The Promise of School Choice: Local School Control Efforts to Close the Achievement Gap in the Federal Context of Accountability

Within the past five years there is no evidence that African American student standardized test scores on average have increased. This is not concluding that Schools of Choice has a negative effect on African American student achievement, but it is not showing any positive effects that can be related to student achievement. Additionally, stakeholders that were interviewed responded that they did not think that choice was working and did not see any connection to it raising African American student achievement, instead it placed the burden of diversity primarily on the backs of the African American community. This research concluded that the implementation and development of school choice must include: long-term planning, training, and professional development opportunities for teachers and building administrators, a greater attempt to build trust with African American families through community outreach, and continuous evaluation of the choice program so that the system does not experience unexpected or unwarranted results.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Williams, Dawn Germaine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Laurence Parker

• Education, Administration

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3086216

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/79742