Purpose of the Study
This study attempts to identify the variables that may increase reading and math scores in schools with 50 percent or greater poverty levels and with minority enrollment The study would also provide evidence of measures that would enable schools to improve educational levels of failing schools which in turn will be an important information that the school could utilize in the future. Moreover, this study tries to establish that the decisions made by school administrators and policymakers can influence the school’s overall performance and even student’s test scores.
On the other hand, this study would also lend support that bilingual programs is an important resource that can be used to raise standardized test scores in low performing schools who are facing greater pressure to close the achievement gap between poor and affluent students. In general, the purpose of this study is to identify possible measures that could directly and indirectly influence performance scores.Significance of the StudyThe significance of this study is that by identifying variables that could have an influence on performance scores school administrators and policy makers can have a better basis on which to develop new programs and interventions that could possibly work and increase scores and possibly close the achievement gap. Moreover, results of this study can be used to close the gap of the empirical studies on the area of student’s performance and school policy interventions thereby supporting the assumption that low performing schools with the right programs and policies can increase school performance.MethodsDescription of MethodologyIn order to test the hypothesis if these study, the methods employed in this study will be a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods.
In investigating the dynamics within the school system; qualitative analysis will be made while those that pertain to the increase of school performance will be treated quantitatively against the set state standards.Design of StudyThis study is a descriptive and comparative analysis of the programs that the school has adopted to increase test scores as well as to identify and explain the interrelationships within the school. It is a comparative study using the case analysis method; since it attempts to compare the schools present efforts to increase performance to that of successful schools. The design of the study would derive vital information that not only the school and the district can utilize.;Sample and PopulationThe participants of this study will be taken from the (name of school), since the study specifically seeks to identify variables in low performing schools that could hinder them from improving performance. The participants will be made up of a group of students, teachers and staff wherein gender and race will not be controlled for considering that the population belongs to the minority groups.
Average age of participants per group will be computed and considered during the analysis of data. The sampling method used will be captive since the study involves the whole school.;Validity and ReliabilityThe questionnaire used in this study is researcher made and content validity has been established through a panel of experts, suggestions and corrections were taken into consideration after which the survey was pre-tested. It was found that the instrument elicited the necessary response needed for the study. The validity and reliability of the results f this study will be upheld at all cost, hence conclusions and generalizations made base don the findings of the study is made possible.ImplementationThe researcher obtained permission from the school administrators to conduct the study at their school.
After which, the researcher visited the school to establish rapport and coordinate with school officials’ with regards to interview schedules and observations. The researcher will then proceed to interview the administrators and faculty which will last within 3 months. Then classroom observations of the sample of teachers will follow and appropriately documented. Lastly, the researcher will conduct a comparison of the school’s performance against successful schools. After data collection, the gathered information will be broken down into component parts and then analyzed using statistical software.
Data AnalysisQualitative analysis for the interview results will be analyzed using the situational analysis model, while the comparison of test scores will be entered into the SPSS and analyzed by the software. Since the stud tries to establish the relationship of variables with each other, a correlation formula is needed together with t-test, frequency, mean and percentages will be presented.
