Case Study of a Successful High-Poverty Urban Elementary School

ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Case Study of a Successful High-Poverty Urban Elementary SchoolThe purpose of this study was to investigate and describe teaching strategies and the learning climate in classrooms of a successful high-poverty urban elementary school, as well as to identify those factors that contribute to the high achievement of students who attend a high-poverty urban elementary school. The study focused on an examination of the positive components of the selected school, which was located on the east coast of the United States. A single case study design was the methodology used in this qualitative research study. To achieve triangulation, the methods used to gather the data for this study included interviewing stakeholders, observing personnel and situations, and reviewing documents. Saphier and Gower's (1997) parameters of teaching were used to code the collected data. The research questions addressed teaching strategies, behaviors of teachers, the role of the principal as the school's leader, and the impact of parents/school community members' partnerships on the learning climate of the school. The most common factors that appeared to contribute to the learning climate of the school included personal relationship building, learning experiences, and teacher beliefs about schools and schooling. Considering the available timeline for conducting observations for this case study, the most frequently noted teaching strategies fell within the management parameters, the instruction parameters, and the motivation parameters. Administrators, teachers, and community members could use the results of this study to identify factors that they might be able to integrate into their programs to improve their students' achievement levels.

Author

• Hernandez, Miriam

Language

• en

Keyword

• Urban Schools
• High-Poverty
• Teaching Strategies
• School Community

Date created

• 2009

Type of Work

• Dissertation

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Educational Leadership & Administration

Degree

• Ed.D.

Advisor

• Howerton, Everett B.

Committee Member(s)

• Williams, Gladys T.
• Brownley, Blanche S.
• Bell, Gregory E.
• Paratore, Salvatore R.

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/9019s2728