Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Dale Lamb

Abstract

This dissertation was designed to evaluate the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model on culture in a middle school setting. The school used in this study is a Title I school with low student achievement. The Learning Focused Schools model was implemented to provide comprehensive school reform strategies and solutions based on exemplary practices and research-based strategies. These practices and strategies focus on five areas: Planning, Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and School Organization. The study analyzed the effects of the Learning Focused Schools model on the school culture and how that, in turn, affects the academic achievement of the students.

The researcher compiled and analyzed data from the North Carolina Teacher Working Conditions Surveys that were administered before, during, and after the full implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model. The Learning Focused Impact Survey was developed and administered to teachers at the school to gain insight into the culture of the school and how much of an effect on that culture occurred due to the implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model. North Carolina Report Card Standardized Test Score data were used to measure the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model student achievement at the school.

The findings of the Teacher Working Conditions survey and the Learning Focused Impact survey indicate that the Learning Focused Schools model had a positive impact on the school's culture. There was no evidence that the implementation of the Learning Focused Schools model had any impact on student achievement.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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