13.16.intervetion.admin2). There are also parent
conferences in October for students that might be failing. The school established a systematic
grade check process that monitors student academic progress. If students fall behind, parents are
immediately involved with the attempt to change the student’s academic deficiency.
Celebrating Student Efforts
The survey included three questions on celebration of academic excellence, student
support when social challenges arise, and school activities to promote positive self-identity. The
results showed that at Student Centered High School student academic achievement and effort is
widely celebrated. There are formal Honor Roll breakfasts, which include parents for academic
achievement and other celebrations for academic progress in the teacher advisory class. Students
at the school are supported through clubs, mentoring, and individual counseling when necessary
to address social challenges or other challenges students may be facing. In addition, the school
ASB sponsors activities to promote a positive school culture where students win prizes, raffles,
and incentives to do well academically and in their behavior.
College and Career Focus
Development of college and career readiness is very much embedded in everything the
school does from day one. The school has specific activities for all grade levels that include a
day where everyone goes off to visit a college. The school has a day where people from the field
come and speak to them. In the document review, there was an email that showed how the
school counselor organized the career day visits. Every student received a personalized email.
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The email told them what speakers to go to and listen to and it included a list of questions to ask
the presenters. Teachers shared that during the teacher advisory period, college discussions are
focused as well as supporting students with the Cal State University (CSU) mentor online
accounts. Teachers become another college counselor. Teachers are aware of the College and
Career Standards. Senior teacher advisory classes support students with the school counselor on
writing their college statements in the summer. In addition, the school counselor works with
every senior on the completion of his or her college application. There is a solid base of
activities and support from the teachers and counselors to promote, motivate, and fulfill a
College and Career readiness at Student Centered High School.
Partnership and Parent Participation
In regards to having community partnerships to support students, the existing
partnerships only support the engineering program. There is a group of retired engineers that
come to the school on a frequent basis to work with students on their solar boat and electrical car
projects. The department chair goes out and seeks funding for these learning opportunities for
the students. There are some engineering firms who come and support the school in their
engineering efforts or provide visits to their facilities.
In the area of having a formal active parent organization on campus, the group shared
varied responses. The teachers stated that there was a parent coordinator who got volunteers for
events but that is the extent of the involvement. Administrators shared this is an area of growth
and development. Different parent engagement models and outside organizations have tried to
increase parent involvement but they have not been as successful as the school staff would like.
The administrative team shared the challenge of getting parents to be part of formal school
committees. The extent of the parent involvement is limited to attending meetings, supporting
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sales, and coming to events for their children. The classified staff shared that they see parents
supporting fundraising efforts, supervising at lunch, and some have attended the safety
committee and given feedback. At Student Centered High School, parents are involved in
activities for their children and that is the extent of their involvement.
Motivation Initiatives
On the question of how are students motivated to strive higher in their academic goals,
the group responded uniformly that the school does this through positive reinforcement. At the
school, students are positively rewarded for good behavior, improvement, and academic success.
Students earn positive points and if they loose their positive points there are ways to earn them
back. When students show improvement and get out of academic probation, there are rewards in
the teacher advisory class. In addition, students can get Student Star awards. ASB also has
incentives to reward students. The focus of celebrating effort is not to lose the middle of the
road kids as the assistant principal stated. The student support counselors also serve as
motivators for students and provide students with additional academic support so students are
successful. At Student Centered High School, celebrating student academic success and efforts
is an endeavor where everyone is involved in pushing and supporting students.
Addressing Student Impediments
The final survey question addressed the process that school has to address student
setbacks. The responses from the group were through genuine care. The school has a focus on
building the family culture through the teacher advisory (TA) class. TA class spends a lot of
time and activities building personal relationships with students. Students are viewed as
individuals. As the assistant principal stated, he spends up to 80% of his day supporting students
individually. When students have high emotional needs, the school counselor works with the
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students to find counseling support or group support. Students at Student Centered High School
are supported in different ways by a triage of support. Figure 13 captures the level of support
and how the school has found ways to address students’ needs and setbacks.

Figure 13. Triage Intervention Process

Online Survey Results on School Culture
Figure 14 through Figure 21 show the results of the eight questions the online survey
asked the participants and the tendencies of the responses.

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NOTE: The majority of the staff feels a sense of unity and respect at the school.

Figure 14. There is a Sense of Unity and Respect

NOTE: There is a strong perspective that students are recognized for their academic accomplishments.

Figure 15. Student Recognition for Their Accomplishments

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NOTE: The majority of the staff feels the school fosters a positive working relationship among staff members.

Figure 16. There is a Positive Working Relationship Among the Staff

NOTE: There is a very strong perspective that there are strong relationships among teachers and students.

Figure 17. Positive Teacher-Student Relationships

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NOTE: It can be inferred that the majority of the staff feels a sense of recognition for their hard work.

Figure 18. Staff Recognition

NOTE: There is a strong perspective that the school has rituals and routines that foster student academic success.

Figure 19. Rituals and Routines Foster Student Academic Success

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NOTE: The responses show a strong opinion that the school informs parents of their student’s academic growth.

Figure 20. Parents are Informed of Their Student’s Academic Growth

NOTE: There is a strong sense from the staff that students’ are provided with the needed support to complete
homework and assignments after school.

