Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Executive Ed.D. in Education Leadership Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Nicole DiCrecchio, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Jan Furman, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Isaac Deas, Ed.D.

Keywords

community schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, school climate, student achievement, school suspensions, school attendance

Abstract

Schools are frequently seen as the hubs of the community, providing resources and a gathering place for members of the community. The process of surveying the community in order to identify unique needs within the community, and then intentionally forging partnerships capable of ameliorating the specific needs, are strategies used by community schools to support their students and the communities from which they are drawn. Baltimore City Public Schools has created a community school management system in of their elementary schools. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of community school management on the success of students in Baltimore City Public Schools in 2016 and 2017. Preexisting data were used to compare 40 community schools to 71 noncommunity schools in order to determine if there was a significant difference in the areas of student achievement (as measured by state assessment scores in reading and math), suspension data, attendance rates, and school climate. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference between community schools and noncommunity schools. The theoretical framework for the dissertation is the Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence established by Joyce Epstein (1987) which illustrates how the school, home, and community all hold sway over the well-being of children. So, it stands to reason that if community schools can positively impact families and communities, then the outcome would be positive school results for students. To determine if there was a difference in the student achievement of community schools and noncommunity schools, a Wilcoxon sum rank test was used to compare the PARCC state assessment result for ELA and Math in 2016 and 2017. The results were mixed with a statistically significant difference between community schools and noncommunity schools in Math in 2017 but no difference for Math 2016, ELA 2016, or ELA 2017. Using an independent samples t test, a statistically significant difference was seen between the attendance rates of community schools and noncommunity schools in 2017. The suspension rates of community schools and noncommunity schools in 2016 and 2017 was compared using a Wilcoxon sum rank test. A statistically significant difference was found in the suspension rates. A chi-square analysis was used to determine if a relationship existed between school climate and school management type. School climate was measured using student, parent, and staff responses to a school districtwide climate survey. The questions were categorized as fitting into one of three indices: Physical Security, Respectful Relationships, or School Connectedness in 2016 and 2016. There was a statistically significant difference between community schools and noncommunity schools in the Physical Security Index in 2017. The findings of this research offer insights into how we measure the success of school reform strategies that focus on impacting the often-complex needs within a community.

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