The Logistics of Implementing a Field-Based Comprehensive School

Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 4-2014 The Logistics of Implementing a Field-Based Comprehensive School Reform Initiative Dawn E Reeves Western Michigan University, dawn.reeves@att.net Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Educational Leadership Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Reeves, Dawn E., "The Logistics of Implementing a Field-Based Comprehensive School Reform Initiative" (2014) Dissertations 260 https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/260 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU For more information, please contact wmu-scholarworks@wmich.edu THE LOGISTICS OF IMPLEMENTING A FIELD-BASED COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVE by Dawn E Reeves A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Educational Leadership, Research and Technology Western Michigan University April 2014 Doctoral Committee: Dr Louann Bierlein Palmer, Ed.D., Chair Dr Denny McCrumb, Ph.D Dr Mark Rainey, Ph.D THE LOGISTICS OF IMPLEMENTING A FIELD-BASED COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM INITIATIVE Dawn E Reeves, Ed.D Western Michigan University, 2014 This research is a qualitative, reflective case study regarding a cohort in the form of a district-university partnership between the Oak Park Schools in Oak Park, Michigan and the College of Education at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan The initiators of the program envisioned a more successful urban school district by offering training beyond the traditional professional development to district teachers with an incentive of a Master’s Degree The criteria of this particular initiative mandated that the program be field-based where all courses met in district buildings and be nontraditional, where all content was focused on the needs of the district while encapsulated within university requirements The narratives and findings of this study unveil some of the processes of its creation, design, implementation, and impacts it had on its participants during the cohort and 12 years after The analysis of the data reveals that the success of the program is directly related to its evolution as a professional learning community by its qualities and characteristics Copyright by Dawn E Reeves 2014 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My deepest gratitude is extended to Dr Louann Bierlein Palmer for her extreme guidance, utmost patience and unwavering persistence as my dissertation Chairperson and to Dr Denny McCrumb and Dr Mark Rainey for serving on my committee Special heartfelt thanks are presented to my mother Rita Leeds, brother Neal, and sisters Mindy and Michelle for their resolute support and for providing the inertia and momentum to keep going My sincerest gratefulness and appreciation reaches to Dr Alex Bailey, Dr Gary Marx, Dr Frank Rapley, Dr Ron Crowell and the teacher participants of the cohort – my educational journey has been profoundly impacted both personally and professionally by our learning community Dawn E Reeves ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Oak Park Schools Ethnography and Demographics of Oak Park Schools Previous District Reform Efforts The District-University Partnership Purpose Statement and Research Questions Rationale for the Study 10 Methodology Overview 11 Delimitations and Limitations of the Study 13 Definitions and Terms 13 Organization of the Study 15 II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 16 Urban Schooling 17 Attributes of Urban Schools 17 Efficacy and Isolation of Teachers 25 iii Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER The Achievement Gap: Myth or Reality? 27 Reformation, Renewal, and Transformation of Schools 38 Needed Reforms of the Early 21st Century 41 Amend Pedagogy and Practice of Teachers 43 Collaborative Leadership 44 Reculturation of Schools Into Learning Communities 45 The Change Process in Education 46 Failures of Reform and Renewal 49 PD as a Reform Potential 50 Purpose of PD 50 Failures of Traditional PD 52 Research-Based Best Practices for Effective PD 55 PD Models 59 Coaching and Mentoring 59 Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) 60 Professional Development Schools (PDSs) 71 School–University Partnerships 74 Master Teacher Programs 77 iv Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY 78 Research Design and Overview 78 Instrumentation 79 Data Collection Methods 82 Data Analyses 83 Organization of the Study 83 IV RESULTS OF THE STUDY ………………………………………………… 84 Description of Study Participants and Their Reflections ……………… 84 V EMERGENT THEMES, CONCLUSIONS AND REFLECTIONS …………106 Emergent Themes ……………………………………………………… 106 Theme 1: The Cohort was Designed with a Common Concrete Vision and Vision for Oak Park Schools …………………………………… 106 v Table of Contents—Continued CHAPTER Theme 2: The Initiators Were “Out-of-the-Box” Thinkers and Risk Takers Who Could Reflect, Create, and Reflect Again Spontaneously ……………………………………………………… 109 Theme 3: The Cohort was an Authentic Professional