Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Anne Joslin
Committee Member
David Shellman
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Committee Member
Claudia Santin
Keywords
8th-grade students, Accelerated Reader, achievement gap, African American males, educational process, End of Grade test, homework completion, language arts teachers, middle schools, parent education, poverty, preschool, principals, reading achievement, school status, school tutors, small schools, Socratic Seminars, student achievement, student actions, test scores, theory and research, time-on-task, tracking
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to gain insight into the reading achievement gap of African American males in Grade 8 on the North Carolina (NC) End of Grade (EOG) test, to provide insight into 4 schools in NC. Schools in which this group of students scored better on the NC EOG test were compared with schools in which this group of students did less well on the NC EOG test. Two randomly selected low Level 1 schools and 2 randomly selected high Level 2 schools identified by the NC 1999-2000 EOG test scores of 8th-grade African American male students were visited. The low Level 1 and high Level 2 schools were selected to look at how the achievement gap may begin to close for African American males. The principals and 8th-grade language arts teachers were individually interviewed regarding preconditions of the students, school status, educational process, and student actions. The data from the interviews were compiled. The data were organized on a theoretic frame and analysis grid. The observed factors and outcomes were rated according to how often they occurred within the school. The research and theory from the literature review led to the placement of those benchmarks into the design. A research summary was completed. Those results were assessed and a report for the NC Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing the Gaps was developed. The primary focus of the applied dissertation was to develop a report with information that may help teachers assist 8th-grade African American males achieve the next higher level in reading (low Level 1 to high Level 2) on the 8th-grade EOG test and submit that report to the NC Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing the Gaps.
An analysis of the research review and school visitations revealed the following conclusions. When the 4 schools were visited many factors and theories did not appear to make a considerable difference in test scores. The theories and factors that appeared to make a difference were poverty and Accelerated Reader. Poverty and Accelerated Reader appeared to negatively impact test scores. The review research supported preschool, Socratic Seminars, homework completion, time-on-task, and small schools as factors that may increase student achievement. Parent education was identified by the review of research as a factor that contributes to student achievement. The research review supported poverty and tracking as factors that negatively impact student achievement. According to the research reviewed, school tutors did not impact student achievement.