School divisions and principals are tasked with meeting state standards and federal annual measurable objectives (AMOs), as well as with closing the achievement gaps that exist in schools. To accomplish this mission, organizational learning, specifically the use of protocol-structured discussions, has become a fundamental component of school reform processes. Protocols to examine professional practice, engage in data-driven decision-making (DDDM), and look at student work have gained more notoriety as school reform strategies in K-12 education.
The purpose of this single-case embedded common qualitative case study was to examine and describe how Uprising Elementary School (UES), in the mid-Atlantic part of the United States, made changes during the school reform process that benefited students from 2012 to 2015. Qualitative data were collected through interviews, focus groups, observations, document reviews, and reflexive notes. I used NVivo 11 Pro to store the data transcripts by creating specific nodes and the constant comparative analysis method to determine themes in the data collected. During triangulation, the multiple sources of data of data kept the qualitative data reliable and accurate. The six findings included: (a) organization of the staff into organizational learning structures created a uniform system of continuous improvement, (b) leadership was a key element influencing the overall success of UES, (c) protocols can be organized into a professional learning model to promote organizational learning, (d) the professional learning model had a profound impact on organizational learning and teacher leadership, (e) the implementation of protocols had a positive effect on school culture, and (f) the strategic implementation of protocol-structured discussions as a school reform strategy transformed learning. / Ed. D. / School-based leaders and teachers have the most difficult job in public education, as they are tasked with meeting federal and state standards by raising test scores. To accomplish this task, they are expected to find ways to meet the needs of all students by working collectively. One of the strategies schools are using as a school reform strategy is highly structured discussions using a specific protocol.
The purpose of this case study was to examine and describe how one school made changes during the school reform process that benefited students from 2012 to 2015. This study involved an analysis of data from interviews and focus groups with administrators and teachers, as well as and observations with two collaborative learning teams (CLTs). The data collected from these sources provided a better understanding of the work that was being done at the school to affect professional learning and student achievement. Results indicated the success of the school was based on six findings: (a) organizing staff as a group to create one structure for continuous improvement, (b) leadership was a key element influencing the overall success of the school, (c) organizing protocols to create a model for professional learning, (d) the professional learning model had an impact on teacher leadership, (e) implementing protocols had a positive effect on school culture, and (f) implementing protocols as a school reform strategy changed learning. Further research is needed in the development of a strategic process to look at student work collectively to examine teaching practices as a school reform strategy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/76748 |
| Date | 03 April 2017 |
| Creators | Mitchell, Clint Michael |
| Contributors | Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Patrizio, Kami M., Greer, Janet Agnes, Mallory, Walter D., Glenn, William Joseph |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
Page generated in 0.0022 seconds