Learning Community Collegiality and Collaboration were Necessary Components …………………………………………………………… 111 Theme 4: Although a Non-Traditional Approach for Credits Leading to a Master’s Degree, There was Rigor and Relevance ……… 114 Theme 5: The Cohort Positively Impacted the Efficacy of Individual Teachers,Their Classrooms, and the District …………………………… 116 Theme 6: The Cohort was Built on Relationships That Have Been Sustained …………………………………………………………… 121 Narrative Theme Summary ………………………………………………………… 121 Summary and Connections to Other Research ………………………………… 123 Further Research Recommendations ……………………………………………… 127 Researcher’s Reflections …………………………………………………………… 127 REFERENCES 130 APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………… 153 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Wilms, in 2003, wrote: Every urban school district in America is struggling to improve student achievement with politicians professing to have solutions Improving teacher training, reducing class size, lengthening school days, testing students, and tying teachers’ salaries to test scores represent a few of the most mentioned proposals The reality is that most of these initiatives will fail to have any impact in the classroom The reason is because proposed remedies to educational decline are more than symbolic political gestures designed to win the confidence of voters Most have little to with the challenge of how to improve the quality of teaching and a child’s learning To make matters worse, most reforms are mandated by legislatures and school boards without consulting teachers and administrators, those closest to the scene of action Not surprisingly, teachers and administrators either ignore the mandates or comply minimally, safe in the knowledge that, in time, the reforms will “blow over.” (p 606) Marx (2001) contended that urban school reform is effective only to the degree to which change occurs in the classroom He wrote: In practice, teachers and administrators work hard doing what they think is best for students and their school; however, their daily activity is not always guided by the espoused set of district or state expectations regarding the intended 139 Hargreaves, A (2004) Standardization and the end of the knowledge society American Education Research Association San Diego, CA Haycock, K (1998) Good teaching matters: How well-qualified teachers can close the gap Thinking K-16 Washington, DC: The Education Trust, Inc Haycock, K (1999) Dispelling the myth: High poverty schools exceeding the expectations Washington, DC: The Education Trust Haycock, K (2001a) Closing the achievement gap Educational Leadership, 58(6) 2023 Higgins, K M (1999) Building the layers of a learning community in a school-based teacher education program In D M Byrd, Teacher Education Yearbook VII Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwan Press Holmes Group (1986) Tomorrow’s teachers: A report of the Holmes Group, Inc East Lansing, MI: Author Holmes Group (1990) Tomorrow’s schools: Principles for the design of professional development schools East Lansing, MI: Author Ingersoll, R (2003) Who controls teachers’ work? Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Jencks, C (1972) Inequality: A reassessment of the effect of family and schooling in America New York, NY: Basic Books Jencks, C., & Phillips, M (1998) The black-white test score gap Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press 140 Jett-Simpson, M., Pugach, M C., & Whipp, J (1992) Protrait of an urban professional development school San Francisco, CA: American Educational Research Association Jones, M (2001) Mentor’s perceptions of their roles in school-based training in england and germany Journal of Education for Teaching, 27(1), 75-94 Joyce, B., Wolf, J., & Calhoun, E (1993) The self-renewing school Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Joyner, E T (2000) No more drive-by staff development In P Senge (Ed.), Schools that learn A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education (pp 386-387) New York, NY: Doubleday Knight, P (2002) A systemic approach to professional development: Learning as practice Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(3), 229-241 Koeppen, K E., Hughey, G L., & Conner, K R (2000) Cohort groups: An effective model for a restrucutred teacher education program In D McIntyre & D Byrd, (Eds.), Research on effective models for teacher education (pp 136-152) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Kosnick, C., & Beck, C (2003) The contribution of faculty to community building in a teacher education program: A student teacher perspective Teacher Education Quarterly, (30), 99-114 Kozol, J (1991) Savage inequalities: Children in America's schools New York, NY: Harper Collins 141 Lanier, J E., & Little, J W (1986) Research on Teacher Education In M C Wittrock (Ed.) Handbook of research on teaching, 3rd ed (pp 527-569) New York: Macmillan Lee, V E., & Burkham, D T (2002) Inequality at the starting gate: Social background and differences in achievement as children begin school Washington, DC: Economic Polity