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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- Recent emphases on accountability reform mandates for failing high-poverty urban schools that demand increased standardization and attach high-stakes for non-compliance suggest a one-size-fits-all remedy for improvement that denies consideration of contextual factors. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to investigate teacher perceptions of education reform mandates within the context of high-poverty urban schools. Quantitative data were collected via a cross-sectional survey developed and administered by the researcher to 71 content area teachers of grades 3-12 in the 19 Miami-Dade County Education Transformation (ET) Schools (the district’s high-poverty urban schools that were identified by the state of Florida for turnaround). A second, data collection phase that consisted of conducting semi-structured interviews of nine content area teachers followed and provided the qualitative data. Descriptive statistics were used to examine and analyze survey data for percentages and frequencies. Content analysis was used to identify patterns and themes in the qualitative data from the interviews. The two data sets were then mixed using the mixed methods connecting strategy. Findings from this study suggest that obtaining an understanding of the current status quo and the context of high-poverty urban schools and their classrooms is essential for establishing a climate in which change may occur and be sustained. Results also suggest that mandating the standardization of curriculum and instruction in high-poverty urban schools is not perceived by teachers in those schools to be the most appropriate means for ensuring that the needs of students in such schools will be met. In order to accommodate the needs of their students, teachers believe they must be permitted to retain some level of autonomy as it pertains to instructional decision making in their classrooms. Furthermore, current procedures which are intended to give oversight to the implementation of reform mandates must be modified to provide multiple opportunities for more thorough observation that is not divorced from teacher input or consideration for contextual factors.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2012.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-130).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Andrea L. Sutton. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LC5131.S87 2012_SuttonAndrea ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LC5131.S87 2012 ( lcc )
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