The Impact of Smaller Learning Communities on Closing the Achievement Gaps among Student Population Groups in Texas High Schools PPT. - Dr. Elias Alex Torrez - Dissertation Chair:

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The Impact of Smaller Learning

Communities on Closing the

Achievement Gaps among Student

Population Groups in Texas High Schools

A DissertationbyAlex Torrez

Dissertation Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, PhDPhD Program in Educational Leadership



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William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

Dissertation Chair

-----------------------------------------------

Carl Gardiner, EdD

Patricia Hoffman-Miller, PhD

Solomon Osho, PhD



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I. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

II. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

III. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

IV. METHOD

V. REVIEW OF LITERATUREVI. FINDINGS

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS



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Smaller Learning Communities

Student AcademicAchievement Gaps



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Smaller

Learning

Communities

ELA/Mathematics TAKS/

Eco. Disadvantaged

Attendance

ELA/Mathematics TAKS/

Sub-Populations

Completion Rate



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The purpose of this conceptual quantitative study is

to determine if a difference exists between the

implementation of the career-themed smaller SLC

design and an increase in high school students¶

academic achievement, attendance, and high school

completion rate between populations as reported in

the Texas Education Agency AEIS report.



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Is there a difference in student achievement

between career-themed Smaller LearningCommunities (SLCs) and traditional highschools, as reported on the Academic ExcellenceIndicator System (AEIS) for Texas Assessment of

Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in ELA/Readingfor ethnic and economically disadvantagedsubpopulations?



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Is there a difference in student achievement

between career-themed SLCs and traditional highschools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in

Mathematics for ethnic and economically

disadvantaged subpopulations?





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Is there a difference in student completion rates

between career-themed SLCs and traditional highschools, as reported in the AEIS?



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What factors are driving Transformation?





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Fryer and Levitt (2004) noted, ³on average, black

students typically score one standard deviation below white students on standardized tests ±

roughly the difference in performance between

the average 4th grader and the average 8th

grader´ (p. 64).



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39.5 41.6

45.0 45.0

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63.566.4 67.1

72.6

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41.338.0 38.4

40.538.6

35.3

30.5

26.724.2

22.420.6 20.3

16.7

< 5

y e a r s

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r s

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0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0Percent

Anglo Hispanic





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Lopez (2006):

³By 2050 the Anglo population is projected to be

near 211 million people, the black population 61million people, the Latino population 103 million people, and the Asian population nearly 33million people. These changes represent only a

7.4 % increase for non-Latino Anglos, comparedto 71.3 % growth for Blacks, 188 % growth for Latinos, and 212.9 % growth for the Asian population´. (p.5)



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Among minority students, the problem is even moresevere with nearly 50 percent of African American andHispanic students not completing high school on time

(America's Promise Alliance, 2009).

The achievement gap is not closing fast enough toensure improved living and earning opportunities for

these sub-populations. According to Zhao (2009, p.13), ³these gaps almost certainly put the minorities at adisadvantage for securing high-income jobs in thefuture.´



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The complexities resulting from a global

economy and an evolving workforce magnify theimportance of not just graduating students but

ensuring that they are well equipped with the

21st century skills they are going to need to

succeed.



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H01 - There is no statistically significant

difference in student achievement between

career-themed SLCs and traditional high

schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in

ELA/Reading for ethnic and economicallydisadvantaged subpopulations.



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difference in student achievement between

career-themed SLCs and traditional high

schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS

Mathematics for ethnic and economicallydisadvantaged subpopulation.



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difference in student attendance betweencareer-themed SLCs and traditional high

schools, as reported in the AEIS.



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difference in student dropout/completion between career-themed SLCs and traditional

high schools, as reported in the AEIS.



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The independent variable identified in the study

is the cohort of schools implementing the SLC

design and their paired counterpart traditionalhigh schools.

Dependent Variable ± Student achievement basedon change in Mathematics and Reading/English

Language Arts TAKS scores, completion rate,

attendance.



