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No description available.

Charter school expansion is on the forefront of educational reform. There is currently little research on what issues charter school organizations face when they expand, how specific organizational structures are implemented during a charter school expansion process, and which structures provide a favorable outcome of the expansion. The overall goal of this study was an in-depth analysis of two expanding charter schools. This qualitative two-site case study examined several select issues that charter schools face during expansion, with the goal of identifying differences in approach, and evaluating outcomes of the expansion in the light of these differences. Two urban charter school organizations within the same city were chosen for this case study. The following are the four specific research questions addressed: 1) What issues did the selected charter school organizations face when they were expanding? 2) What type of organizational system did the charter schools have and how did that system facilitate their expansion? 3) How was information communicated during the Charter School Organizations' expansion? 4) How did the selected charter school organizations handle heightened turbulence during the expansion period? The primary sources were: 1) data obtained through interviews with three school administrators within each organization; and, 2) data collected via questionnaires in order to determine administrator's approaches to decision making, strategic plans, and communication flow within each organization. The data were analyzed and the research reflects an in-depth analysis of the varying level of turbulence experienced by each charter school organization including factors and decisions that impacted each organization's expansion process. The findings indicate that there are a variety of internal factors and external obstacles that charter school organizations must consider and ultimately overcome before and during a charter school organizational expansion. The results of these findings suggest that each organization experienced varying levels of turbulence when expanding due to a multitude of factors including relationships with stakeholders, community support, school performance, as well as the availability of resources including students, facilities, finances, and staff. Ironically, the levels of turbulence experienced by each charter school organization were quite different given the variety of factors that impacted each charter school organization's expansion. Additionally, there were only a few areas in which each charter school organization experienced similar levels of turbulence to one another. These findings indicate that while at times each charter school organization may have faced different levels of turbulence, given a variety of internal and external factors, it did not appear that these varying levels of turbulence prevented either charter school organization from expanding. Furthermore, the degree of turbulence experienced by different individuals within iv each charter school organization, based upon their positionality, was influenced by a multitude of factors that are both controllable and uncontrollable. These factors that impact the level of turbulence experienced by each organization include the organizational structure, stakeholder involvement, and the flow of communication. The benefit of this study is to better understand the variety of factors both internal and external that influence and contribute to a charter school expansion and to better understand the varying degrees of turbulence experienced by all stakeholders involved in a charter school while the organization is expanding. The results of this study provide insight regarding varying factors charter school organizations should consider when expanding and how decisions are made and communicated to all stakeholders while simultaneously considering the impact these decisions have on all individuals. / Educational Leadership

The question of why smart Black girls get in trouble is in need of an answer, particularly when the answer is provided from a smart Black girl’s perspective. In the past decade, researchers have suggested that school bonds amongst students and between students and adults can have a direct impact on the success of the student (Roorda, 2011). This research is particularly relevant as it pertains to school bonds for high achieving students of color within urban school environments (Archer-Banks, 2012; Eisele, 2009). Directly related to this conversation is how school bonds or teacher-student relationships are impacted by school discipline policies and how these policies affect student performance and perception towards school. The school discipline research speaks to clear disparities which suggest that students of color are disproportionately targeted and are frequently given more severe punishments than their peers (Crenshaw et al., 2015; Kinsler, 2010; Monroe, 2005; Townsend, 2000). While Black boys surpass all other students in terms of disproportionate disciplinary sanctions in school, Black girls are not far behind as the most highly targeted race amongst female students (Black et al., 2011; Jordan et al., 2009; Monroe, 2005). With the questions: how do high achieving Black female students conceptualize the cause of their own actions as they navigate classrooms and corridors especially behaviors categorized as discipline issues and 2) what effect does the institution’s discipline of them or their experience of that discipline have on their future aspirations, this study builds on the literature about the self-expressed experiences of African American girls by interviewing eight participants who fit the seemingly contradictory criteria of being high achieving students involved in excessive disciplinary infractions. The study finds that students identify two key areas as propellers of their misbehavior: a contentious teacher-student relationship and personal stress caused by home related issues or negative relationships with peers. Students expressed clear frustration with the discipline policies and felt that past discipline practices did not consider what caused misbehavior resulting in unfair discipline consequences. In fact, students often labeled the school as being unaware of their true self. Despite the high frequency of their involvement with the discipline system, most participants’ view of their personal self was not negatively impacted and all students had positive views of their future success. / Urban Education

