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A Case Study of Six High-Performing Schools in Tennessee

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Title: A Case Study of Six High-Performing Schools in Tennessee
Language: English
Authors: Craig, Jim, Butler, Aaron, Cairo, Leslie, III, Wood, Chandra, Gilchrist, Christy, Holloway, Joe, Williams, Sheneka, Moats, Steve, Appalachia Educational Lab., Charleston, WV.
Source: Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia (NJ1). 2005.
Availability: Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel: 800-624-9120 (Toll Free); Tel: 304-347-0400; Fax: 304-347-0487; e-mail: info@edvantia.org; Web site: http://www.edvantia.org.
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 73
Publication Date: 2005
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED), Washington, DC.
Document Type: Information Analyses
Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Elementary Secondary Education
Descriptors: Case Studies, Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, School Effectiveness, Institutional Characteristics, School Culture, Surveys, Interviews
Geographic Terms: Tennessee
Abstract: This study was undertaken to identify the common characteristics of high-performing schools in Tennessee, to determine if these features were consistent with what other studies of high-performing schools have reported, and to consider whether any of the identified components had any potential for being employed to improve student achievement in low-performing schools. Six schools (i.e., two elementary, two middle, and two high schools) were selected from a group of schools identified as high-performing based on a set of mathematics and English/language arts performance indicators. Interviews of teachers and administrators, based on Edvantia's Framework for Transforming Low-Performing Schools into High-Performing Learning Communities, were conducted in the six schools. In addition, a battery of surveys were administered to the schools teachers and administrators. School documents (e.g., student handbooks, school newsletters) were collected during school visits and were reviewed. The researchers found that high-performing schools in Tennessee were characterized by dedicated, hard-working teachers who were implementing curricula described as being aligned with state standards and working within school cultures of high expectations for student and teacher performance. Furthermore, school leaders were described as making teaching and learning the schools central focus. At these schools, teachers employed multiple assessment strategies and used data to make instructional decisions to implement differentiated teaching strategies in order to meet the learning needs of their students. For this particular set of high-performing schools in Tennessee, all of these things occurred in an environment of strong parent interest and community support. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest there are five things that teachers and administrators in low-performing schools might consider to improve student achievement: (1) Emphasize high expectations for student behavior and learning--if students are expected to behave and achieve, most will rise to the challenge. (2) Emphasize high expectations for teachers--effective teaching is hard work that always seems to present new challenges. (3) Work hard--getting and sustaining high levels of student achievement takes dedicated effort; high student achievement is not a state achieved but a process maintained.; (4) Focus on effective teaching--focus on mentoring, collaboration, meaningful professional development, and the use of data to make instructional decisions as the means by which teachers learn to develop and implement instruction adapted to the learning needs of students; and (5) Involve the parents--engage parents in the education of their children. [This document was produced by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, formerly the Appalachian Educational Laboratory (AEL, Inc.).]
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2005
Accession Number: ED489122
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel: 800-624-9120 (Toll Free); Tel: 304-347-0400; Fax: 304-347-0487; e-mail: info@edvantia.org; Web site: http://www.edvantia.org.
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  Data: This study was undertaken to identify the common characteristics of high-performing schools in Tennessee, to determine if these features were consistent with what other studies of high-performing schools have reported, and to consider whether any of the identified components had any potential for being employed to improve student achievement in low-performing schools. Six schools (i.e., two elementary, two middle, and two high schools) were selected from a group of schools identified as high-performing based on a set of mathematics and English/language arts performance indicators. Interviews of teachers and administrators, based on Edvantia's Framework for Transforming Low-Performing Schools into High-Performing Learning Communities, were conducted in the six schools. In addition, a battery of surveys were administered to the schools teachers and administrators. School documents (e.g., student handbooks, school newsletters) were collected during school visits and were reviewed. The researchers found that high-performing schools in Tennessee were characterized by dedicated, hard-working teachers who were implementing curricula described as being aligned with state standards and working within school cultures of high expectations for student and teacher performance. Furthermore, school leaders were described as making teaching and learning the schools central focus. At these schools, teachers employed multiple assessment strategies and used data to make instructional decisions to implement differentiated teaching strategies in order to meet the learning needs of their students. For this particular set of high-performing schools in Tennessee, all of these things occurred in an environment of strong parent interest and community support. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest there are five things that teachers and administrators in low-performing schools might consider to improve student achievement: (1) Emphasize high expectations for student behavior and learning--if students are expected to behave and achieve, most will rise to the challenge. (2) Emphasize high expectations for teachers--effective teaching is hard work that always seems to present new challenges. (3) Work hard--getting and sustaining high levels of student achievement takes dedicated effort; high student achievement is not a state achieved but a process maintained.; (4) Focus on effective teaching--focus on mentoring, collaboration, meaningful professional development, and the use of data to make instructional decisions as the means by which teachers learn to develop and implement instruction adapted to the learning needs of students; and (5) Involve the parents--engage parents in the education of their children. [This document was produced by the Appalachia Educational Laboratory at Edvantia, formerly the Appalachian Educational Laboratory (AEL, Inc.).]
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