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Subjects of the Study

(1). 21 Texas public high schools that have

implemented smaller learningcommunities with career academies

(2). 21 Texas public traditional high schools

(3). Grades 9 through 12

(4). Total student enrollment minimum of

1500 students



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Step 1:

Researched and Selected Career

Academy SLCs

Department of Education Smaller

Learning Communities ProgramTexas High School Project



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Texas schools that attended the 2010 Smaller

Learning Communities National Conference:From Structure to Instruction conference at theUniversity of Nevada in Las Vegas obtainedfrom Education Northwest

The National Career Academy Coalition

Extensive internet search



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Step 2:Downloaded the AEIS report from the TEA website

from the 21 career themed SLC schools selected.Step 3:

A convenience sample of 21 traditional schools wasselected from the TEA assigned school cohort. The

schools were selected based on the TEA cohort schoolthat is most similar in size, ethnic subpopulations(African American, Hispanic, andWhite), andeconomically disadvantaged.



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Step 4: Collected the AEIS data

Step 5: Disaggregated the data by ethnic and economically

disadvantaged

ELA scores Mathematics scores

Attendance

Completion



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Step 6:SPSS was utilized to disaggregate and analyze data

Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

Step 7:Interpreted the results of the statistical procedure



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The academies are designed to address the broadspectrum of student interest and career possibilities and provide transferable skills. The

goals of the Academies are to open a student'smind to relevancy of academic courses and toshow how high standards relate to career success.

In addition to the essential academic elements,students will develop knowledge regardingcareers where they may best utilize their talentsand aptitudes.



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Academy of Business, Marketing & Finance

Academy of Consumer Science & Education

Academy of Fine Arts, Communications & Humanities

Academy of Government, Law & Criminal Justice

Academy of Health Science

Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

Academy of Veterinary & Agricultural Science



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Alliance for Excellence in Education

America's Promise AllianceAmong minority students, the problem is evenmore severe with nearly 50 percent of AfricanAmerican and Hispanic students not

completing high school on time (America'sPromise Alliance, 2009).



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Bill & Melinda Gates³It has been estimated that between 53% and 55% of

minority students nationwide are not completinghigh school in the four-year format´ (Bill andMelinda Gates Foundation, 2003, p. 2).

Bill Daggett, International Center for

Education Northwest Regional Educational

Laboratory



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Partnership for 21st Century Skills

1. Competencies needed to succeed in the current economy and prepare

for the changing world as a wage earner and citizen (Partnership for 21st

Century Skills, 2004).

2. Wolfe (2007) explained, "In virtually any occupation, learning is part

of the job. Gone are the days when employees learned to master a

single task and then spent the next 40 years repeating that task´ (p. 40).

U.S. Department of Education



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Schlechty, P. (2009). Leading for learning: How to transform schools into learning

organizations (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA:Jossey Bass Publications.

³Transformation by necessity includes altering the beliefs,

values, and meanings ± the culture ± in which programs areembedded, as well as changing the current system of rules,

roles, and relationships ± social structure ± so that the

innovations needed will be supported´. (p. 3)



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Cotton, K. (2001). N ew small learning communities: Findings from recent literature.

(ERIC No. ED459539). Portland,OR: Northwest Regional EducationalLaboratory.

1. Self-determination

2. Identity3. Personalization

4. Support for Teaching

5. Functional



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Daniels, D., Bizar, M., & Zemelman, S. (2001). Rethinking high schools: Best practice in

teaching, learning, and leadership.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, A division of Reed Elsevier.

³Research has been rapidly accumulating that, as far as high schools are concerned, size does matter ± andsmaller is better´ (p. 27).



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Sammon, G. (2008). C reating and sustaining

smaller learning: Strategies and tools for transforming high schools. Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin Press.

Noted that SLCs, when done well and comprehensively, buildin the rigor, relevance, and relationships that lead to the all-important results we seek in school improvement.



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Schargel, F., & Smink, J. (2001). Strategies to

help solve our school dropout problem.Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Strong leaders know that decreasing the dropout out rate

³requires fundamental changes in curriculum design process,work-flow design, and staff training; it demands creative

technology use and the development of partnerships with key

stakeholders´ (p. 10).



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Klimek, K., Ritzenhein, E., & Sullivan, K.(2008). Generative leadership: Shaping new

futures for today¶s schools. Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin Press.

³Generative leaders see their school as a dynamic system that is being co-created through the interactions of all its participants

internally and with the outside environment. They emphasizesystems thinking consistently. They question assumptions and

presumed limits of an issue that are embedded in the prevailingmental models´. (p. 55)



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Schlechty (2009) states:

³Make no mistake, transformation is not as

simple as installing a new program, a new process or new procedure. Unlike efforts to

improve the operation of existing systems,

transformation requires more than changes in

what people do; it requires changes in what they

think and what they feel about what they do´.

