Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair for Elias Alex Torrez, Dissertation Defense PPT.

1
The Impact of Smaller Learning
Communities on Closing the
Achievement Gaps among Student
Population Groups in Texas High Schools
A Dissertation
by
Alex Torrez
Dissertation Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
PhD Program in Educational Leadership

2
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Dissertation Chair
-----------------------------------------------
Carl Gardiner, EdD
Patricia Hoffman-Miller, PhD
Solomon Osho, PhD

3
I. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
II. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
III. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
IV. METHOD
V. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
VI. FINDINGS
VI. RECOMMENDATIONS

4
Smaller Learning Communities
Student Academic
Achievement Gaps

7
Smaller
Learning
Communities
ELA/Mathematics TAKS/
Eco. Disadvantaged
Attendance
ELA/Mathematics TAKS/
Sub-Populations
Completion Rate

8
The purpose of this conceptual quantitative study is
to determine if a difference exists between the
implementation of the career-themed smaller SLC
design and an increase in high school students’
academic achievement, attendance, and high school
completion rate between populations as reported in
the Texas Education Agency AEIS report.

9
Is there a difference in student achievement
between career-themed Smaller Learning
Communities (SLCs) and traditional high
schools, as reported on the Academic Excellence
Indicator System (AEIS) for Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in ELA/Reading
for ethnic and economically disadvantaged
subpopulations?

10
Is there a difference in student achievement
between career-themed SLCs and traditional high
schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in
Mathematics for ethnic and economically
disadvantaged subpopulations?

11
Is there a difference in student attendance
schools, as reported in the AEIS?

12
Is there a difference in student completion rates
schools, as reported in the AEIS?

13
What factors are driving Transformation?

14
 In the 2009 Comprehensive report on Texas public
schools, TEA (2009) stated that:
―In the 2008-09 school year, 48 percent (2,292,574) of
the 4,749,571 public school students in Texas were
identified as at risk of dropping out of school, the same
percentage as in the previous year. On the 2009 TAKS
assessments, students not at risk out-performed at-risk
students at all grade levels and on all subjects tested‖.
(p. viii)

15
Fryer and Levitt (2004) noted, ―on average, black
students typically score one standard deviation
below white students on standardized tests –
roughly the difference in performance between
the average 4th grader and the average 8th
grader‖ (p. 64).

16
39.5
41.6
45.0 45.0
43.1 44.4
47.8
53.0
57.2
60.2
63.5
66.4 67.1
72.6
44.0
41.3
38.0 38.4
40.5
38.6
35.3
30.5
26.7
24.2
22.4
20.6 20.3
16.7
<
5
years
5
to
9
years
10
to
14
years
15
to
19
years
20
to
24
years
25
to
29
years
30
to
34
years
35
to
39
years
40
to
44
years
45
to
49
years
50
to
54
years
55
to
59
years
60
to
64
years
65
+
years
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
Percent
Anglo Hispanic

17
* Projections are shown for the 1.0 scenario
17.7
19.3 19.9 20.3 19.8 19.3 19.4 20.5 20.6 21.9
25.3 26.5 27.2
39.8
69.9
67.8 66.5 65.5 66.0 66.8 66.4
64.3
62.6
60.6
56.7
55.2
52.3
37.1
<
5
years
5
to
9
years
10
to
14
years
15
to
19
years
20
to
24
years
25
to
29
years
30
to
34
years
35
to
39
years
40
to
44
years
45
to
49
years
50
to
54
years
55
to
59
years
60
to
64
years
65
+
years
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
80.0
Percent
Anglo Hispanic

18
Lopez (2006):
―By 2050 the Anglo population is projected to be
near 211 million people, the black population 61
million people, the Latino population 103 million
people, and the Asian population nearly 33
million people. These changes represent only a
7.4 % increase for non-Latino Anglos, compared
to 71.3 % growth for Blacks, 188 % growth for
Latinos, and 212.9 % growth for the Asian
population‖. (p.5)

19
 Among minority students, the problem is even more
severe with nearly 50 percent of African American and
Hispanic students not completing high school on time
(America's Promise Alliance, 2009).
 The achievement gap is not closing fast enough to
ensure improved living and earning opportunities for
these sub-populations. According to Zhao (2009, p.
13), ―these gaps almost certainly put the minorities at a
disadvantage for securing high-income jobs in the
future.‖

20
The complexities resulting from a global
economy and an evolving workforce magnify the
importance of not just graduating students but
ensuring that they are well equipped with the
21st century skills they are going to need to
succeed.

21
H01 - There is no statistically significant
difference in student achievement between
career-themed SLCs and traditional high
schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS in
ELA/Reading for ethnic and economically
disadvantaged subpopulations.

22
difference in student achievement between
schools, as reported on the AEIS for TAKS
Mathematics for ethnic and economically
disadvantaged subpopulation.

23
difference in student attendance between
schools, as reported in the AEIS.

24
difference in student dropout/completion
between career-themed SLCs and traditional
high schools, as reported in the AEIS.