Figure 21. Afterschool Support for HW

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Overall, the online survey results demonstrated results in the high 90% for the following
areas: the school has a unified working environment; the school recognizes and supports the
students in their academic efforts and achievement; there are positive relationships among
teacher and students; and there is communication between the school and parents to inform them
of the student academic success. The findings strongly support that at Student Centered High
School there are strong systems of academic support and encouragement for their students. The
staff is very involved in caring and supporting the students and there are positive working
relations among staff members at the school. The culture at Student Centered High School
exerts positive success for students and the staff.
Summary of Findings on School Culture
To describe the culture at Student Centered High School the words “deep caring” sums it
all up. At the school, the vision, mission, and the expected school-wide learning results are
rooted in supporting the students, enhancing their skills, and motivating them to be successful in
high school and beyond. The school has developed systems in place for students’ efforts to be
recognized and celebrated. The school values every staff member as contributors of student
success. The school motto of Strong Will, Family, and Pride are alive at the school. The staff
works in synchronicity to identify students’ needs and supports them academically and
emotionally, through a deep sense of caring. The school includes parents in celebrating student
success and supporting the school in motivating their children to reach high levels of academic
achievement.
Developing a school culture that meets the needs of students is not left to chance but a
planned approach with students’ outcomes in mind. This systematic student support has come to
fruition at the school because funds have been allocated strategically to initiatives that support,
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guide, and enhance students’ learning opportunities. The following emergent themes
encapsulate the findings of this case study.
Emergent Themes
The following are seven emergent themes that were apparent from the findings of this
study and examples of what was observed, responses from interviews, and surveys were
summarized to triangulate the themes. The themes are as follow:
• College Focus – At Student Centered High School, there are constant conversations and
activities that promote and support college and career readiness for all students. This was
evident during the classroom visits; each classroom had a place on the board with
activities the students are doing to get to college are posted. During the staff interviews
the counselor stated that students start looking into college in their Teacher Advisory
class. It is in this class where students in the 9th grade start their UC mentor
(9.16.16interviewprotocol.teacher2). The UC mentor is a website that tracts student’s
college readiness. In the Teacher Advisory class, senior students complete their personal
statements with that teacher. In addition, the counselor stated that she meets with every
senior and review his or her college application (9.23.16interviewprotocoladmin2).
Furthermore, the staff interviews revealed that during the month of October there is one
day that the whole school goes to college. Different buses come to the school and take
the students to different colleges including UCs, Cal States, and private universities.
During the 9th grade parent meeting, the principal spent time reviewing with parents the
different community colleges in the state, the different universities from UCs to Cal State
universities, and private schools. In addition, the principal also shared with the parent the
tuition cost at the different schools. He advised the parents to consider saving money for
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their children for college. All these different activities exemplify how the school
established a college focus from 9th grade to 12th grade.
• Opportunities for Success – All the staff members at Student Centered High School work
together to find opportunities for success for all students including closing learning and
technology gaps. The school celebrates, promotes, and awards students’ efforts and
academic excellence. The opportunities for success was exemplified in multiple ways at
the school; the one that is closing the technology gap is the one-to-one laptop initiative.
Every student in the school was given a laptop to use in and at home. During my
observations, it was impressive to see every student with the same backpack that was
provided by the school and inside their laptops. During classroom observations in the
11th grade English class, students had their laptops and were using it to enhance their
papers, Google information, and another group used Google docs to edit their peers
assignment. During the interviews, a staff member shared that something innovative the
school had done was to bring a Shakespeare play to the school. Students had the
opportunity to see real actors perform a play they had read in English. In addition, the
school established activities to celebrate success like student of the month or friendly
competition among students during a fun day. These activities are organized by the
Associated Student Body (ASB) with the support of all the teachers in the school. The
school has specific initiatives, activities, and opportunities for students to be
academically successful and feel good about their academic growth.
• High Expectations – At Student Centered High School, students are expected to
successfully master a rigorous curriculum that will build the students’ skills and
knowledge to apply their learning for high school success and beyond. In examining the
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course offerings in the school, you can see the rigorous curriculum students at the school
are exposed to from: biomedical courses, engineering, computer science programing, and
advance placement courses; there is no room for easy classes. In examining the Student-
Parent Handbook, you can see the rigor of the requirements for students to complete their
graduation requirement. For example, in History, the UC requirement is two years and at
the school it is three years (StudentParnetHnd14-15). In Lab Science, the UC
requirement is two years and at the school it is four years (StudentParnetHnd14-15). In
Foreign Language, the UC requirement is two years and at the school it is three years
(StudentParnetHnd14-15). In addition, students participate in their Teacher Advisory
class for four years and each senior must present a Senior Thesis (StudentParnetHnd14-
15). In total, students are expected to complete 250 credits when many neighborhood
schools only required 220 to graduate (StudentParnetHnd14-15). The last components
involved an expected 90% of average attendance and every student must apply to at least
two colleges (StudentParnetHnd14-15). During the Summer Welcome meeting for in
coming 9th grade parents, the principal asked the parent and the student to sign a school-
parent compact (6.22.16freshmanorientationmtg). In this compact, the school outlined
the rigor of the school and the expectations, the Expected School-wide Learning Results
(ESLRS), end of the year Presentation of Learning (POL), and a Senior Thesis), as well
as rules of the school (6.22.16freshmanorientationmtg). The high expectations of the
school were reiterated to parents in several gatherings and meetings. At the Back to
School Night, parents were reminded that their children needed to check their assignment
and work through an online platform (8.30.16backtoschool). The students are expected
to login in to this platform everyday and several times during the day. During classroom