Institute Lemlech, J., Hertzog-Foliart, B.R., & Hackl, A (1994) The los angeles professional practice school: A study of mutual impact In Darling-Hammond, L (Ed.), Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp 156175) New York: Teachers College Press Levine, A (2006) Educating school teachers Retrieved June 30, 2007, from The Education Schools Project: http://www.edschools.org/pdf/Educating_Teachers_Report.pdf Levine, A (2006) Educating School Teachers Princeton, NJ: The Education Schools Project Levine, M (1988) Professional practice schools: Building a model Washington, DC: Center for Restoring, American Federation of Teachers Levine, T H (2010) Tools for the study and design of collaborative teacher learning: The affordances of different conceptions of teacher community and activity theory Teacher Education Quarterly, 37(1), 109-130 Lewis, A C (1998) The importance of evidence Phi Delta Kappan, 79, 723-724 142 Lewis, A C (2002) Washington commentary: School reform and pd Phi Delta Kappan, 83(7), 488-489 Lieberman, A (1995) Practices that support teacher development Phi Delta Kappan, 76(8), 591-596 Lieberman, A., & Mace, D (2008) Teacher learning: The key to educational reform Journal of Teacher Education, 59(3), 226-234 Lieberman, A., & McLaughlin, M.W (1992) Networks for educational change: Powerful and problematic Phi Delta Kappan, 74, 673-677 Lieberman, A., & Miller, L (2000) Teaching and teacher development: A new synthesis for a new century In R S Brandt, Education in a New Era (pp 47-66) Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Lieberman, A., & Wood, D (2001) When teachers write: Of networks and learning (p 174) In A Lieberman & L Miller(Eds.), Teachers caught in the action: Professional development that matters New York, NY: Teachers College Press Little, J W (1982) Norms of collegiality and experimentation: Workplace conditions of school success American Educational Research Journal, 19(3), 325-40 Little, J W (1990) The perisitence of privacy: Autonomy and initiatives in teacher’s professional relations, Teachers College Record, 91(4), 509-535 Little, J W (1992) The black box of professional community (pp 157-178) In A Lieberman (Ed.), The changing contexts of teaching - ninety-first yearbook of the national society for the study of education, part Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press 143 Little, J W (1993) Teachers’ professional development in a climate of educational reform Educational evaluation and policy analysis, 15(2), 129-151 Little, J W (1996) The emotional contours and career trajectories of (disappointed) reform enthusiasts Cambridge Journal of Education, 26(3), 345-359 Lortie, D C (1975) Schoolteacher: A sociological study Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press Mack, P (2000) The case against prescriptive staff development In P Senge,, Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbood for educators, parents, and everyone else who cares about education New York, NY: Doubleday MacLennan, N (1995) Coaching and mentoring Brookfield, VT: Gower Publishing Ltd Mager, G M (1999) Taking measure of our work: Pdss and the matter of leadership: Overview and framework In D M Byrd, Teacher Education Yearbook VII Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwan Press Marshall, K (2003) A principal looks back: Standards matter Phi Delta Kappan, 85(2), 104-113 Marx, G E (2001) Instruction and organizational change in a school district as the result of a university partnership Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (Dallas, TX, March 14) 144 Marx, G E., Hunter, D., & Johnson, C (1997) Increasing student achievement: An urban district's search for success In K Lomotey, Urban Education (pp 529544) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc Marzano, R J., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J E (2001) Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Mathis, W J (2005) Bridging the achievement gap: A bridge too far? Phi Delta Kappan, 86(8), 590-593 McCotter, S (2001) Collaborative groups as professional development Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(6), 685-704 McDonald, J P (2001) Students' work and teachers' learning In A Lieberman & L Miller (eds.), Teachers caught in the action: Professional development that matters (pp 209-235) New York, NY: Teachers College Press McLanahan, S., & Sandefeur, G (1994) Growing up with a single parent Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press McLaughlin, M W., Pfiefer, R S., Swanson-Owens, D., & Yee, S (1986) Why teachers won’t teach Phi Delta Kappan, 67(60), 420-426 McLaughlin, M W., & Talbert, J E (1993) Contexts that matter for teaching and learning Stanford, CT: Center for Research on the Context of Secondary School Teaching, Stanford University McLaughlin, M W., & Talbert, J E (2001) Professional communities and the work of high school teaching Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press 145 McLaughlin, M W., & Talbert, J E (2010) Professional learning communities: Building blocks for school culture and student learning V’U’E’, Spring 