CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN

The primary goal of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District is to become a premier school district in the USA



Acknowledgement

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

Table of Content

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION5

Purpose of study14

The problem statement15

Research questions15

Definitions of Terms16

Significance of the study18

Conclusion18

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW20

Difficulties in Metropolitan School20

School size21

Smaller Learning Communities25

ASKING THE QUESTION OF “WHAT WORKS”IN REFORM AND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL—A MULTILEVEL APPROACH31

Structural/organizational characteristics33

Attitudes, norms, and beliefs of staff34

Climate/empowerment/experiential characteristics and features of the school and district34

Capacity/skills35

Practice/procedural variables35

Randomized and Quasi-Experimental Project HiPlaces Studies of SLC36

Some Illustrative Findings of Impact and Implementation36

Essential Features Of Metropolitan School40

Structural and Organizational Elements of Premier school41

Team structures42

Practice and Process Aspects of Successful Premier school44

Enhancement of Teacher and Student Motivation and Competencies Through Small Communities for Learning50

Violence in schools53

The School Social Environment and Violence55

Premier school Teacher/Student Relationships57

Success in Premier school58

Premier school Classroom Culture59

School Physical Environment and Violence59

Premier school Administrators as Instructional Leaders61

Premier school High-stakes standardised tests69

Premier school Curriculum, Instruction, and Testing72

Premier school Transactional Analysis73

Premier school Assessment78

Premier school Ethics81

OVERVIEW OF NCLB88

Human issues and Cultural Expectations90

The Similarity Paradigm94

The Diversity Paradigm94

The Diversimilarity Paradigm95

Assessing the Paradigms97

Moving Towards the Diversimilarity Paradigm100

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY103

Research Design103

Literature Search106

Chapter 1: Introduction

Over the past 20 yr there has been a paradigm shift gathering momentum with regard to the professional development of teachers in shcools. Fueled by the complexities of teaching and learning within a climate of increasing accountability, this reform moves professional development beyond merely supporting the acquisition of new knowledge and skills for teachers. In their article on policies that support professional development, Taylor (1996) write, “The vision of practice that underlies the nation's reform agenda requires most teachers to rethink their own practice, to construct new classroom roles and expectations about student outcomes, and to teach in ways they have never taught before” (para 1). Taylor (1996) go on to note that helping teachers rethink practice necessitates professional development that involves teachers in the dual capacities of both teaching and learning and creates new visions of what, when, and how teachers should learn. This most recent model of professional development ultimately requires a fundamental change in the institutional structures that have governed schooling, as it has traditionally existed.

One model that has evolved as a way of supporting this paradigm change is that of professional learning communities (PLCs). Although, current professional development literature is replete with articles that extol the virtues of learning communities as an essential way to organize schools in order to maximize time spent in professional development, only recently has the focus of this literature shifted to examining empirically the changes in teachers' practices and students' learning as a result of PLCs. Although, teachers' perceptions about the value of PLCs are both valid and valuable, understanding the outcomes of these endeavors on teaching practice and student learning is crucial, particularly in today's era of scarce resources and accountability. With this in mind, the purpose of this manuscript is to provide a review of the research available ...