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observations, the researcher was able to observe login into the online platform to view
classroom presentations and complete warm-up activities on this platform
(9.13.16classobsrapspan)
• Shared Leadership Practices – At Student Centered High School, everyone is responsible
in leading and driving student success. All the staff members are actively involved in
identifying students’ needs and finding ways to support them. The science department
chair demonstrated his active leadership in constantly seeking out grants for the
engineering program. This was evident in the competition posters displayed on the walls;
there were logos from sponsors from water districts, community colleges and gasoline
companies (9.15.16pictureofengineeringhallway). During the teacher interviews, one of
the teachers stated that when the intervention teacher was hired she was asked by the
administration to guide the new teacher (916.16interviewprotocolteacher3). The teacher
stated that she was glad to do it and support this new teacher. One of the administrators
of the school also shared that teachers take turn in participating in the school leadership
team; since the departments are small everyone gets an opportunity to be on this
committee (9.23.16interviewprotocoladmin2). The researcher got an opportunity to
observe one of the school leadership committee meetings and the composition of the
school was composed of all staff members: teachers, classified representatives, and
administration (9.22.16leadershipmtg). Although, one administrator facilitated the
meeting during discussion, all the representatives had an opportunity to state their
opinion and ideas. The shared leadership process among the different staff members was
evident.
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• Personalized Instruction – At Student Centered High School, there are academic systems
in place to identify students’ needs and provide them with the personalized instruction
each student needs to be successful. Structurally the school has established a support
system for students struggling academically with the Student Support Counselors. These
counselors do not just help in the homework but they shadow their students. The Student
Support Counselor attends the classes with the students, they take notes and then later on
work with the students on the concepts that were reviewed in class. During the staff
interviews, the teachers, the staff, and the administrators all agreed that the Student
Support Counselors are serving students in a very personalized manner and they stay in
contact with parents to ensure students are staying on tract in their academics and getting
the support they need (9.16.16 interviewprotocoladmin1). The staff survey demonstrated
that about 95% of the staff (combined 45% response of most of the time and 50% always)
stated that the teachers at the school provide students with personalized instruction like
presentations, project-based learning, and community programs (staffsurveyQ3-
instructionalpractices).
• Targeted Instructional Initiatives – At Student Centered High School, students have one
teacher who guides them, monitors them, and advocates for students to be successful.
The academic program is rigorous and focused to produce academic achievers, who will
communicate effectively, be critical thinkers, ethical citizens, and life-long learners. The
targeted instruction initiatives are rigorous structured master schedules that have support
and Advance Placement (AP) courses. The master schedule has sections for English
support classes and Math intervention. Students enrolled in these classes were tested at
the beginning of the year and a few weeks into the fall semester to ensure these students
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were placed in support classes to close the academic gaps in English and Math
(2016.MasterSchl). These classes provide targeted instruction for students who need to
improve in their literacy and mathematical skills in order for them to be up to par in the
high school level. Having the students performing at grade level increases the
opportunities for students to be successful when they take advance placement courses the
school offers. In addition, the school offers engineering courses like Digital Electronics,
Principles of Engineering, and Engineering design; AP Physics is another science
offering for students (2016.MasterSchl). These entire courses are highly technical and
rigorous, nonetheless available for the students. In the area of humanities, the students
have access to other advance placement courses like AP Psychology, AP US History, AP
Government, AP World History, AP Spanish IV, AP English Literature and Language
(2016.MasterSchl). In Mathematics, students also have the opportunity to take AP
Statistics and AP Calculus (2016.MasterSchl). All these course offerings exemplify the
high rigor and access students have to be exposed to rigorous curriculum that fosters
critical thinkers with 21st century skills. The researcher had the opportunity to see the
instructional practices implemented in the support classes and in the AP classes as well;
the common thread is that in every class the teacher worked directly with students in
developing their skills and their voice. Students were not just passive information takers
but active participants in projects where students had to demonstrate their learning.
• A strong sense of caring and engaging stakeholders in a variety of ways to foster
academic and emotional success for all students. The staff, teachers, and administrative
interviews all revealed something in common and that was a deep sense of caring and
understanding of the students’ needs. The staff stated that the school students had
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support from them and students know who to go to for guidance and moral support. A
staff member shared that he was honored to get an invitation from a former student who
was graduating from college. The staff stated, “A grad wants you to be there– I do
matter– they did listen–sense of right–one less statistic”
(9.29.16interviewprotocol.staff1). The administrative staff works cohesively to support
students and their success. The counselor shared an anecdote where a senior did not want
to participate in the graduation ceremony. She tried to convince the student but was not
successful. She informed the principal, the principal spoke with the student and the
student retracted and participated in the ceremony (9.23.16interviewprotocol.admin3).
This is another example how the entire organization engages different stakeholders to
support students in their academic and emotional attainment. The staff survey reaffirmed
that stakeholders and students have positive relationships with about 99% (combined
results of most of the time and always) in agreement with this statement (staffsurveyQ5-
culture). There was a similar response of close to 99% (combined results of most of the
time and always) of the staff agreeing there is a strong sense of unity and respect in the
school (staffsurveyQ1-culture).
Figure 22 exemplifies the findings of this study at Student Centered High School. The
graphic has a staircase representing the upward movement to the ultimate goal of College and
Career Readiness. The foundational steps to reach this goal are targeted instructional initiatives
and personalized instruction; moving forward towards a learning environment of shared
leadership and high expectations for students; closing the gaps by providing all learners with
multiple opportunities for success in and outside of the classroom; which forms a strong
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foundational background for college and career. This graphic shows a growth model, with a
staircase. Every step is a milestone in progressing towards college and career readiness.

