Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Meline Kevorkian
Committee Member
John Lustig
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
discipline, ethnographic study, Goodyear Elementary School, In-School Suspension, leadership structure, organizational strategies, professional development, school climate, school climate inventory, school culture, staff involvement, student interviews, student learning, student satisfaction, teacher-student relationships
Abstract
This applied dissertation was focused on involving the staff at Goodyear Elementary School in fostering an orderly environment for student learning by implementing an In-School Suspension (ISS) program. This was an ethnographic study and provided a descriptive approach of the school’s culture and organizational structure. The applied dissertation included several initiatives in the implementation of the ISS program, which were a School Climate Inventory (SCI), organizational strategies, leadership structure, professional development, and student interviews.
Results of the applied dissertation indicated that the implementation of the ISS program had a positive impact on the school’s climate. The staff was involved in leadership and decision making at the school, and student interviews evidenced their feelings of satisfaction, self-value, and positive teacher-student relationships. The SCI evidenced some positive changes in staff perceptions of the school’s climate.