A descriptive case study of African American male charter schools' academic culture, 2018
Thomas, Christopher A.
2010-2019
The purpose of this study was to explore the academic outcomes of African- American (AA) male students in a single-gender classrooms in hopes of providing meaningful insight and as well as recommendations for intended further research to close the prevalent achievement gap. AA males students have been disproportionately targeted as a chronic underachievers when compared to their female counterparts. The culture and climate of the school was closely scrutinized, interviews were administered with teachers and an instructional leader, and the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) report was analyzed to examine their performance snapshot. Fifty eight participants responded to a 4-point ordinal Likert scale survey to gauge attitudes on the effectiveness of single-gender education by students and parents. Four teachers (two seventh grade and eighth grade ELA and math) were interviewed. Data were collected over a period of three days to delve into the single-gender school environment. Classroom observations were administered to observe noticeable behaviors before and after lunch, evaluate instructional delivery (evident signs of gender-specific practices), view classroom layout, evaluate classroom activities, witness if gender of teacher has impact on student achievement, and observe teacher-student and peer interactions. Quantitative data revealed that students responded that gender of the teacher does not impact their academic achievement, teacher set high expectations, parents are involved in their educational endeavors, they did not particularly like the single-gender environment but their school provided a positive school culture. Qualitative data revealed that teachers and administrators believe in creating a strong school culture, challenging their students, the development of character and leadership, and providing a cultural-responsive yet rigorous curriculum will contribute to the academic achievement outcomes of AA males in single-gender classrooms. Results yielded from this descriptive case study provided future implications and premeditated recommendations for researchers to delve deeper into the phenomenon of the single-gender environment and its impact on AA male achievement. KEY TERMS: African, American, Male, Charter, Academic, Culture, Educational Administration and Supervision, Educational Leadership, Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration
text
application/pdf
2018-05-21
dissertation
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Clark Atlanta University
Educational Leadership
Hill, Barbara Turner, Trevor Teodorescu, Daniel
Georgia--Atlanta
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2018_thomas_christopher_a