Figure 22. Conceptual Model of Success at Student Centered High School

Focused Leadership for Educational Success
Schools are dynamic complex organizations that need structure and a focus on school
culture to foster high levels of student achievement. As referenced in Chapter Three, Bolman
and Deal’s (2003) four frames: structural, human, political, and symbolic was the conceptual
model applied in this study. According to Bolman and Deal (2003), effective leaders navigate
challenging situations if they use the appropriate organizational frame to problem solve.
Effective navigation of challenging situations was demonstrated not only by one leader but also
by several members of the organization.
At Student Centered High School, there are four members of the administrative team and
each one of them takes on a role to provide support for the students’ needs. The principal leads
the management of the school and political interactions with the board of directors, and the

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external entities that impact the school, like the elementary school district that sponsored the
opening of the school and leases the school building. The assistant principal has the active role
of monitoring the data and student results, intervening for students and working collaborative
with parents and support staff to ensure students are being successful in school. The school
counselor ensures students have the support needed when barrier and challenges arise in the
students’ life and counseling support is needed. In addition, the counselor works closely with
senior teacher advisors to support all seniors with their college personal statements and college
applications. The school coach serves as an administrator but she also supports new teachers and
student support counselors with instructional strategies and assessments that are part of the
curriculum and expected state assessments. Every teacher has a teacher advisory class. Teacher
advisors serve as a second counselor that supports a group of students for a grade for four years.
Teachers are the ones building a family-like culture with their groups, monitoring students’
grades, and at times, advocating for students’ resources and support. The classified staff is doing
their part in being that other layer of support for students, through direct after-school support,
during lunch, and throughout the school day. All these actions, tasks, and responsibilities
support the school mission, vision, and expected school-wide learning results that the school has
set to provide rigorous curriculum at Student Centered High School. The structural frame is
evident in the rituals and routines that the school has established. The human frame was
observed through the deep sense of care the staff manifested to students in their everyday
interactions. The political frame is very present in the organization. There are forums of
discussions, decision-making, and negotiating that moves the organization forward. The
symbolic frame is evident in the school motto of Strong Will, Family, and Pride. A motto that is
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not just on paper or on the student uniforms but it is in specific actions that reward students for
following them and showing effort, good behavior, and academic success.
Summary
The purpose of this study was to identify organizational practices that narrow the
achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional schools. The study focused on identifying
classroom practices that demonstrate a high level of student achievement in the classroom as
measured on multiple assessments. The study also examined leadership practices in the school
that focused and fostered high levels of student achievement school wide. In conjunction with
classroom and leadership practices, the study delineated school cultural practices that promote
student achievement. The findings of the study are practical themes that can be implemented in
other schools to establish successful learning environments in urban areas.
The themes that emerged from the coding brought to light specific things urban schools
can do to have an out performing high school. The explicit actions that yielded student success
were: a strong and consistent college focus, opportunities for success for all students, high
expectations for all students and staff members, shared leadership, personalized instruction,
targeted instructional initiatives and a deep sense of caring and engaging all stakeholders in
varieties of ways to foster students’ academic and emotional success. These themes were
examined through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four frames of organizations: structural,
human resources, political, and symbolic. Student Centered High School demonstrated high
levels of student achievement, a strong school culture, and a systematic curriculum program that
supports students in their learning. The school has a deep understanding of the students’
academic needs. All staff members exerted a deep sense of care for the well being of the
students in the school. The vision, mission, and expected school-wide learning results of critical
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thinker, effective communicators, ethical citizens, and life-long learners were evident in the
classroom. The unwavering belief that all urban children can and will achieve these goals at
Student Centered High School were evident. At Student Centered High School, the growth
model of success overcomes all the challenges and barriers that students in urban settings may
face.
Chapter Five will present a summary of the findings of this study, the implications and
concluding thoughts in how this study can contribute to the literature of schools that demonstrate
progress in closing the achievement gaps for diverse learners.

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CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND CONCLUSIONS
Overview
Chapter One provided an introduction to the issues impacting student learning in a poor
urban school in K-12 schools in Los Angeles, California. Chapter Two presented the current
literature on the many influences that impact student learning in urban settings from achievement
gaps, lack of adequate school funding, the history of federal policies that have failed to close the
achievement gap for minority, poor, urban schools, language acquisition challenges in urban
schools, to non-traditional urban schools. Chapter Three presented the methodology of this
qualitative case study, and presented the research questions, the design of the study, the research
tools, the setting demographics, the process followed for data collection, the conceptual model,
along with the validity and reliability of the methodology. Chapter Four presented the findings
of the study responding to the three research questions and the emerging themes from the
collected data was exposed. Chapter Five will present the summary of this case study, and will
discuss the possible implications and recommendations for further research.
Purpose, Importance, and Methodology
The purpose of the study was to identify organizational practices that narrow the
achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional schools. The achievement gap was measured
by examining the graduation rate, A-G completion rate, and the results of the nearby
comprehensive high school district. The study focused on identifying classroom practices that
demonstrate high level of student achievement in the classroom as measured on multiple
assessments. The study also examined leadership practices in the school that focused and
fostered high levels of student achievement school wide. In conjunction with classroom and
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leadership practices, the study delineated school cultural practices that promote student
achievement.
Examining Achievement Gap
In Chapter Three, Table 1 outlined the indicators that were considered in selecting
Student Centered High School as an outperforming non-traditional school. The indicators
included assessment results as: high school completion rate, former Annual Performance Index
(API), former pass rate of California High School Examination Exam (CAHSEE), Advance
Placement (AP) course offering and passing rate, and A-G college requirements completion rate.
These former indicators show the history of achievement of students in Student Centered High
School.
In the last two years, California has focused in developing new assessments in English
Language Arts and Mathematics using an online test. These tests are known as the California
Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP, 2017). The examinations were
developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and are computerized and
adaptive. The following tables will show the latest results from the 11th grade students in
Student Centered High and the results of the high school in the area, that for the purpose of
confidentiality will be referred as Neighbor-Comprehensive High School. In addition, the
overall results of students from statewide will be presented and will be referred as the State.
The achievement gap between Student Centered High School and the comparable
Neighbor-Comprehensive High School and the State can be examined below. Table 2 and
Figure 23 show the results in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (Math) from the
Smarter Balanced Assessment Results of spring 2016. This comparison will show the gaps
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among the three entities. The source of the data presented below was collected from the state
webpage SBAC test results of 2016 (CAASPP, 2016).

Table 2
Comparison Table of English Language Arts Smarter Balanced Assessment of 11th Grade
Students

ELA
Student Centered
High School
Neighbor-
Comprehensive
High School State
Standard Exceeded 39% 14% 26%
Standard Met 37% 30% 33%
Standard Nearly Met 15% 28% 22%
Standard Not Met 9% 28% 19%

Figure 23: Comparison Graph of English Language Arts Smarter Balanced Assessment
0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Standard

Exceeded

Standard

Met

Standard

Nearly
Met

Standard

Not
Met

Student
Centered
High

School

Neighbor-‐Comprehensive

High
School

State

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The results of this graph demonstrate the outperformance of the Student Centered High
School compared to the Neighbor-Comprehensive High School and the State in the area of
Language Arts. In the area of standards, Student Centered High School performed 25% higher
than the Neighbor-Comprehensive High School. In comparison with the State performance,
Student Centered High School outperformed the State by 13%. In the performance band of
Standard Met, Student Centered High School was above Neighbor-Comprehensive High by 7%
and 4% above the State.
In mathematics, there was also a significance outperformance between Student Centered
High School, the Neighbor-Comprehensive High School and the State. Table 3 and Figure 24
demonstrate the results.

