1 EXPLORING PARENTS EXPERIENCES WITH SCHOOL CHOICE WHEN CHOOSING A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL ON CAPE COD A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY A thesis presented by Paul Funk to The School of Education In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the field of Education College of Professional Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts March 2015 2 3 Abstract This paper explores the experiences, stories, and efforts that parents have taken when engaging in public school choice on Cape Cod. As part of the No Child Left Behind Legislation along with the Massachusetts Education Reform Act, public school systems can opt to become school choice districts. This allows parents from outside their public school boundaries to send their child to any school district that has classified itself as a school choice district. In many parts of Massachusetts parents have been given more options to educate their child. This has become a staple within the 65-mile peninsula of Cape Cod Massachusetts. Cape Cod contains fifteen towns that are comprised of eight public school districts; all of which practice public school choice. Employing the methodology of qualitative inquiry, parents in this study shared their personal stories and experiences they encountered while engaging in the process of school choice. Inquiring about parent’s thoughts, ideas, perceptions, and stories associated with the choice to enroll their students in a non-community district created insight into many themes that parents saw as important when choosing a school. The major themes that surfaced throughout the research included dynamic school leadership, high academic standards, extracurricular activities, athletic programs, social networks, and school safety. The literature related to school choice depicted how parents and school systems compete for students. Understanding that parents create their own realities and opinions based on their own experiences and interpretations leads us to look at school choice through the lens of Social Construction Theory. Keywords: school choice, social networks, dynamic leadership, competition 4 Acknowledgements It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the people who supported me along this incredible journey. I cannot give enough credit to my adviser Dr. Chris Unger that constantly believed in me and continued to give me inspiration when I needed it most. Dr. Unger showed incredible patience with me and guided me through some of my most difficult areas of this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Carol Sharicz who first made me feel like I could accomplish something of this magnitude. Any time I would run into Dr. Sharicz she would make me feel as if I had already accomplished a great deal and I was continuing on a simple road to thesis completion, I am greatly appreciative for that. My family is the biggest and most important part of my life. For the past 4 or 5 years my attention and focus has been divided between teaching, coaching, family, and pursuing my doctorate, and their support has carried my through this process. My wife Heather is a constant inspiration as she always places our family ahead of any personal pursuits. She is great supporter of all of my endeavors and a wonderful mother to our three children. I certainly need to acknowledge my wonderful three children Molly, Madison, and Jack as they constantly provide a wealth of inspiration for me as continue through this immense project. I have to thank my parents as they are both highly successful educators and have given me a solid platform to stand on and to pursue my dreams. My parents have always been by my side in whatever dreams I have wished to pursue. They attended all my games as a college athlete, continued to follow me as a college and high school coach, and have always provided the support when I needed it most. I am extremely proud of my father and his accomplishments as a successful teacher and school administrator, he has provided a solid foundation for me to follow. My mother has been an educational inspiration to me as a teacher and eventual school administrator, she balanced 5 everything in her life so everyone around her could be successful. I would not be in the position I am today without the hard work and selfless dedication my mother always provided to our family. She is the person I am most appreciative to helping me become a successful educator. I also would like to thank my Aunt Judy Hanlon for always providing encouragement to me throughout my life. As my god mother, Auntie Judy has always been an important part of our family and a person I always looked to for advice. Since my mother’s passing in 2011 Auntie Judy has always been someone I can lean on anytime I need to. I would like to also thank my Uncle Huck for continuing to make me think outside the box. His ideas and theories have always given me a stimulus to think in another direction. The support I have received from colleagues and friends throughout this process has given me an opportunity to complete this project. Without this support I am not sure if this project would have been successfully completed. One colleague in particular, Jonathan Stone has been an integral part of this process. JD Stone has been available to help edit, read, and advise me through the writing process of this thesis. His expertise in English Grammar and writing has been extremely vital to the success of this project. I am forever grateful for all the guidance and time that JD has taken out of his own very busy schedule to help me complete this endeavor. It is clear that without the support of these very influential people I would not have had the ability to finish such a long and arduous journey. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for everyone that has given me support, advice, and encouragement throughout this thesis process. 6 Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction……………………………………………………………………………7 Problem Statement ……………………………………………………………….….................... 7 Significance of the Problem ….………………………………………………………….. ………8 Research Question ...…………………………………………………………………................ 15 Theoretical Framework… ……………………………………………………………….………16 Positionality Statement….……………………………………………………………………….18 Chapter II: Literature Review………………………………………………..……………........ 19 Creating a Competitive Educational Market….………………………..………….…................. 22 Parental Views of School Quality…...…………………………………………………………...25 Parental Knowledge Regarding School Choice...………………………………………………..26 School Districts Response to School Choice...…………………………………………………..28 Summary of Literature...………………………………………………………………………....29 Chapter III: Research Design …………………………………………………………….…….31 Purpose of the Study...…………………………………………………………………………...31 Research Question... ……………...…………………………………………………..................33 Methodology. ..…………………………………………………………………….…………….33 Validity...………………………………………………………………………………………...42 Ethical Considerations for the Protection of Human Subjects…………….………………….….43 Summary of Research Design……………………………………………………………………44 Chapter IV: Research Findings ……………..…………………………………………….........45 Context of Study…..………………………………………………………...............…............. 46 Demographic, Academic, and Financial Data……..……………………………………………48 Common Themes…..…………………………………….. ………………………………….... 54 Nauset Regional High School Focus Group…..………………………………………………...55 Monomoy Regional High School Focus Group…..……………………………………………..66 Dennis-Yarmouth High School Focus Group……..…………………………………………….80 Prominent Themes ……..…………………………………………………................................ 93 Summary of Findings …..……..……………………………………………………………….102 Chapter V: Discussion of Research Findings ….……………………..………………........….102 Revisiting the Problem of Practice ……..………………………………….……….… ………102 Review of Methodology ………………..…..………………………….................……………105 Discussion of Major Findings …………..…………………………………..….…..…………..105 Discussion of the Findings in Relation to the Theoretical Framework …..……….…………...111 Discussion of the Findings in Relation to the Literature Review ……..…………….................113 7 Limitations …………………………………………………………………………................121 Conclusion .…………………..………………………….………………………….................122 Significance of the Study…………………………………………………………………….. 125 Future Studies……………….. ………………………………………………………….........126 Personal Reflection …………………………………………………………………………...126 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………........….....130 APPENDICES………………………………………………………………………………...145 8 Chapter I: Introduction Problem Statement Scholars and policy makers have created more educational opportunities for parents over the last twenty years. Some of these policies include the creation of charter schools, increased federal funding in the form of Race to the Top, and the creation of public school choice. In 1991 the Massachusetts Department of Education created an inter-district school choice policy that allowed parents to send their children to schools, other than the schools in the communities that they lived in. This ability to choose a school that is not tied to where the child lives should increase educational opportunities for parents. Parents would be able to separate their residential decisions from schooling decisions. Previous to school choice, schools were tied to the housing market. The towns that had the highest taxes most likely had the best schools. Parents now have many more options when it comes to deciding on a school district for their child. School choice has given parents more options and choices when it comes to