META-COGNITIVE STRATEGIES

METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES AND ATTRIBUTES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

AT-RISK STUDENTS SUCCESS AT ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS:

A CASE FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH AREA

by

John R. Ouma, M.Ed.

DOUGLAS DEWITT, Ph.D., Faculty Mentor and Chair

SAM SONG, Ph.D., Committee Member

DENESE WEEMS, Ph.D., Committee Member

Barbara Butts Williams, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Capella University

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

The bedrock of literature in this study is undoubtedly A Nation at Risk, as referenced above. This book called the plight of the at-risk student and the state of affairs in the American educational system to public light. This book truly serves as the frame of reference for the societal recognition and treatment of at-risk students since this sub-population has been identified. While this group of students is a diverse one, certain tenets and practices of education have known to be universally true and/or applicable to this group, and this book is the foundation of understanding this unique and persistent challenge in education.

Three studies that came out relatively soon thereafter include William E. Gardner's “A Nation at Risk: Some Critical Comments” (2004) and Richard Sagor's “Perhaps the Nation is At Risk After All” (2006). These studies explore the arguments presented in A Nation At Risk, and explore more angles of the root problem, which is the success of at-risk students—as well as the health of the American Educational system as a whole. The third study takes a rather reproachful stance, “A Response to A Nation at Risk: More Looking and Less Leaping” by Phil Vik (2004), which cautions against a knee-jerk reaction to the problem that has become a buzzword in education since the original book's publication.

A critical contemporary study aligned with A Nation at Risk is Thad Hall's “A Nation Reformed? American Education 20 Years after a Nation at Risk” (2003), which endeavors to examine the changes in education and the subsequent results that came about as a direct result of the publication of A Nation at Risk. What has changed? What hasn't? Is it for the better overwhelmingly or not? This is an important study because it bridges the gap between the foundational literature for this study and the current educational climate.

Lubieski (2001) laments that “frustrated with the one-size-fits-all model of traditional public schools, charter school opponents, and parents place their hope in the ability of autonomous schools to provide an array of options for children and to offer some competition for Moribud district schools” (Lubieski, p. 1).

Another key component to the literature available on this topic is the NO Child Left Behind appendix specifically addressing charter schools. Many of the stipulations of NCLB are applicable to charter schools as well as traditional schools, but the application of these regulations varies depending on the schools—which can operate in vastly different ways from their traditional counterparts. This document clarifies and explains what this key piece of education legislation means for charter schools.

Just like public schools, charter schools across the country are subject to NCLB testing requirements. Students in ...