<p>Public education practitioners are currently experiencing difficult and trying times in Illinois. Schools are asked to meet high standards established by political forces and to accomplish these tasks with less money. Schools located in affluent school districts are capable of meeting these standards while schools from poorer districts are falling behind. This study was conceived to find out why Blair High School, which has more than 50% of its student body living in poverty, is capable of meeting high standards. </p><p> The results of this study yielded four main themes: 1) Students attributed their success to teachers that cared about them. 2) Students were motivated by a desire to have a better future than their parents. 3) Focusing on student learning rather than state test scores contribute to the success of the school. 4) The school environment contributes to student success. </p><p> The implications for schools located in high poverty school districts are clear. Students living in poverty need caring relationships with their teachers as well as positive human interaction. In addition, students living in poverty may be the most motivated students in the building by their desire to have a better future and not live in poverty any more. Therefore, schools should provide people, places and programs that deliver an education that helps them succeed. This can be accomplished by implementing strategies found in Invitational Theory. Also, schools would be wise to implement tutoring and mentoring programs in order to provide strong foundational skills for students living in poverty, as this develops confidence in the student and confidence leads to success. </p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3572654 |
| Date | 02 October 2013 |
| Creators | Beattie, Larry J. |
| Publisher | Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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