Matching Items (2)
Description
This study examined the enactment of a high school district's college-going mission. Treating mission enactment as a case of policy implementation, this study used the lens of complexity theory to understand how system actors and contexts influenced variation and adaptation. Data collection methods included observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys of various system actors including district staff, principals, counselors, teachers, and students. This study used a mixed methods analytic inductive technique and Social Network Analysis to describe the mission's implementation. Findings reflect that the mission was a vaguely defined value statement; school staff reacted to the mission with limited buy-in and confusion about what it really meant in practice. The mission lacked clear boundaries of what constituted related programs or policies. Consequently, in this site-based district, schools unevenly implemented related programs and policies. School staff wanted more guidance from district staff and clear expectations for mission-related actions. To help meet this need, the district was moving to a more centralized, hierarchical approach. Though they were providing information about the mission, district staff were not providing specific, responsive support to organize school staff's efforts around implementation. District staff were trying to find an approach that both supported schools towards a common vision and provided flexibility for school-level adaptations. Yet, the district had not yet fully formed its position as a facilitator of implementation. Further, as the district lacked a cohesive measurement system, the effectiveness of this initiative was unknown. This study sought to present policy implementation as varied phenomenon, influenced by system actors and conditions. Findings suggest that while policy cannot determine actions, district staff could help create conditions that would support implementation.
ContributorsDunn, Lenay Danielle (Author) / Berliner, David (Thesis advisor) / Danzig, Arnold (Committee member) / Smith, Mary Lee (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
For decades, there has been a concerted effort to support the transition of first-generation students from high school into higher education, yet there is a continued troubling gap in the number of first-generation students attending college who attain success once enrolled. This disparity is particularly pronounced among low-income students of color. This study illustrates how action research can be used to analyze a program that aims to assist students and their parents in navigating the American higher education system. Participants included (N=20) twelfth grade, first-generation, Latino, students and their parents (N=20) in rural Yuma County, Arizona, a geographically isolated area which is a three-hour drive from the nearest metropolitan city. Mixed methods were utilized to examine the impact of the American Dream Academy on self-efficacy in cultivating a college-going culture among first-generation, Latino students. Since parents play a significant role in the academic success of students, this program also sought to bolster the self-efficacy of the parents of the twelfth-grade student participants. A concerted effort was made to bring the American Dream Academy to the San Luis High School, Arizona Western College, and Arizona State University. The Academy’s curriculum included eight sessions that covered college-going topics that were collectively facilitated by university, college and high school faculty. Outcomes of this study indicate the need to support first-generation Latino students and their parents to foster college readiness and increase college access. Additionally, this study highlights how increasing the self-efficacy of students and parents can positively shift self-perceptions and sense of belonging among first-generation college students.
ContributorsCorr, Laura (Author) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Carrasco-Jaquez, Diane (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023