25
 The independent variable identified in the study
is the cohort of schools implementing the SLC
design and their paired counterpart traditional
high schools.
 Dependent Variable – Student achievement based
on change in Mathematics and Reading/English
Language Arts TAKS scores, completion
rate, attendance.

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Subjects of the Study
(1). 21 Texas public high schools that have
implemented smaller learning
communities with career academies
(2). 21 Texas public traditional high schools
(3). Grades 9 through 12
(4). Total student enrollment minimum of
1500 students

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Step 1:
Researched and Selected Career
Academy SLCs
Department of Education Smaller
Learning Communities Program
Texas High School Project

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Texas schools that attended the 2010 Smaller
Learning Communities National Conference:
From Structure to Instruction conference at the
University of Nevada in Las Vegas obtained
from Education Northwest
The National Career Academy Coalition
 Extensive internet search

29
Step 2:
Downloaded the AEIS report from the TEA website
from the 21 career themed SLC schools selected.
Step 3:
A convenience sample of 21 traditional schools was
selected from the TEA assigned school cohort. The
schools were selected based on the TEA cohort school
that is most similar in size, ethnic subpopulations
(African American, Hispanic, and White), and
economically disadvantaged.

30
Step 4:
 Collected the AEIS data
Step 5:
 Disaggregated the data by ethnic and economically
disadvantaged
 ELA scores
 Mathematics scores
 Attendance
 Completion

31
Step 6:
SPSS was utilized to disaggregate and analyze data
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
Step 7:
Interpreted the results of the statistical procedure

32
 The academies are designed to address the broad
spectrum of student interest and career
possibilities and provide transferable skills. The
goals of the Academies are to open a student's
mind to relevancy of academic courses and to
show how high standards relate to career success.
 In addition to the essential academic
elements, students will develop knowledge
regarding careers where they may best utilize
their talents and aptitudes.

33
 Academy of Business, Marketing & Finance
 Academy of Consumer Science & Education
 Academy of Fine Arts, Communications & Humanities
 Academy of Government, Law & Criminal Justice
 Academy of Health Science
 Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
 Academy of Veterinary & Agricultural Science

34
Alliance for Excellence in Education
America's Promise Alliance
Among minority students, the problem is even
more severe with nearly 50 percent of African
American and Hispanic students not
completing high school on time (America's
Promise Alliance, 2009).

35
 Bill & Melinda Gates
―It has been estimated that between 53% and 55% of
minority students nationwide are not completing
high school in the four-year format‖ (Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, 2003, p. 2).
 Bill Daggett, International Center for
Education
 Northwest Regional Educational
Laboratory

36
 Partnership for 21st Century Skills
1. Competencies needed to succeed in the current economy and prepare
for the changing world as a wage earner and citizen (Partnership for 21st
Century Skills, 2004).
2. Wolfe (2007) explained, "In virtually any occupation, learning is part
of the job. Gone are the days when employees learned to master a
single task and then spent the next 40 years repeating that task‖ (p. 40).
 U.S. Department of Education

37
Schlechty, P. (2009). Leading for learning:
How to transform schools into learning
organizations (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey Bass Publications.
 ―Transformation by necessity includes altering the
beliefs, values, and meanings – the culture – in which
programs are embedded, as well as changing the current
system of rules, roles, and relationships – social structure –
so that the innovations needed will be supported‖. (p. 3)

38
Cotton, K. (2001). New small learning
communities: Findings from recent literature.
(ERIC No. ED459539). Portland,
OR: Northwest Regional Educational
Laboratory.
1. Self-determination
2. Identity
3. Personalization
4. Support for Teaching
5. Functional

39
Daniels, D., Bizar, M., & Zemelman, S. (2001).
Rethinking high schools: Best practice in
teaching, learning, and leadership.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, A division of
Reed Elsevier.
 ―Research has been rapidly accumulating that, as far
as high schools are concerned, size does matter – and
smaller is better‖ (p. 27).

40
Sammon, G. (2008). Creating and sustaining
smaller learning: Strategies and tools for
transforming high schools. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
 Noted that SLCs, when done well and comprehensively, build
in the rigor, relevance, and relationships that lead to the all-
important results we seek in school improvement.

41
Schargel, F., & Smink, J. (2001). Strategies to
help solve our school dropout problem.
Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
 Strong leaders know that decreasing the dropout out rate
―requires fundamental changes in curriculum design
process, work-flow design, and staff training; it demands
creative technology use and the development of partnerships
with key stakeholders‖ (p. 10).