This qualitative study focused on understanding the process immigrant Latina/o families in the greater Los Angeles area underwent when selecting a charter school for their children. Through narrative interviews, 13 participants shared their perspectives of how and why they chose a charter school, and detailed the factors they considered in their selection process. Through the theoretical framework of cultural community wealth, social and cultural capital, participants answered the research question why and how do immigrant Latina/o parents research and apply to charter schools, and what are the factors they consider in the decision-making process? Participants described social networks as connections to charter schools their children attended. They indicated reasons for selecting a charter school included a desire for a better educational opportunity than what they had encountered in the traditional public school environment. They viewed education as a vehicle for upward social mobility and understood the value of a quality education in helping achieve this outcome. Participants described their commitment to their children and families as a driving force behind their selection to actively search a better educational environment, which they found in charter schools. The primary factors parents considered when selecting a charter school were the school’s proximity and location, the attentiveness of teachers, the support of students’ learning needs and challenges, a welcoming community, the school’s leadership, staff who were able to communicate with parents in their native language as well as an active community of parents who demonstrated interest and involvement in the school.

An arts equity gap exists in K–12 grade education. African American and Latinx students have fewer opportunities for access to arts education than do White students. In California, charter schools have an opportunity to address the equity gap for students in those demographic groups. The goal of this qualitative case study was to observe how Kahlo Charter Elementary School, an urban charter elementary school in Los Angeles County, implemented an arts integrated curriculum and to identify benefits and challenges for fourth and fifth grade students of color enrolled at the school. Aesthetic learning (Bose, 2008; Denaway, 2013; Greene, 1978, 1995, 2001; Holzer, 2009), arts integration (Silverstein & Layne, 2010), and Different Ways of Knowing (DwoK) (Johannesen, 1997, 2004) formed the conceptual framework for this study. Participants included fourth- and fifth-grade Latinx and African American students, one 12th-grade student, one parent each, grade level teachers, and arts specialist teachers, and administrators. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, a focus group, observation of classes and observations of school events. Inductive analysis was used to identify themes in the data. The approach at the school was primarily a constructivist, arts-integrated curriculum. Teachers created units from primary source materials and discipline specific visual and performing arts courses complimented the arts-integrated curriculum. Students evidenced increased self confidence, ease of self expression, development of imagination, engagement with school, and empathy of others. However, challenges included uneven implementation across classrooms. The study serves as an example for charter school leaders interested in planning an arts integrated curriculum and provides school leaders with a model program to analyze.

Research clearly indicates that parental involvement plays an essential role in the educational process of any student regardless of grade level. However, technology is changing the way schools communicate, which affects the way parents are involved in their children’s education. Research on the digital divide indicates that there are differences in access based on race and family income. In other words, lower income and minority families tend to have less access to technology, and therefore may be less able to fully participate in schools. This issue of social justice was investigated at a small charter school located in West Los Angeles, California, where the researcher was an administrator. Over the past several years, there had been a demographic shift in enrollment. Teachers and administrators noticed a problem related to parental involvement at the school and all school communication relied on technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intersection of technology and parental involvement at West Los Angeles Charter (WLAC). Applying the theoretical lens of Epstein’s (1988) work on parental involvement and Davis’s (1989) work on technology acceptance, the administrator-researcher interviewed 16 parents, stratified by income level to guarantee that various experiences were represented, and concluded that while all parents expressed interest in being involved in their child’s education, barriers limited that involvement, particularly for the lower-income families. These barriers included issues related to language rather than issues related to access, which WLAC will be able to address to support parental involvement among all families.

No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact achievement for African-American males in a charter school in hopes of providing insight as well as recommendations into effective ways to close the academic achievement gap between African-American males and their counterparts, specifically the so-called “achievement gap” through examination of leadership and other correlates of a successful school. Lastly, the habits of an effective leader and his impact on the belief system, values and behaviors in an African-American male charter school and the influence he has on teachers, parents and students was examined. Thirty participants responded to an online survey sent to teachers, parents and students. Two school principals, one past and the other current were interviewed. Data was collected through a single bounded longitudinal study for a period of six years. A holistic analysis of the entire case was conducted. Through this data collection, a detailed description of the case emerged in which detailed such aspects as the history of the case, the chronology of events, or the day-by-day rendering of the activities of the case. After this description, common or emerging themes were identified in an effort to identify lessons learned from the case. Qualitative analysis of the data provided evidence to support the three themes that emerged from the data collection. This research revealed the most important factor in African-American males and achievement is effective leadership, without that nothing else matters, with that everything is possible. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed the leader must see himself as the instructional leader in his school, have a shared belief system that all children can and will learn, and facilitate a culture that empowers students and teachers alike. Results of this research investigation provide implications and recommendations for all schools educating African-American males in single-gender environments, particularly for the administrators who lead these schools.