Table 3

Comparison Table of Mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessment of 11th Grade Students
Math
Student
Centered High
School
Neighbor-
Comprehensive
High School State
Standard Exceeded 13% 4% 13%
Standard Met 26% 14% 20%
Standard Nearly Met 34% 25% 25%
Standard Not Met 27% 57% 43%

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Figure 24: Comparison Graph of Mathematics Smarter Balanced Assessment

In the performance band of Standard Exceeded, Student Centered High School
outperformed the Neighbor-Comprehensive High School and it is at the same level of
achievement with the State. Student Centered High School outperformed Neighbor-
Comprehensive High School by 9%. Student Centered High is at 13% of achievement as the
State. In the performance band of Standard met Student Centered High out performed Neighbor-
Comprehensive High School by 12% and the State by 6%.
The results presented demonstrate the achievement gap between students at Centered
High School, the Neighbor-Comprehensive High School, and the State. It was evident that
students at Student Centered High are performing at higher levels in English Language Arts and
Mathematics. These results are important because they validate Student Centered High School
as an outperforming school demonstrating academic growth and achievement in standardized
state measures.
0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Standard

Exceeded

Standard

Met

Standard

Nearly
Met

Standard

Not
Met

Student
Centered
High
School

Neighbor-‐Comprehensive

High
School

State

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The importance of the study stems from the desire to improve student academic outcomes
in poor, ethnic minority urban schools that serve high numbers of diverse students such as
English Language Learners. This is important because as US states like California become more
ethnic minority dominant these are the students that need to be served and educated to be
productive citizens in the 21st century demands. Failure to adequately educate these students
will be a detriment to the economic advancement of the United States. The economic detriment
in quality of students the public schools produce a workforce of servitude that leads to the cycle
of poverty to continue. The findings in this study identified outperforming organizational
practices that urban schools may consider when closing the achievement gap of their students.
These practices can be used as a model to follow and replicate in other urban settings. Secondly,
one can examine effective practices that foster a high level of academic achievement and
promote these practices among other educational leaders to improve students’ success in urban
public schools.
The study used a qualitative and interpretive approach to examine a non-traditional
school in southern California. The researcher engaged in a qualitative case study approach in
order to explore and evaluate the practices in this non-traditional urban school with the intention
of find educational practices that narrow the achievement gap (Merriam, 2009). The specific
educational practices the study examined were instructional practices, leadership practices, and
school culture.
In this qualitative case study, the researcher provided a “thick description” to provide a
real representation of how the different stakeholders in the school interacted with one another in
order to narrow the academic achievement gap (Greetz, 1973 as cited in Merriam, 2009) and
demonstrated the systemic approach the school implements to support their students (Merriam,
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2009). This study was one of five case studies, each researcher examining their own individual
school and wrote their dissertation independently. The data collection was guided by the three
research questions, and the data gathered included multiple formal school documents, staff
interviews, online staff surveys, and observations. The process of triangulation was applied in
order to ensure the finding and the interpretations of the researcher were validated (Maxwell,
2013). The cross referencing of the interpretation of the data included the staff interviews, the
online surveys, document review, and observations. The analysis of the data was done following
a thematic categorization process through a sequential procedure of consolidating data applying
multiple levels of coding (Creswell, 2009; Merriam, 2009). The data was thoroughly read with
the focus of generating meaning of what was found in the research (Creswell, 2009).
Summarizing Themes

The triangulation process of the data brought to light the following seven emergent
themes of this case study: college focus, opportunities for success, high expectations, shared
leadership practices, personalized instruction, targeted instructional initiatives, and a deep sense
of care for the students.
College Focus
At Student Centered High School, there are constant conversations and activities that
promote and support college and career readiness for all students. This was apparent in the
teacher advisory classes where teachers take this group of students for four years. At their
freshmen year, college awareness is built through specific activities like getting students to login
to the college readiness website and when they are seniors in this class the college application
process is reviewed. In addition, the school established a college-day field trip for all grade
levels to go visit colleges. The school counselor leads senior parent meetings to make them
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aware of important deadlines for the college application process; and in addition, the counselor
visits the teacher advisory classes and works with students on their college application. The
career awareness was exemplified during the career day visits with partnerships of retired
engineers who come and work directly with students on building solar boats and electrical cars.
Furthermore, the school and teacher advisory teachers work together to recognize students’
efforts and academic success through different awards, recognitions, and prizes. These are some
of the specific systems, actions, and programs the school has to develop a college and career
readiness school environment.
Opportunities for Success
All the staff members at Student Centered High School work together to find
opportunities for success for all students including closing learning and technology gaps. The
school celebrates, promotes, and awards students’ efforts and academic excellence. The staff
works on building a positive family culture in the teacher advisory class and ASB does it school
wide. In addition, the administrative team works with parents in relating this positive family
environment with parents. Through reviewing the WASC document and Self-Study, the school
has worked together in visiting the school, vision, mission, and expected school-wide learning
results (ESLRs) so they are aligned in fostering 21st century critical thinking skills. The school
closes the achievement gap by eliminating technology gaps by providing every student with a
laptop to use and take home during the academic school year. The computers have changed the
instructional program at the school and during the classroom observations the use of the
students’ laptops was evident. The Local Control Formula Plan (LCAP), has allocated resources
to supporting student support counselors to close the transition gaps freshmen students face when
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entering the school. In addition, the allocation of funds has been targeted to support instructional
initiatives that provide students with learning opportunities beyond the school day.
There were funds allocated as well to continue to build the school awards and incentives
for students’ character building, good behavior, effort, and academic success. These awards are
in direct alignment with the school motto of: Strong Will, Family, and Pride. During the school
Leadership Committee meeting, there was discussion in making sure students are being
recognized for their efforts on a weekly basis to continue to motivate students for improvement.
This past summer of 2016 the LCAP funded a program for freshmen students and the student
mentoring program so students could feel connected and part of the school. The school
exuberates positivism, focus, and commitment for all students to be successful at the school and
beyond.
High Expectations
At Student Centered High School, students are expected to successfully master a rigorous
curriculum that will build the students’ skills, and knowledge to apply their learning for high
school success and beyond. The high expectation and rigorous curriculum was evident in the
class offering for each grade level and the amount of credits students need to take to meet the
high school requirement. In addition, the curriculum program meets the requirements of A-G
college readiness established by the CSU. The students have opportunities to take multiple
advance placement (AP) courses in the four years they are in school. The school also surveys the
students and their feedback in considering offering programs that the students want in order for
the school to be a safe, enhancing learning school.