42
Klimek, K., Ritzenhein, E., & Sullivan, K.
(2008). Generative leadership: Shaping new
futures for today’s schools. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press.
 ―Generative leaders see their school as a dynamic system that is
being co-created through the interactions of all its participants
internally and with the outside environment. They emphasize
systems thinking consistently. They question assumptions and
presumed limits of an issue that are embedded in the prevailing
mental models‖. (p. 55)

43
Schlechty (2009) states:
 ―Make no mistake, transformation is not as
simple as installing a new program, a new
process or new procedure. Unlike efforts to
improve the operation of existing
systems, transformation requires more than
changes in what people do; it requires changes in
what they think and what they feel about what
they do‖. (p. 210)

44
Oxley (2006) states:
 ―The central feature of a high-functioning SLC
(Small Learning Community) is an
interdisciplinary team (or teams) of teachers who
work closely together with a group of students
they share in common for instruction.
Traditional schools organize teachers around
subject areas or departments‖. (p. 22)

45
Subpopulation of
Interest
SLC Non-SLC df* F-ratio Sig**
ELA African
American
91.94 92.38 31 .035 .852
ELA Hispanic 91.48 92.10 41 .195 .659
ELA White 97.53 96.53 37 .848 .363
ELA Eco. Dis. 90.33 90.90 41 .163 .688
*Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS
practice of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented on a particular campus.
**No statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported
ELA/Reading Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high
schools for any subpopulation of interest, African-American, Hispanic, White, or
Economically Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.

46
Subpopulation of
Interest
Math African
American
86.69 84.44 31 .71 .463
Math Hispanic 89.76 87.05 39 1.53 .134
Math White 96.21 94.32 33 1.64 .111
Math Eco. Dis. 88.71 85.90 40 1.64 .110
*Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS
Mathematics Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high
schools for any subpopulation of interest, African-American, Hispanic, White, or
Economically Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.

47
Subpopulation
of Interest
Campus 93.414 93.578 41 .651 .424
African American 93.790 94.321 37 .520 .476
Hispanic 92.567 93.691 41 2.972 .092
White 93.871 93.619 41 .105 .748
Eco. Dis. 92.26 93.238 41 2.932 .095
* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS practice
of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented on a particular campus.
** No statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported
Attendance Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high schools
nor were differences found between African-American, Hispanic, White, or Economically
Disadvantages subpopulations at these campuses at the p <.05 criterion value.

48
Subpopulation
of Interest
Campus 91.585 91.400 39 .009 .924
African American 89.333 91.327 29 .467 .500
Hispanic 90.180 90.460 39 .020 .889
White 95.145 92.116 38 1.256 .270
Eco. Dis. 89.725 90.760 39 .424 .519
*Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS practice
of not reporting subpopulations unrepresented or underrepresented within a particular
campus.
Completion Rates between selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high
schools for any subpopulation at these campuses at the p <.05 criterion value.

49
Subpopulation
Of Interest
N Mean Std. Dev. *df **Sig
Pair 1 ELAAA-ELA White 32 92.16--97.44 6.471--2169 31 .000
Pair 2 ELAAA- ELA
Hispanic
32 92.16--92.53 6.471—4.600 31 .703
Pair 3 ELA Hispanic-ELA
White
38 92.16—97.03 4.415—3.341 37 .000
* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS
**Statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported in Reading/
ELA for all selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high schools for the
subpopulation of interest, African-American, Hispanic, White, or Economically
Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.

50
Subpopulation
Of Interest
N Mean Std. Dev. *df **Sig
Pair 1 Math AA-Math
White
32 85.56--95.59 8.879--2.781 31 .000
Pair 2 Math AA- Math
Hispanic
32 85.56--89.50 8.879—5.442 31 .002
Pair 3 Math Hispanic-
White
38 88.95--95.26 5.467—3.652 37 .000
* Degrees of freedom (df = N-1) vary as a result of case exclusions due to AEIS
**Statistically significant differences were found within the AEIS reported in
Mathematics for all selected SLC high school campuses and non-SLC high schools for
the subpopulation of interest, African-American, Hispanic, White, or Economically
Disadvantages at the p <.05 criterion value.

51
The review of literature, findings for each question of
the study, and their subsequent conclusions provide
the basis for the following recommendations.
1. School districts must select innovative and
contemporary leaders who are prepared to initiate
change in the 21st century.
2. Educational leaders should implement disruptive
transformation designs in an effort to close the
achievement gaps of subpopulations.

52
3. Educational leaders must support the selected design
for 7 to 10 years to create authentic and systemic
transformation.
4. Educational leaders must use effective communication
to ensure the alignment and success of professional
development.

53
1. A qualitative study could be conducted of
SLCs and their relationship to student performance.
2. A national study could be conducted comparing the
difference between ACT and SAT scores between
SLC schools and traditional high schools.

54
3. A study could be conducted comparing the
difference in teacher retention between SLC and
traditional high schools.
4. A study could be conducted on SLCs and their
impact on student performance for African
American, Hispanic, and White subpopulations for
the four 11th grade required TAKS tests.

55
5. A study could be conducted in which different types
of Smaller Learning Communities are compared on
student performance.
6. A study could be conducted comparing the difference
in student achievement for the schools studied in this
research for multiple years.
7. A study could be conducted comparing traditional
small schools of 900 students or less to large schools of
1500 students or more that have implemented SLCs.

56
Future transformation efforts must have
a core axis overhauling the inherent
shortfalls of an outdated system of
delivering instruction that was designed
to reflect the 19th century industry model.

57
As transformational discussions continue
toward the quest for change, I believe
there is still much to learn about Smaller
Learning Communities and this design
will stay at the forefront of this
movement.

Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, Dissertation Chair for Elias Alex Torrez, Dissertation Defense PPT.

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