Date

Winter 2021

ESRP 9000 Professor

David B. Ross, Ed.D.

ESRP 9001 Professor

David B. Ross, Ed.D.

Executive Summary

This strategic research project was designed to provide the school system for a large suburban county with an analysis of their organization. The analysis was completed through an evaluation of the school district’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The evaluation was completed by examining the school district’s internal and external factors. An internal analysis was conducted that identified 10 strengths and 10 weaknesses the organization had internally with the potential to hinder it from its goal of student success. The internal analysis was followed by an external analysis, which identified 10 environmental threats and 10 opportunities the school district may currently be facing or will possibly face in the future. Once all 40 factors were evaluated, 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses, 2 opportunities, and 2 threats were identified as having the most impact on the school district. Those 8 factors were then narrowed down to a single underlining problem within the school district.

The school district has large diverse student body population. Within the school district, 64% of the student population are minorities. Although the school district is located in a diverse community, the diversity among teachers working for the school district did not appear to reflect the surrounding community. Minority teachers are found to possess experiences, learning styles, and cultural beliefs that may differ from that of the majority White female teacher. These experiences and beliefs are found to significantly impact the social emotional, academic, and behavioral needs of minority students. Minority teachers are also found to increase the likelihood that minority students will begin a career in education. In an effort to support the school district increase diversity, four possible solutions were identified with the goal of recruiting and retaining minority teachers. These solutions included teacher salary increase, mentoring, implementation of Grow Your Own Programs, and a partnership between the school district and higher learning institutions.

The implementation of a mentoring program was found to be a solution that could improve the recruitment and retention rates of minority teachers within the school district. A Quantitative Strategic Plan Matrix was utilized to determine if the implementation of a Formal Mentoring Program or an Informal Mentoring Program would be most attractive to the school district. Due to the positive internal impact the implementation of a formal mentoring program would have on the school district, it was determined to be the best solution to support the school district personnel with increasing diversity among their staff. The selection of a solution was followed by the development of an action plan to implement the formal mentoring program over the course of an academic school year. The action plan included 4 goals that focused on mentor training, vii development of a positive mentor and mentee relationship, support with mentee responsibilities, and evaluation of mentoring program. Additional research on the possible extension of the formal mentoring program to include the surrounding higher learning institutions is recommended as it could provide additional support to the school district.

Document Type

Strategic Research Project-NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Language

English

Download
Share Feedback

Share

COinS