(p. 210)



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Oxley (2006) states:

³The central feature of a high-functioning SLC

(Small Learning Community) is aninterdisciplinary team (or teams) of teachers who

work closely together with a group of students

they share in common for instruction.

Traditional schools organize teachers around

subject areas or departments´. (p. 22)



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Subpopulation ofInterest

SLC Non-SLC df* F-ratio Sig**

ELA African

American

91.94 92.38 31 .035 .852

ELA Hispanic 91.48 92.10 41 .195 .659

ELAWhite 97.53 96.53 37 .848 .363

ELA Eco. Dis. 90.33 90.90 41 .163 .688

* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS

practice of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented on a particular campus.

** N o statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported

ELA/ Reading Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high

schools for any subpopulation of interest, African- American, Hispanic, White, or

Economically Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.



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Subpopulation ofInterest


Math African

American

86.69 84.44 31 .71 .463

Math Hispanic 89.76 87.05 39 1.53 .134

MathWhite 96.21 94.32 33 1.64 .111

Math Eco. Dis. 88.71 85.90 40 1.64 .110




Mathematics Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high

schools for any subpopulation of interest, African- American, Hispanic, White, or

Economically Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.



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Subpopulationof Interest


Campus 93.414 93.578 41 .651 .424

African American 93.790 94.321 37 .520 .476

Hispanic 92.567 93.691 41 2.972 .092

White 93.871 93.619 41 .105 .748

Eco. Dis. 92.26 93.238 41 2.932 .095

* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS practice

of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented on a particular campus.


Attendance Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high schools

nor were differences found between African- American, Hispanic, White, or Economically

Disadvantages subpopulations at these campuses at the p <.05 criterion value.



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Subpopulationof Interest


Campus 91.585 91.400 39 .009 .924

African American 89.333 91.327 29 .467 .500

Hispanic 90.180 90.460 39 .020 .889

White 95.145 92.116 38 1.256 .270

Eco. Dis. 89.725 90.760 39 .424 .519

* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS practice

of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented or underrepresented within a particular

campus.


C ompletion Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high

schools for any subpopulation at these campuses at the p <.05 criterion value.





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SubpopulationOf Interest

N Mean Std. Dev. *df **Sig

Pair 1 Math AA-Math

White

32 85.56--95.59 8.879--2.781 31 .000

Pair 2 Math AA- Math

Hispanic

32 85.56--89.50 8.879²5.442 31 .002

Pair 3 Math Hispanic-

White38 88.95--95.26 5.467²3.652 37 .000



**Statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported in

Mathematics for all selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high schools for

the subpopulation of interest, African- American, Hispanic, White, or Economically

Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.



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The review of literature, findings for each question of

the study, and their subsequent conclusions provide

the basis for the following recommendations.

1. School districts must select innovative andcontemporary leaders who are prepared to initiatechange in the 21st century.

2. Educational leaders should implement disruptivetransformation designs in an effort to close theachievement gaps of subpopulations.



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3. Educational leaders must support the selected design

for 7 to 10 years to create authentic and systemictransformation.

4. Educational leaders must use effective communicationto ensure the alignment and success of professional

development.



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1. A qualitative study could be conducted of

SLCs and their relationship to student performance.

2. A national study could be conducted comparing the

difference between ACT and SAT scores betweenSLC schools and traditional high schools.



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3. A study could be conducted comparing the

difference in teacher retention between SLC andtraditional high schools.

4. A study could be conducted on SLCs and their

impact on student performance for AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, andWhite subpopulations for the four 11th grade required TAKS tests.



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5. A study could be conducted in which different types

of Smaller Learning Communities are compared on

student performance.

6. A study could be conducted comparing the difference

in student achievement for the schools studied in thisresearch for multiple years.

7. A study could be conducted comparing traditional

small schools of 900 students or less to large schools of 1500 students or more that have implemented SLCs.



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Future transformation efforts must have

a core axis overhauling the inherentshortfalls of an outdated system of

delivering instruction that was designed

to reflect the 19th century industry model.



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As transformational discussions continue

toward the quest for change, I believethere is still much to learn about Smaller

Learning Communities and this design

will stay at the forefront of thismovement.



Thank You

Documents

The Impact of Smaller Learning Communities on Closing the Achievement Gaps among Student Population Groups in Texas High Schools PPT. - Dr. Elias Alex Torrez - Dissertation Chair: