University of Oklahoma Graduate College EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS FOR EDUCATIONALLY DISENGAGED STUDENTS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfilm ent of the requirements fiar the degree of Doctor of Education By Sherry L. Labyer Norman, Oklahoma 2004 UMI Number: 3122303 Copyright 2004 by Labyer, Sherry L. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3122303 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ©Copyright by Sherry L. Labyer 2004 AH Rights Reserved EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS FOR EDUCATIONALLY DISENGAGED STUDENTS A Dissertation APPROVED FOR the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Dr. Gregg ames Bee Franlc McQpaR^ / / , / / Dr. Courtneÿ A?. Vaughn \ . / L ; 1 / Acknowledgements ARE WHAT YOU DREAM YOU CAN BE," were words inscribed on a clock given to me by two of my closest Mends, Eva Spaulding and Judy Holtmyer, wboi I graduated with my Masters of Education. This profound statement made an impression on me and sparked my educational path and led me to ^;^here I am now. When my Mend and colleague, Jo Ann Pierce, called four years ago and asked, "Would you like to be part of an exciting opportunity to earn your doctorate degree 6 om the University of Oklahoma in a cohort program?" My answer was "Yes" and is still "Yes." After many hours in the car with Jo Ann, lots of laughs and sometimes tears, we have finally made it. Thank you, Jo Ann for plantingthis seed and being part of its growth. Thank you to my committee of 6 ve professionals that was supportive and always available to help me through this journey. Many thanks to Dr. Courtney Vaughn for pushing me to think outside the box and come up with a diSerent name for at-risk students, to Dr. Frank McQuarrie who said during my prospectus meeting, "I am impressed with your work," to Dr. JefGrey Maiden, who showed patience and understood my limitationswith quantitative data, to Dr. Jim Beckham, who supported me on every trip 6 om Duncan to OU and listened to my fears and anxieties. Most of all thank you to Dr. Gregg Gam, my chair, ^ lo was my greatest cheerleader. You were not aware four years ago when you taught my Grst doctoral class that you inspired me, and I selected you to be my chair. I will forever be grateful for your gentle nudging to stretch my mind, your firm convictions on doing things right and your countless hours of support through phone calls, emails and face-to-face conversations. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME IV YOU INVESTED IN ME! To my cherished 6 iend Eva, you made research bearable and sometimes fim. Your mere presence with me in OU's huge and somewhat iniimidHting library supported me more than you will ever know. Eating out after our research was a much deserved and justlBed reward. To my trusted Mend and chief editor, Sue, thankyou for being kind when you found grammatical errors, poor sentence structure and downright bad usage of the English language. You edited with a skill and knowledge that was invaluable to me. To Dr. Donnie Snider, my former superintendent, for your honesty vAen you read my Erst chapter and said, "This is bad, but I will help you make it better." To my present superintendent. Dr. Larry Birden who said, "I am proud of you girl." Thankyou for allowing me vacation time to conduct my research and pursue this study. Thankyou to my mother who toward the end of this journey listened to me whine almost daily. You oSered support and believed in me by always saying, "You can do this and ril be at your graduation with bells on." Last but not least, I am most grateful to my husband Hal and my son Matthew for their saciiEce. You never complained about the time "Mama" spent working; you just took up the slack at home, and together we made it work. This has been a journey I will never forget and wiH always appreciate because of my conviction and passion to help "educationally disengaged" students. Thank you to all educators vdio work with these students, and a special thank you to the E.D.G.E. and F A.M.E. Academies for your willingness to be a part of my study. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... iv A b stra c t.......................................................................................................................... x Dedication ......................................................................................................................xii Chapter I Introduction............................................................................................................. 1 Statement of the Problem ............................................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................... 9 Research Questions...................................................................................... 10 Descriptipn of the Study .............................................................................. 11 Definition of Terms...................................................................................... 11 Limitations................................................................................................... 13 Chapter n Review of Related Literature.................................................................................14 High School Dropouts and Graduation ........................................................ 15 Factors Outside School that Afkct At-Risk Students.................................. 22 Factors Inside School that ASect At-Risk Students .................................... 30 Resilience Education....................................................................................43 Summary ..................................................................................................... 52 Chapter m The Research Process ...........................................................................................54 Case Study Method ......................................................................................54 VI Chapter m Continued Data Collection Methods and Sources ..........................................................55 Community Context of the Research ............................................................58 Document Analysis.......................................................................................60 Observations................................................................................................ 62 Interviews......................................................................................................65 Surveys......................................................................................................... 69 Data Analysis ............................................................................................... 71 Trustworthiness and Transferability ............................................................ 73 Locating the Researcher................................................................................76 Assumptions of the Study .............................................................................77 Limitations of the Study ............................................................................... 77 Chapter IV Overview............................................................................................................... 78 View of the Dublin Community .................................................................. 78 View of the Dublin Public School District ......................................80 View of the EDGE Alternative Academy .....................................................83 EDGE Academy Faculty ...............................................................................85 EDGE Academy Students .............................................................................87 View of the Terry Community...................................................................... 88 View of the Terry Public School District .....................................................89 View of the FAME Alternative Academy....................................................93 FAME Academy Faculty..............................................................................97 VII Chapter IV Contmued FAME Academy Students ........................................................................... 99 Survey with EDGE and FAME Students ....................................................100 Site Visits and Interviews ...........................................................................103 Chapter V A nalysis ...............................................................................................................109 Organization