The purpose of the study was to investigate how teachers at an elementary
campus located in the midst of a Colonia perceived their achieved academic recognition
when more rigorous federal and state standards seem to challenge even the most affluent
areas of the state and country. This interpretive qualitative research was conducted using
naturalistic inquiry techniques. Data were collected through two semi-structured
interviews, a focus group and a videotaped classroom session. Participants were
nominated by parents, the principal, and teachers from Colonia Elementary
(pseudonym).
According to these four women, their success, and in turn that of the students
resided in the fact that their students have been taught in a deeply nurturing environment
where their home, culture, and language have been embraced. Noted in this study were
four salient themes in the context of this Colonia school: (a) embracing the students’
culture and language; (b) campus-aligned standards and a language transition plan; (c)
environment of care, encouragement, and support with high expectations; and (d) clear and well-defined goals based on assessment results. These teachers operated out of the
context of what was needed in this Colonia. This study highlighted the strengths of four
teachers who achieved success for children living in Colonia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2700 |
| Date | 15 May 2009 |
| Creators | Gorordo, Guadalupe C. |
| Contributors | Gonzalez, Humberto, Webb-Johnson, Gwendolyn |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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