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Shared Leadership Practices
At Student Centered High School, everyone is responsible for leading and driving student
success. All the staff members are actively involved in identifying students’ needs and finding
ways to support them. At the school, it was evident that motivating students, providing rigorous
curriculum, and supporting students for success was not the work of only the principal and
administrative team. It was the work of the entire staff. The shared leadership was seen in the
department chairs leading their department. The staff interviews revealed that department chairs
played a pivotal role in supporting new teachers, leading instructional practices that are reflective
and collaborative among other departments. The school also has spaces where the department
chairs come together with the administration and classified staff to make decisions on
curriculum, student recognition, and working conditions; this space is the Leadership committee.
The allocation of funds for student programs in the LCAP also involved different stake
holders and parents to ensure the funding was used to support student learning, closing learning
gaps, and motivating students to strive for high academic attainment. The school continues to
fund parent coordinators and different presenters to come and build in parent knowledge and
supportive ways to support their children’s success in school.
Personalized Instruction
At Student Centered High School, there are academic systems in place to identify
students’ needs and provide them with the personalized instruction each student needs to be
successful. The study revealed that data is used to offer intervention programs for students to be
at grade-level standards in reading and mathematics. From the moment students are accepted to
the school, they are tested to determine the students’ skill sets. If students are below in reading
or math, they are placed in intervention classes for the year. In the intervention class, students
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are again tested to see the validity of the first test freshmen took prior to entering the school. In
the last two years, the school has invested in student support counselors. These counselors take a
group of 20 to 25 students who they follow in their classes, and they provide after-school support
so these students are successful in their classes. The focus is to meet the students’ needs by
providing a personalized learning and emotional program for the student to be successful.
Targeted Instructional Initiatives
At Student Centered High School, students have one teacher who guides them, monitors
them, and advocates for students to be successful. The academic program is rigorous and
focused to produce academic achievers, who will communicate effectively, be critical thinkers,
ethical citizens, and life-long learners. Although the academic program is rigorous, there are
systems in place to support students in their educational growth and development in the school.
The targeted instructional initiatives the school offered are very well established in the school.
Strong Sense of Care and Engagement
Student Centered High School is a learning institution with high expectations for all:
students, staff, and parents. The school staff cares and works very hard for and with students to
have a positive school culture that value and recognizes effort and growth. There are strong
bonds of connectedness among students and staff members. The school engages everyone in
promoting rigor, discipline, and care among all. Students are held accountable to high moral
standards as well as staff members. The school allocates funds to support student success and
allows educators the flexibility to provide instruction that is innovative and interactive. The
school also is open to providing learning opportunities for students to learn inside and outside the
classroom. There is a deep sense of care for the students by all staff members and at the same
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time strong culture to follow school rules and procedures for students to reach high levels of
academic success.
Implications
In education today, there are different educational choices parents can select from to send
their students to school. Attending charter school is one option. An option that, at times, has
created heavy controversy among different organizations making attendance of charter schools a
political issue. There are big charter organizations across the nation. Some have demonstrated
success and others have not. This case study involved one non-traditional charter high school
that does not belong to a larger charter organization.
All the factors above described what Bolman and Deal (2003) categorized as a complex
organization. That is why this study used Bolman and Deal’s (2003) four frames of leadership:
structural, human resource, political, and symbolic to identify what makes this organization
successful. The study revealed a non-traditional school with structural systems in place that
promote a rigorous curriculum for all students. The school has a strong sense of unity, respect,
and collaboration among students, teachers, staff members, and administration following a
shared vision, mission, and expected school-wide learning outcomes of success for all students
exemplifying effective human relations in the school. The school continues to navigate through
internal and external political challenges through a problem-solving approach that adapts,
changes, and modifies to the needs of the students and the environment, yet not losing its
student-centered focus. The school celebrates, promotes, and awards their students who exert the
symbolic school motto of Strong Will, Family, and Pride. The school has a shared leadership
model that is inclusive of the entire staff members when making instructional decisions for
students.
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The study further demonstrated that the leadership of the school leverages its funds and
local allocations in a way that is responsible and provides learning opportunities that closed
students’ learning gaps. This includes resources for programs that motivate and engage learners.
The school’s one-to-one laptop initiative is evidence of a specific task that closes the technology
gaps that many urban schools encounter. Everyone in the school works as a team to provide
students with a learning experience focused on student growth, hard work, and academic
achievement. As a result, Student Centered High School is providing high quality instruction
and demonstrating high levels of student success in this non-traditional urban school.
As an educator, the biggest take away from this case study involved the interweaving of
several essential aspects a school must have to function and operate effectively. The analogy of
a spider web best explains the takeaways from this study with students being in the center. A
web must have strong threads and the strength of the threads in the study were:
• Structural System
• Explicit, Strategic Activities to Enhance Learning Opportunities
The web then is weaved through the actions and steps strong and reflective leaders take; this is a
labor that involves several leaders–not only one principal. The leadership was found in teachers,
classified staff, and administrative team members of the organization. These actions involved a
very clear understanding of who are the students and their needs. In understanding who the
students are and their needs, an educational model can be designed. This model takes into
consideration the different aspects that impact student learning which are safety, care, and
motivation. The leaders of the school are engaged in the following actions:
• Build a culture of clear expectations rooted in specific outcomes, “every kid a success,”
“what ever it takes”
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• Build emotional affect, resiliency for students to be able to take on any challenge before
them
• Show that you care for students’ well fare through direct funding, monitoring, and
affection, keeping the human element present; not losing the focus of students
All these elements together make the learning web that supports and meets the needs of urban
children and yield high levels of students attainment. Success for urban students is possible
through a culture of high expectations, with staff that believes in their students and promotes
perseverance and resiliency on an ongoing basis.
Recommendations for Further Study
Research regarding the successful non-traditional charter school is scarce. There is quite
a lot of research on charter schools not meeting the needs of all students and political
implications of charter schools. The need to examine charter schools that are successful needs to
be expanded, especially research focused on systemic management, effective strategies of
teaching and learning, leadership and culture building that work in urban settings. As a result,
many well-intended charter schools are not successful and forced to close down because of the
lack of meaningful research. There is the need of continuous research in urban charter schools to
ensure 21st century experiences are available and up to date for students opting to attend non-
traditional charter schools.
The following recommendations for further research in the area of a non-traditional
charter urban school and its impact in areas of instruction, leadership, and culture include:
1. Further research needs to be done in the area of instructional practices that enhance
student interest, curiosity, and engagement in literacy and mathematics. Students
continue to enter high school academically behind in the areas of reading comprehension
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and grade-level mathematics. Therefore, high schools are forced to design fast track,
catching-up intervention programs to close students’ achievement gaps and the
opportunity to develop new critical learning skills becomes limited.
2. In depth analysis is needed in the benefits of attending small charter high schools instead
of large comprehensive high schools. Student Centered High School provides student-
centered personalized learning opportunities but yet students miss out on the experiences
of extra curricular activities like competitive athletic programs. How can small urban
charter schools expand these extra curricular opportunities to their students? Considering
that colleges and university’s extra curricular activities are part of the admission process.
3. Innovative studies are needed in ways to engage parents in urban charter high schools
beyond the typical participation of attending meetings, donating materials, and
supervision support. There is the need to build the parent understanding that their parent
voice is integral in formal committees that seek stakeholders feedback.
Closing Remarks
Public education in California has been transformed by the opening of charter schools.
Urban areas have been the ideal setting for charter schools to flourish. There are charter schools
demonstrating strong student outcomes through the academic growth of the students. In this
study, Student Centered High School has demonstrated great success for over a decade because
of its academic rigor, the systemic approach the school has implemented in providing high
quality educational programs for students who overcome the many barriers present in urban
setting. This study demonstrated that targeted instructional initiatives, personalized instruction,
shared leadership practices, high expectations and opportunities for success yield great students
who are college and career ready. All these elements coupled with a deep sense of caring from
151

