The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions of Student Management with Out-Of-School Suspensions and High School Graduati
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Eastern Kentucky University Encompass Online Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship January 2014 The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Management With Out-Of-School Suspensions And High School Graduation Rates Caryn Letcher Huber Eastern Kentucky University Follow this and additional works at: https://encompass.eku.edu/etd Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons Recommended Citation Huber, Caryn Letcher, "The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Management With Out-Of-School Suspensions And High School Graduation Rates" (2014). Online Theses and Dissertations. 278. https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/278 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Encompass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Online Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Encompass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT MANAGEMENT WITH OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES By CARYN LETCHER HUBER Master of Arts College of Notre Dame Baltimore, Maryland 2005 Bachelor of Arts University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 1995 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School Eastern Kentucky University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION December, 2014 Copyright © Caryn Huber, 2014 All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this research to my long family lineage of ambitious women. Starting with my great-grandmother, Lula Pearl who graduated from Eastern Kentucky State College in July, 1957 as an elementary teacher. Following her example in purpose and passion for children, my grandmother, Nancy Jane, who raised and cared for several youngsters. My mother Rebecca Elaine, who currently provides care for others as a nurse, friend and devoted family member . This paper is also dedicated to my daughter, Lydia Beatrice who I envision to follow in our footsteps. “Education is a fundamental principle of what made America a success. We can’t afford to throw any young people away.” Benjamin Carson iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the support of my family through this academic process. There were many evenings and weekends when my sister and brother-in-law, mother, and husband, carried my share of parenting and domestic engineering duties. I thank them for their patience and unconditional support. I also wish to thank my mother and grandmother for their inspiring actions and their principles. Their unconditional encouragement and backing has provided me with limitless opportunities. I acknowledge my colleagues and mentors throughout my education career. At each stage of my professional growth in education, I have been fortunate enough to work with a team of educators whose motivation has never waned to improve the education experience for all students. That passion and motivation propelled me to invest in my practice and the vocation of education. I am extremely lucky to have worked with people who enjoy what they do every day. I wish to thank my dissertation committee for their guidance and support; Dr. Reynolds for genuine words of encouragement and validation; Dr. Biggins for his time and availability during the whirlwind; and Dr. James Bliss for his support throughout my studies and his thoughtful feedback at each stage of my learning. Most importantly, I am indebted to Dr. Charles Hausman for his dedication and tireless support through this process as my mentor. iv ABSTRACT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENT MANAGEMENT WITH OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES Teachers’ perceptions contribute to who is removed from the classroom (Fenning & Rose, 2007). The Kentucky Department of Education use a teacher self-report instrument called the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) survey to assess teaching conditions in eight areas to predict teacher satisfaction, employment trajectories and ultimately guide school improvement. The New Teacher Center found a correlation exists between the Managing Student Conduct construct of the TELL Kentucky Survey responses and student achievement (National Teacher Center, 2013). This study investigates the relationship between Managing Student Conduct construct with Graduation Rates and Out-of-School Suspension. Graduation Rate is one of five components that make up the Next Generation of Learners, which encompasses 70% of the Unbridled Learning assessment accountability model (other components include Achievement, Gap, Growth and College/Career Ready). Kentucky Unbridled Learning assessment model is the alternative to the standard NCLB and approved by the U.S. Department of Education. The results of this study found a negative correlation between Managing Student Conduct and Out-of-School Suspension and a weak positive correlation between Managing Student Conduct and Graduation Rates. In addition to the original questions, a post hoc multi-regression analysis was conducted and found that although non-white and poverty were strong predictors of Out-of-School Suspension, poverty was the strongest predictor of Graduation Rates. The results instigate future studies in the areas of cultural responsive teaching, alignment of school expectations and instructional cultural relevancy. KEYWORDS: graduation rates, dropout, out-of-school suspension, discipline, teacher perceptions, minority students, school enrollment, free and reduced lunch, Kentucky TELL survey, student achievement v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Unbridled Learning ............................................................................................1 Graduation Rate: Adjusted Cohort and Average Freshman ............................3 Out-of-School Suspensions in Kentucky Schools ............................................4 Rationale for the Study ..............................................................................................4 Problem Statement .....................................................................................................6 Research Questions .....................................................................................................7 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................................8 Drop Outs ...................................................................................................................9 Impact ............................................................................................................... 9 At-risk Factors: Race, SES and Disability Interrelated .................................11 School Characteristics 14 School Characteristics .....................................................................................12 Out-of-School Suspensions ......................................................................................15 At-risk Factors: Race, SES and Disability Interrelated .................................16 Perceptions of School Environment ........................................................................ 18 Student Perception ..........................................................................................18 Teacher Perception ..........................................................................................19 Perception of Administration Support ............................................................21 Purpose of Study ......................................................................................................22 III. METHODOLGY .....................................................................................................23 Research Questions ..................................................................................................23 Context ..................................................................................................................... 23 Data Collection .........................................................................................................23 Sample .............................................................................................................25 Variables and Measures ...........................................................................................25 Dependent Variables .......................................................................................26 Predictor Variables ..........................................................................................26 Research Design ......................................................................................................28 vi Reliability and Validity of the TELL Survey .................................................28 Data Analysis ..................................................................................................28 Limitations of Study ........................................................................................29 IV. RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 30 Review of Data Collection and Analysis ................................................................32 Teachers’ Perceptions with Suspension and Graduation ................................32 V. DISCUSSION ..........................................................................................................42