Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Daniel P. Czaplewski
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic achievement, academic diagnostic assessment, alternative education high school, attendance, case management, character education, classroom practices, community involvement, consultation, educational improvement, individualized instruction, intervention programs, monthly training, nontraditional education, orientation, policy development, program effectiveness, resilience, school performance, school success, secondary education, social success, state standards, students, support service staff, teacher development, urban youth
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to address the need to improve the educational profile of an urban alternative education high school that failed to meet one or more of the state's standards for achievement, attendance, and school performance. A character education curriculum holistic case management program was developed to address this problem.
The program provided students with a three-focus educational strand instructional program: Case management intervention, academic diagnostic assessment, and an individualized planning and instructional curriculum to achieve school success. The writer presented a comprehensive intervention service that required all participants to attend a mandatory orientation, community-based involvement, consultation, and monthly school training to obtain appropriate practices in the classroom.
An analysis of data revealed that students receiving a quality program enhanced their skills, tools, and knowledge needed to become resilient and academically and socially successful. The teachers and support service staff showed improvement in all areas that affected the students; however, their needs were never addressed. More important, the ongoing consultations and monthly meetings allowed immediate feedback on how the information received could be implemented as a strategy or technique to improve the current school practices, training needs, and in the shaping of policies and procedures.