the staff toward students are a great model to follow. Student Centered High School has
demonstrated that closing the achievement gap in urban settings is possible. The school is not
defined by the learning challenges their students come with but by the great potential and growth
urban children demonstrate when the appropriate educational support and opportunities are
granted to them.

152

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162

Appendix A
Cohort Increase or Decrease from the
12

Class of 2013 to Class of 2014

Table 2: Cohort Increase or Decrease from the Class of 2013 to Class of 2014 by Subgroup
and Program
Ethnic/Racial
Designation or
Program
Cohort
Graduation
Rate 2013-
14
Cohort
Graduation
Rate 2012-
13
Graduation
Rate
Difference
Cohort
Dropout
Rate
2013-14
Cohort
Dropout
Rate
2012-13
Dropout
Rate
Difference
Hispanic or Latino
of Any Race
76.4 75.7 0.7 14 13.9 0.1
American Indian
or Alaska Native,
Not Hispanic
70.1 72.8 -2.7 18.9 17.4 1.5
Asian 92.3 91.6 0.7 4.7 4.6 0.1
Pacific Islander,
Not Hispanic
79.9 78.4 1.5 12.4 14.2 -1.8
Filipino, Not
Hispanic
92.1 91.6 0.5 4.5 4.7 -0.2
African American,
Not Hispanic
68.1 68.1 0 20.3 19.7 0.6
White, Not
Hispanic
87.4 87.7 -0.3 7.6 7.4 0.2
Two or More
Races, Not
Hispanic
85.4 84.5 0.9 8.4 9.7 -1.3
Not Reported 61.6 46.4 15.2 32 33.7 -1.7

12

Source:
California Department of Education. (2016d). Local control formula state priority snapshot.

163

English Learners 65.3 63.1 2.2 20.9 21.6 -0.7
Migrant Education 75.8 76.4 -0.6 16.2 14.7 1.5
Special Education 62.2 61.9 0.3 16 15.5 0.5
Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged
75.4 74.8 0.6 14.5 14.5 0
All Students 80.8 80.4 0.4 11.6 11.4 0.2
# # # #
Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Last Reviewed: Thursday, May 12, 2016

164

Appendix B
Dissertation Study, Outperforming Non-Traditional Urban Schools

Research Design

RQ 1: What instructional practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
Individuals to interview
● Teachers
● Instructional coaches
● Administrators
● Counselors
● Others (home office personnel)
Individuals to survey
● Teachers
● Administrators
● Others (home office)
● Department meetings
● Individual observations of instructional coaches
Locations of observation
● Classrooms, professional development meetings
● Department meetings
● Individual observations of instructional coaches
Documents to review
● Charter Petition (lists instructional practices)
● WASC document, learning systems
● PD agendas/units
● SARCs, LCAP plans
● ELD Master Plan
● Textbook matrixes
● Williams Compliance
● Course Outline/Syllabi
● Other: Union Contract (If applicable)

RQ 2: What leadership practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban school?
Individuals to interview
● School site administrators
● Counselors
● Department chairs.
● Others (home office personnel, deans)

165

Individuals to survey
● Teachers
● Administrators
● Support Staff (librarians, office personnel, teacher aides)
Locations of observation
● Conference room where Administrators leads the meetings
● Teacher events
● Leadership committees
● School wide events
Documents to review.
● School budget
● Master schedule
● Master plan
● Other: Union Contract (If applicable)

RQ 3: What is the school culture in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
Individuals to interview
● Teachers
● Teacher leaders
● Administrators
● Others (office personnel, deans)
Individuals to survey
● Teachers
● Administrators
● Counselors
● School site council
● Librarian
Locations of observation
● Classrooms
● Lunch room
● Cafeteria
● Extra-Curricular activity events
● -Assemblies, pep-rallies, and school site council meetings
Other school personnel:
● Office staff
● Instructional aids
Documents to review
● The school’s educational philosophy, vision, and mission
● Principal’s message to the school and student body
● School’s motto, banners and other visuals
166

● School rules
● Student orientation packet
● School activities calendar
● Mission statement
● Discipline procedures
● Graduation retention
● Student handbook
● Uniform expectations

167

Appendix C
School Selection Criteria
Criteria for Case Study School Selection
5. California high school
6. Outperforming
7. Non-traditional
8. Urban
Outperforming Elements
The school is above the state average on the following categories:
g. High school completion rate
h. Annual Performance Index
i. California State High School Exit Exam
j. Advance Placement courses: number of students taking the test and passing
k. A-G completion
Non-traditional Elements
The school meets one of the following criteria:
f. Charter
g. International Baccalaureate
h. Specialized programs such as Math, Science, Arts, etc.
i. Private School
j. Magnet
Urban Elements
The school meets the following criteria: (each element needs to be confirmed by U.S. News and
World Reports)
e. Setting: large suburb or large city
f. Serves over 50% minority students
g. Serves over 64% economically disadvantaged students
h. Significant presence of diverse learners

168

Appendix D
School Staff Survey
Administrator, Teacher, Staff, Other: ____________________________
Years of experience: 0-5_____ 6-15 _____ 15+ _____

Questions

1
Never

2
Sometimes
3
Most of
the Time

4
Always
Instructional Practice

1. Classroom learning goals
and objectives are
communicated to
students.

2. Teachers provide
student’s the opportunity
to collaborate with one
another on classroom
assignments.

3. Teachers provide
students the opportunity
to self-reflect on their
academic work.

4. Professional development
opportunities at your
school are aligned with
content standards.

5. Do you collaborate with
colleagues to improve
learning strategies or
develop curriculum?

6. Teachers provide an
array of opportunities for
students to demonstrate
content mastery
(presentations, project
based learning,
community programs,
etc.)?

