A School for Our Children: A Case Study of a School Closing the Student Achievement Gap

This study examined the student achievement gap from the perspective of a school closing the student achievement gap. The intent of the dissertation was to discover or identify factors as to how an elementary school eliminates the student achievement gap as delineated by accelerative factors theory (AFT). In addition, the student achievement gap is an educational problem that emphasizes race. Critical race theory (CRT) was utilized to view how race and racism was situated in the school. These methodologies were chosen specifically to garner critical information of the efforts utilized by the parents, teachers and administrators to close the student achievement gap. Data was collected by interviews, observations, and public document review. The results from the data were synthesized and reported based on the research questions of the study. </p><p> Since the elementary school has made significant progress in closing and minimizing the student achievement gap, it was expected that the student achievement gap closing factors would exist in some or all of the data collected. The results of the study indicated that the research site obtained all of the factors in AFT. In addition, the acceptance of African American children was observed in the setting. This research is timely in response to the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and assistance to urban districts have difficulty with minimizing the student achievement gap. Several recommendations are posited for how school leadership can close the student achievement gap.

Name thesis:degree_name

EdD

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program for Education Leaders (IDPEL)

Year dc:date.available

2009

Author dc:creator

• Lamar, Monica Diane

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rodney K. Hopson
• Peter Miller
• George Yancy
• Jerome Taylor

• Student Achievement Gap
• Elementary School
• Case Study
• Accelerative Factors Theory
• Critical Race Theory
• Successful School

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/795

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-1811