2010, 3545 McLaughlin, M W., & Zarrow, J (2010) Teachers engaged in evidence-based reform: trajectories of teachers’ inquiry, analysis, and action In A Liebman, & L Miller (Eds.) Teachers caught in the action: Professional development that matters New York, NY: Teachers College Press McLymont, E F., & da Costa, J L (1998) Cognitive coaching: The vehicle for professional development and teacher collaboration Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA McWhorter, J H (2000) Losing the race: Self-sabotage in black america New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Meir, D (1992) Reinventing teaching Teachers College Record, 93(4), 594-609 Metropolitan Life (2003) Metlife survey of the American teacher New York, NY: Metropolitan Life Meyerson, A (2000) In S C Carter, No excuses: Lessons from 21 high-poverty schools Washington, DC: The Heritage Foundation Michigan Department of Education (2004) Michigan curriculum framework: Professional development www.mi.gov/edu Retrieved 9/8/2011 146 Miller, L S (1995) An American imperative: Accelerating minority educational advancement New Haven, CT: Yale University Press National Commission on Excellence in Education (1987) A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform Washington, DC: US Government Office National Commission on Teaching & America's Future (NCTAF) (1996) What matters most: Teaching for America’s future New York, NY: National Commission on Teaching & America's Future (NCTAF) National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) (2003) No dreams denied: A pledge to America’s children Washington, DC: Author Noguera, P (1998) Toward the development of school and university partnerships based upon mutual benefit and respect In Motion Magazine Retrieved 4/18/2009 (http://www.inmotionmagazine/pnsup1.html) Noguera, P (2003) City schools and the American dream: Reclaiming the promise of public education New York, NY: Teachers College Press Ogbu, J (1987) Variability in minority school performance: A problem in search of an explanation Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 18(4), 312-334 Ogbu, J (2003) Black american students in an affluent suburb Nahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Onosko, J., & Newmann, F (1994) Creating more thoughtful learning environments In J N Mangieri, Creating powerful thinking in teachers and students: Diverse perspective Ft Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc Perry, A B (2004) Deep change: Professional development from the inside out Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Education 147 Porter, J.W (1995) The sixteen-step strategic planning process: A proposal to the U.S Department of Education National Diffusion Network Ann Arbor, MI: Urban Education Alliance, Inc Center for Urban Educational Improvement Prall, C E., & Cushman, C L (1944) Teacher education in service Washington, DC: American Council on Education Redemer, J D (1999) Concerns of professionals involved in implementing a pds In D M Byrd, Research on professional development schools: Teacher education yearbook VII Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Redemer, J D., & Nourie, B L (1999) Research on professional development schools Teacher education yearbook vii In D Byrd & D McIntyre (Eds.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Reeves, D B (2006) The learning leader - how to focus school improvement for better results Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Richardson, V (2003) The dilemmas of pd Phi Delta Kappan, 84(5), 401-404 Riehl, M., & Polin, L (2001) Communities as places where learning occurs In S A Barab, R Kling & J Gray (Eds.) Designing for virtual communities in the service of learning Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press Rogers, V M (1945) When colleges lend a hand Educational Leadership, 3(1), 19-24 Sagor, R (1992) How to conduct collaborative action research Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 148 Sagor, R (2000) Guiding school improvement with action research Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Sanders, M.G (2005) Building school-community partnerships Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Sarason, S (1982) Culture of the school and the problem of change (2nd ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Sarason, S (1996) Revisiting the culture of the school and the problem of change Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon Scandura, T A., & Williams, E A (2001) An investigation of the moderating effects of gender on the relationships between mentorship initiation and protege perceptions of mentoring functions Journal of Vocational Behavior, 59, 342363 Schmoker, M (2010) Tipping point: From feckless reform to substantive instructional improvement Retrieved from Phi Delta Kappan (2010) General One File Web 22 Feb 2010 http://o-find.galegroup.com.catalog.wblib.org Schon, D A (1987) Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Senge, P (1990) The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization New York, NY: Doubleday Senge, P., et al (2000) Schools