A View From Within: A School Founder's View of Educating Children from the Inside Out

<p>The media and political affiliations often color the view of charter schools within different sectors of the community. However, there is no argument that there is much to be done improve achievement in our public school systems across the country, especially those who educate high numbers of often marginalized populations. This study looks at one charter school in Chicago, Illinois, which has a focused mission and vision to “Educate Children from the Inside Out.” It examines the school through the social science portraiture method. Data collection includes interviews with current and former staff and students, observations, review of school documents, and reflections of the writer who also founded the school but currently works in another setting. In creating the school’s portrait, the methods of Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot are highly utilized to find common themes and trends that highlight the successful practices, which undergird the school’s overall positive affect on students. Through the voices of alumni more than 10 years after their education began at the school, the teachers who spent more than a decade creating and serving it and the parents who took a chance on a new school and enrolled their kids in an unproven entity, themes for school success emerged. As the school embarks on yet another difficult transition in leadership, the hope is that these trends can help solidify ongoing practices within the school that led to success with this diverse student population.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Public Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Slade, Allison B

Contributors dc:contributor

• Harrington Gibson
• Sandra Stringer
• Jason Stegemoller

• Charter Schools
• Namaste Charter School
• Collective Efficacy
• Educational Leadership

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/257

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-1267