The comprehensive high school in transition: A study of small learning community reform
Item
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Title
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The comprehensive high school in transition: A study of small learning community reform
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:f0e79f977e54:10092
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identifier
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10264
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Creator
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Dunetz, Mark C.,
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Contributor
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Nicholas Michelli
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Secondary education | Educational administration | High School | New York City | Reform | Restructuring | Small Learning Communities
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Abstract
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For over forty years, the dominant secondary high school model in urban school districts was the comprehensive high school. As various attempts to turn around failing high schools in the 1970s and 1980s failed, increasing numbers of educators, researchers, and policy makers began to question whether the comprehensive high school model was viable. The history of small school reform over the last two decades represents an ambitious attempt to remedy the perceived disconnect between school structures and desired outcomes. But while hundreds of small schools have been created in New York City over the last two decades, small high school reform as an exclusive response to underperformance has increasingly been seen as untenable. As a result, there has been renewed interest in structures which allow for more personalized educational experiences while maintaining large schools intact. Small Learning Communities represent one such structure and this study examines an attempt to create semi-autonomous institutes within a comprehensive high school.;The data analyzed for this research were generated during the planning phases of this project (2005-2006) and during the first two years of implementation (2006-2008). The quantitative data analyzed included standardized exam scores, demographic indicators, class lists and course offerings, course passing rates, credit accumulation patterns, the results of diagnostic tests, and attendance rates. In addition, this research involved an analysis of a range of qualitative data generated by the reform process including organizational charts, meeting minutes, and memos. Finally, the researcher conducted observations of a wide range of school settings and interviewed key stakeholders.;Findings indicate that the creation of semi-autonomous institutes were related to positive shifts in school culture for teachers and created the potential for increased academic performance. These shifts in faculty perceptions of school culture were related to improved communication, expanded professional opportunities, and more robust relationships between adults and students. Involving broader segments of a school's faculty in decision-making was found to generate broader investment in collective goals and more effective problem solving but was not in itself sufficient to generate consensus around contested goals or to result in changes to instructional practice.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Urban Education