that learn: A fifth discipline fieldbook for educators, parents, and everyone who cares about education New York, NY: Doubleday 149 Sergiovanni, T (1994) Building community in schools San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass Sergiovanni, T J (2000) The lifeworld of leadership: Creating culture, community, and personal meaning in our schools San Franscisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Servage, L (2008) Critical and transformative practices in professional learning communities Teacher Education Quarterly, Winter, 63-77 Simmons, P., Emory, E., Carter, T., Coker, T, Finnegan, B., Crockett, D., et al (1999) Beginning teachers: Beliefs and classroom action Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33, 930-954 Snyder, J (1994) Perils and potentials: A tale of two professional development shools In L Darling-Hammond, (Ed.), Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp 98-125) New York, NY: Teachers College Sparks, D (2001) Advocating for powerful forms of professional development Washington, DC: National Staff Development Council Sparks, D (2002) Conversations about race need to be fearless: An interview with Glenn Singleton Journal of Staff Development, 23(4), 60-64 Sparks, D., & Loucks-Horsley, S (1990) Models of staff development In W R Houston (Ed.) Handbook of research on teacher education (pp 234-235) New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Co Sparks, D., & Hirsh, S (1997) A new vision in staff development Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Council 150 Steele, C (1999) Thin ice: 'Stereotype threat' and black college students Atlantic, August, 68-69 Steinberg, L (1996) Beyond the classroom New York, NY: Simon & Shuster Stiggins, R J (2002) A special section on assessment: Assessment crisis: The absence of assessment for learning Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 758-765 Su, A (1999) Creating an equal partnership for urban school and teacher education renewal: A California experience Research on PDSs: Teacher Education Yearbook VII D M Byrd & D J McIntyre (eds.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press Supovitz, J (2002) Developing communities of instructional practice Teachers College Record, 104(8), 1591-1626 Swafford, J (1998) Teachers supporting teachers through peer coaching Support for Learning, 13(2), 54-58 Teitel, L (1997) Changing teacher education through professional development school partnerships: A five-year follow-up study Teachers College Record, 99(2), 311334 Tinzmann, M B., Jones, B F., Fennimore, T F., Bakker, J., Fine, C., & Pierce, J (1990) What is the collaborative classroom? Retrieved August 2002 from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/rpl_esys/collab.htm Tomlinson, C A (2001) How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development 151 Trubowitz, S., & Longo, P (1997) How it works: Inside a school-college collaboration New York, NY: Teacher's College Press Tyack, D., & Cuban, L (1995) Tinkering toward utopia: A century of public school reform (pp 658-661) Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press United States Department of Education (1998) Turning around low-performing schools: A guide for state and local leaders Washington, DC: U S Department of Education Valli, L (1999) Collaboration: Building bridges to transform instititional cultures: Overview and framework In D M Byrd, Research on professional development schools: Teacher education yearbook VII Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press VanVelsor, E., McCauley, C D., & Ruderman, M (2010) Handbook of leadership development (3rd ed.) pp 1-6 San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Veenmann, S., Denessen, E., Gerrits, J., & Kentner, J (2001) Evaluation of a coaching program for cooperating teachers Educational Studies, 27(3), 317-340 Wenger, E (1998) Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity New York, NY: Cambridge University Press Westheimer, J (1998) Among school teachers: community, autonomy, and ideology in teachers’ work New York, NY: Teachers College Press Whitford, B (1994) Permission, persistence, and resistance: Linking high school restructuring with education reform In L Darling-Hammond (Ed.), Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession (pp 98-125) New York, NY: Teachers College Press 152 Wilms, W W (2003) Altering the structure and culture of American public schools Phi Delta Kappan, 84(8), 606-615 153 APPENDIX ... implementation, and impacts it had on its participants during the cohort and 12 years after The analysis of the data reveals that the success of the program is directly related to its evolution as a. .. clerical, and office personnel; and 17 administrators African Americans filled over 60% administrative, paraprofessional, clerical, and staff positions Females occupied about one half of the administrative... performance of African American and Hispanic students to that of white and Asian American students (Evans, 2005) Action research is a form of research that generates knowledge expressly for taking action