Help

It has been extremely helpful that I am taking the research & methodology course at the same time as the senior thesis. It has helped me to really identify the "tone" of a senior thesis through scholarly research. Sonja is also able to help me in depth with the form of my interviews while I Bill is able to exert his expertise regarding my policy analysis. Last semester I was fortunate to have taken fieldwork with Kathy and there we also discussed research and its methods. I must say that the education department has done a wonderful job preparing me for my senior thesis with the courses offered and required pertaining to research. I see few other departments doing this and they should be.

Literature

While I am focusing more on scholarly articles pertaining to my research, I have come across two books entitled, "No Child Left Behind" and "America's 'Failing' Schools" which will give more substance to two of the areas I am exploring more in depth in regards to NCLB. "No Child Left Behind" by Primer, gives an in-depth yet "readable" :) analysis of the policy. "America's 'Failing' Schools" helps with the solution component examining programs and strategies enacted. I can use what is suggested in the text to identify what is being accomplished at Merrill & Wright.

Historical Literature

In finding literature on NCLB, there is not an abudance of recent material. I am finding it to be important to look more closely at previous legislation in history adressing the achievement gap to help explain why the NCLB act emerged. The hesitation to fulfill the Brown v. Board of Education could be a contributing factor to the prolonged problem of the achievement gap between white and minority students. I am afraid that is could turn into another area where a book could be formed:) I do not want to take on too much seeing as that there is only one semester to complete this. I think the best approach is to touch on it briefly in the literature review when reflecting on previous government efforts to adress the achievement gap in education.

Literature Review

For my literature review, I am utilizing past literature I found during the fall semester as well as literature I have found over break. I aim to have at least 5 books and 10 articles to support my research.

Brown, Frank. Problems and Promises of Urban Public Schools. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 44, No. 3, The Continuing Crisis of Urban Education. (Summer, 1975). pp. 247–256.

Darling-Hammond, Linda & Berry, Barnett. Recruiting Teachers for the 21st Century: The Foundation for Educational Equity. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 68, No.3, Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining Qualified Teachers to Educate All of America’s Children in the 21st Century. (Summer, 1999), pp. 254-279.

Kozol, Jonathan. One Being A Teacher. Oxford: One World, 1993

Kozol, Jonathon. Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools .New York: HarperCollins, 1991

Kozol, Jonathon. The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America. New York: Crown Publishers, 2005.

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African America Children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994

Melnick, Susan L. & Zeichner, Kenneth M. Teacher Education’s Responsibility to Address Diversity Issues: Enhancing Institutional Capacity. Theory into Practice, Vol. 37, No. 2, Preparing Teachers for Cultural Diversity. (Spring, 1998), pp. 88-95.

Merrit, Daniel L. & Beckerman, Marvin. Urban Teacher Education Centers: Are They Needed? Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 52, No. 4, Issues and Trends in American Education. (Jul., 1975), pp. 279-283

Montero-Sieburth, Martha. Restructuring Teachers’ Knowledge for Urban Settings. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 58, No. 3, Shaping the Urban Future: People and Places, Problems and Potentials. (Summer, 1989), pp. 332-334.

Murrell, Peter C. Jr. Community Teachers: A Conceptual Framework for Preparing Exemplary Urban Teachers. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 69, No. 4, The School Reform Movement and the Education of African

American Youth: A Retrospective Update. (Autumn, 2000), pp. 338-348.
Pinkney, H.B. Urban Education: The Committed. Peabody Journal of Education, Vol. 53, No.1 (Oct., 1975), pp. 49-52.

Swick, Kevin J. Challenging Pre-Service & In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Minority Group Children: A Review of Research. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 43, No. 2. (Spring, 1974), pp. 194-201.

Tyack, David. Seeking Common Ground: Public Schools in a Diverse Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2003

Weiner, Lois. Researcher in the 90s: Implications for Urban Teacher Preparation. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 70, No. 3. (Autumn, 2000), pp. 369-406.

West, Carol Ann. Effects of School Climate and School Social Structure on Student Academic Achievement in Selected Urban Elementary Schools. The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 54, No. 3, Successful Schooling Policies, Practices, Programs. (Summer, 1985), pp. 451-461.

Right now I am focusing mainly on the books since they take up most of my reading time. I am finishing up Gloria Ladson-Billings book and am starting on Many Children Left Behind: How the No Child Left Behind Act Is Damaging Our Children and Our Schools by Deborah Meier and George Wood. I also plan on reading the "Mis-education of the Negro" for possible historical content.

Methodology

My methodology will be more a qualitative study with some quantitative analysis possibly being used.

In examining the No Child Left Behind Act, I will turn towards educational policy research from which I will analyze the current aspects of policy. I will take into account the hisorical aspect as well to better understand the provisions this piece of legislation was founded on and what it should accomplish.

The Beloit School District, more specifically Merrill Elementary School and Wright Elementary School, will provide the case studies needed to understand the NCLB in gauging the effect this program has had on schools.

Observations are another methodological approach I will be undertaking. My observances will be of classes and programs at Merrill and Wright.

Interview will be essential in recieving information and reactions of this policy from those working with it in the field. Dr. Brenda Atas, principal of Merrill, and Mrs. Sue Green, principal of Wright, will be interviewed. I hope to have time to interview Mrs. Helen Forbeck, representative from Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin's offce, Mrs. Pam Keifer, former interim Superintendent of the Beloit School District.

Revised Proposal

Upon completing my first proposal, I have re-examined my research question with the hope of narrowing more focus.

My question is now, "What unique strategies and/or programs have been instituted in order to fulfill the No Child Left Behind mandates in the Beloit School District? More specifically what has Merrill Elementary and Wright Elementary School implemented to combat the 'failing school' label?"

Original Proposal

While I have already researched the unique educational approaches teachers and administrators use in urban schools, I want to determine if common practices have been changed and or altered in response to the No Child Left Behind Act. By implementing a blanket policy for all schools across the United States and refusing to acknowledge the unique differences and struggles that urban schools endure, only sets up these schools for more struggles and the possibility of failure. Even as expectations are known throughout school districts regarding these practices in education, I hypothesize that urban schools go about not only reaching and maintaining these standards differently, but are also affected differently as well with the implementation of this policy. And, as a result, are affected negatively by a policy that was supposed to help solve their problems, the achievement gap being the most dominant. In looking at what programs have been instituted to help enhance school performance and test scores, I will use two schools within the Beloit School District in Beloit, Wisconsin - Merrill Elementary and Beloit Memorial High School as case studies. This topic is important to explore for many reasons. First, the Bush Administration is looking to renew the No Child Left Behind Act in the midst of pending court cases brought on by school districts and teachers' unions across the nation. Recent opinion polls show parents are now opposing the NCLB. In Beloit, as with other urban districts, the possibility of same sex classrooms and or schools are being proposed in helping service the minority population, more specifically African American men, in striving for academic excellence. Lastly, the achievement gap is still present, and it is becoming more vast, not only for African Americans, but now also immigrants, especially Hispanics, and those of a lower socioeconomic status. "Today, children of color and children of the poor still do not fare as well in school as their wealthier, white counterparts."3 My father has told me repeatedly how important it is to invest in education now, or else your investment will go towards the criminal justice system. As crime rates soar in urban areas, and alarming numbers of young people continue to be victims of violence everyday, something has to be done to better equip these students and their schools with tools to provide a quality education to better accessibility for their future.