Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Paul Borthwick
Committee Member
Scherrine Pitts
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic achievement, academic standards, academic tutoring, action research, assessments, Barnes, Cedar Shoals High School, community centers, curriculum improvement, dropout rate, education reform, empirical data, Georgia, Georgia High School Graduation Test, Gentlemen on the Move, graduation rate, leadership skills, learning communities, mentors, neighborhood community centers, ninth-grade initiative, parent involvement, school management, shared decision making, stakeholder engagement, student achievement, student athletes, student performance, Saturday School, standards-based education, teacher intervention programs, youth mentoring
Abstract
This applied dissertation examined the effects of raising academic standards as a means of improving student achievement. Empirical data from the Georgia High School Graduation Test Scores provided validation for addressing the dropout rate in Cedar Shoals High School as well as the less-than-acceptable graduation rate. Improving student achievement by raising academic standards for all students in the State of Georgia is the result of Governor Barnes’ education initiative for reform.
Specifically, this applied dissertation scrutinized how augmenting student achievement can be accomplished without coercion through shared decision making and learning communities. This action occurred while recognizing that standards and assessments are necessary tools to inform all stakeholders of curriculum improvement, dropout rates, graduation rates, and other changes in the management of the school that needed reviewing in facilitating improved student performance.
Finally, the following ideal solutions were implemented as interventions. Saturday School was used as a nonpunitive intervention and as a means to help students improve their scores on the Georgia Graduation High School Test. This intervention was used on the school site and in neighborhood community centers. The next intervention, Gentlemen on the Move, was an initiative that focused on the student athlete. These students met Tuesdays and Thursdays for academic tutoring and on Saturdays to participate in an academy that exposed them to different cultural activities, leadership skills, and opportunities to reflect on the previous week’s experiences. The final intervention was the ninth-grade initiative. This was an effort designed to mentor ninth graders, get the parents involved, as well as develop a rapport early with these new students.