169

7. Are you involved in data
analysis of student work?

Questions

1
Never

2
Sometimes
3
Most of
the Time

4
Always
School Leadership Practices

1. Administrator often visit
classrooms and provide
teachers with meaningful
feedback.

2. How often does your
supervisor connect with
you and provides you
with meaningful
feedback?

3. Do you have
opportunities to
participate in decision-
making that impact
student achievement?

4. Do you trust that the
school leadership acts in
the best interest of
student academic
development?

5. Are you provided with
professional
opportunities to perform
your assigned
responsibilities
successfully?

170

Questions

1
Never

2
Sometimes
3
Most of
the Time

4
Always
School Culture

1. There is a sense of unity
and respect in the
school?

2. Students are recognized
for academic
accomplishments.

3. The school fosters
positive work
relationships among
staff members.

4. The teacher-student
relationships at the
school are positive.

5. Staff members are
recognized for their hard
work.

6. The rituals and routines
at this school foster
student academic
success.

7. The school inform
parents on their child’s
academic growth?

8. The school provides
students with after
school support that help
them with homework
and class assignments.

Please note any additional comments

171

Appendix E
Interview Protocol
I. Introduction
Thank you for agreeing to participate in my study. I appreciate the time 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?

172

III. Heart of the Interview (Interview Questions RQ1, RQ2, and RQ3)

Interview Questions
RQ1: What instructional practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban
schools?
1. What instructional accountability practices exist in the school (student test scores, grade
distribution, mastery of standards)?

2. Are there any academic barriers that students experience when they come to this
school?

3. Do you have the opportunity to collaborate with teachers to address students’ academic
needs? If so, how often?

4. How does the school identify the academic needs of students?

5. How do you provide systematic support for students in their transition to this school
and post secondary school?

7. How are teachers supported with the implementation of Depth of Knowledge (DOK)
strategies?

8. How often do teachers meet with administrators to review instructional strategies and
quarterly goals?

9. What programs does the school offer that help support new teachers with classroom
management and teaching strategies?

173

RQ2: What leadership practices exist in outperforming non-traditional urban
schools that address the achievement gap?
1. Does your school have a school leadership team? If so, how are they selected?

2. How do teacher leaders provide feedback on school curriculum?

3. What types of professional development opportunities are offered to prepare teachers
for leadership roles?

4. Does the school have an instructional committee? If so, how long are the members in
their role?

5. How does the school leadership address the academic needs of all students (ELs,
Special Ed, foster?

6. What innovative programs has the leadership developed in the school that sets it apart
from neighboring high schools?

7. How do school leaders empower parents to be proactive in their children’s education?

174

RQ 3: What is the school culture in outperforming non-traditional urban schools?
1. How often does the staff come together to revisit the vision and mission of the school?

2. How is the school’s vision and mission incorporated within classrooms?

3. What practices does the school have to recognize the staff?

4. What methods of communication are being used to distribute information to the faculty,
staff, parents?

5. How often does the school inform parents on child’s academic development?

6. How does the school celebrate academic excellence?

7. What tools does the school offer to help with student’s social challenges?

8. What activities or programs does the school offer so students can develop positive
self-identity?

9. How does the school develop a college and career culture?

10. How do community partnerships impact student engagement?

11. Is there an active parent organization on campus? If so, who leads their efforts?

175

12. How does the school motivate students to strive to higher academic goals?

13. How does the school and staff address student setbacks? (For example when students
demonstrate frustration, failure, or feel the need to give up on school).

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.

176

Appendix F
Observation Protocol
Name of Observer Date Time

Location Study

Brief Summary of Observation

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

177

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? How
does the event
taking place affect
leadership
practices, school
culture, and/or
instructional
practices?

Sequence of Events
Beginning
178

Middle
End

Pictures

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This qualitative study examined organizational practices that narrow the achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional urban schools. The history on the efforts to address the achievement gap will be discussed, the impact of the achievement gap amongst diverse populations will be addressed, and solutions will be offered. The study looked at a high school completion rate, various test scores, and A-G completion to determine outperforming criteria. Data collection was conducted via surveys, staff interviews, document analysis, and classroom and campus observations. The data was triangulated to identify organizational practices that narrowed the achievement gap in outperforming non-traditional urban schools through the lens of instructional practices, leadership practices, and school culture. ❧ The findings in the study were that the urban school studied can demonstrate high levels of student achievement and success through a systematic approach that encompasses specific actions that meet students’ needs. In this case study, seven tangible themes were found: college focus, opportunities for success, high expectations, shared leadership practices, personalized instruction, targeted instructional initiatives, and a deep sense of care for the students. These seven themes are viable options to consider for students in urban school settings. The themes encompass instructional, leadership, and cultural practices that are grounded in a growth model approach that address students’ needs and enhance learning opportunities for diverse learners in urban schools.

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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

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Asset Metadata

Creator Fajardo, Angela C. (author)

Core Title Overcoming urban challenges: a succesful case study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 04/19/2017

Defense Date 03/10/2017

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

Tag address students' needs,college and career readiness,deep sense of caring,diverse learners,English language learners,growth model,high expectations,narrowed achievement gap,non-traditional schools,OAI-PMH Harvest,opportunities for success,organizational practices,outperforming,personalized instruction,school culture,shared leadership,systematic approach,targeted instructional initiatives,Urban

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

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

Creator Email acfajard@usc.edu,acfajardo72@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-362061

Unique identifier UC11258332

Identifier etd-FajardoAng-5236.pdf (filename),usctheses-c40-362061 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-FajardoAng-5236.pdf

Dmrecord 362061

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Fajardo, Angela C.

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