Date of Award
8-21-1990
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Advisor
Ronald A. Newell
Committee Member
Amanda Miles
Committee Member
David S. Flight
Keywords
basic skills, central Florida, communication, community involvement, decision making, district compliance, effective school characteristics, elementary schools, goal statement, kindergarten through five, parent involvement, questionnaires, Sadler Elementary School, school climate, school improvement, school mission, staff, student test scores, teacher involvement, urban schools
Abstract
This report describes a school improvement program for Sadler Elementary School. The school is located in a large urban area in central Florida and comprised of grades kindergarten through five. Some of the problems noted, which indicated a need for a school improvement plan, were: no noted school mission and goals, poor school climate, lack of teaching of basic skills, little parent/community/environment, and no teacher involvement in decision making.
Analysts of the problem indicated that a plan needed to be implemented in order to attain compliance of the, district identified, eleven effective school characteristics.
Strategies were employed to formulate, with teacher involvement and input in decision making, a school mission and goal statement. Attention was given to increasing instruction of basic skills, evidenced by observation and increased student test scores. A positive school climate was cultivated with increased teacher, parent, and community involvement in school decisions and activities and increased communication within the school and from the school to the parents and community.
Four of the eleven effective school characteristics, in March, 1990, were identified by 95 percent of the staff in response to the Effective School Characteristics and indicators Questionnaire as not being favorably met by 50 percent or more. In May, 1991, results indicated all characteristics were perceived as being highly effective with staff perceived non-compliance on the eleven effective school characteristics at eleven percent or below.