This dissertation presents an overview of the accountability measures that shape kindergarten teachers’ definition and perceptions of effective teaching in racially diverse classrooms. The impact of school reforms such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has presented outcomes where teachers’ instructional practices and school administrators’ leadership styles have become the focal point. In addition to the scrutiny that teachers and school leaders face, racially diverse students are facing great disparities in terms of their academic performance. These disparities are also known as the “achievement gap.” In Florida standardized test data from grades 3-10 show disparities in the achievement of racially diverse students. Research contends that the achievement gap is now evident as early as kindergarten. With scholarship suggesting the achievement gap starts in kindergarten, there was a need to understand the perceptions of kindergarten teachers as they implemented instructional practices in racially diverse kindergarten classrooms. The purpose of this qualitative case study was (1) to understand the teachers’ definition and perceptions of effective teaching in racially diverse kindergarten classrooms in a North Florida School District; (2) understand how accountability measures shaped their definition and perceptions of effective teaching in their racially diverse classrooms. The main finding of this study was that the teachers’ definition and perceptions of effective teaching was indeed shaped by the school’s accountability paradigm. Although their definition and perceptions were shaped by the same core values outlined in the schools’ accountability paradigm, they each implemented instructional strategies through high expectations differently. This final chapter of this dissertation includes how the findings interact with the conceptual framework of this study and recommendations for stakeholders and future research are listed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 20, 2018. / Accountability, Instructional Strategies, Racially Diverse Classrooms, Teacher Perceptions / Includes bibliographical references. / Ayesha Khurshid, Professor Directing Dissertation; Stephen McDowell, University Representative; Kristal M. Clemons, Committee Member; Stephanie Zuilkowski, Committee Member; Robert Schwartz, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_653464 |
| Contributors | Mays, Taka S. (author), Khurshid, Ayesha (professor directing dissertation), McDowell, Stephen D., 1958- (university representative), Clemons, Kristal Moore (committee member), Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons (committee member), Schwartz, Robert A. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Education (degree granting college), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting departmentdgg) |
| Publisher | Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text, doctoral thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (89 pages), computer, application/pdf |
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