Experiences of District Leaders, Principals, and Teachers Implementing Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts
Open AccessAbstract of DissertationExperiences of District Leaders, Principals, and Classroom Teachers Implementing Common Core State Standards in English/Language ArtsOver the past 60 years, the federal government has paid much attention to and devoted resources for combating reading failure for children in the United States. Several policies have been enacted over time, from the Reading Excellence Act of 1985, to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, to the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in 2010. Despite this increased focus over time, reading achievement scores as evidenced by the Nation’s Report Card for Reading (National Assessment for Educational Progress, 2019), has remained stagnant since 2009. Therefore, the data from NAEP testing presents a problem: How is it that millions of dollars in funding to boost America’s students achievement produce such lackluster results? What is happening from the time of policy enactment to the time of policy implementation in the classroom? Using Spillane & Reiser et. al.’s Sensemaking Framework (2002) as a lens, this qualitative study sought to determine factors that contribute to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts “working” as perceived by leaders and teachers in a common district. The data demonstrated four key findings: (a) leaders led with standards as the foundation, (b), communication is key, (c) focused teacher collaboration, and (d) teacher autonomy to make instructional decisions. This study contributes to the research on policy implementation as it demonstrates what stakeholders can do for implementation of a policy to work in their districts.
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