© 2011 Elizabeth Morrison ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
© 2011 Elizabeth Morrison ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FAMILY GENTRIFICATION, STUDENT DIVERSITY, AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF A PARENT-ORGANIZED CHARTER SCHOOL by ELIZABETH MORRISON A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology, & University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Joint Graduate Program in Urban Systems-Educational Policy is Written under the direction of Dr. Alan Sadovnik, Chair Approved by Dr. Jeffrey Backstrand Dr. Jason Barr Dr. Susan Semel _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ Newark, New Jersey May, 2011 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Family Gentrification, Student Diversity, and Academic Achievement: A Case Study of a Parent-Organized Charter School By ELIZABETH MORRISON Dissertation Director: Dr. Alan Sadovnik In this study, I examine the history and effects of a parent-organized charter school in Jersey City, New Jersey in the context of the gentrification of the city. Based on ethnographic, survey, and school- and student-level achievement data, I analyze how the school influences equity and academic achievement. Using the concepts of cultural, economic, and social capital, I provide a comprehensive examination of how public school characteristics can attract or deter families from sending their children to particular schools. At the charter school, students from most subgroup outperform the state-specific subgroup average. On average, students demonstrate a small amount of growth over time; however, there are wide racial and economic achievement gaps between subgroups. The gaps narrow to some extent in math, but during middle school the gap expand in language arts.
[Show full text]