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Planning for Success: A Mixed Methods Comparative Case Study Investigating Elementary Mathematics Supports across School-Dependency Profiles

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2019, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies.
Despite calls for more equitable levels of mathematics achievement, students of economic disadvantage continue to achieve mathematics proficiency at lower rates than more well-to-do students. Built on Sirin’s meta-analysis linking socioeconomic status to achievement and Ladson-Billings assertion that poorer students are more likely to rely on schools for academic supports, the study’s guiding theoretical proposition suggested that schools with high proportions of economically disadvantaged students—high-level school dependency settings—may need to operate differently to support students’ mathematics learning compared to low-level school dependency settings. The purpose of this mixed methods comparative case study was to better understand the relationship between school dependency and mathematics instruction and support practices in schools serving grades three through six in the U.S. state of Ohio. A sequential approach allowed for the examination a school’s level of school dependency and mathematics practices in separate methodological phases. Each component was then combined to understand how mathematics practices differed in two types of contexts. The cluster analysis resulted in seven cluster profiles at four levels of school dependency. Two clusters representing maximum contrast for school dependency were selected for further investigation. From each cluster, two high-achieving school cases were selected for comparison to understand how they provided mathematics instruction and support to their students. The results of the cross-case analysis showed that the four cases employed practices related to departmental structure, core instructional materials, screening assessments and data use, and provision for a wide range of mathematics supports. Integrative analysis determined variation in these practices by school-dependency profile. High-level school-dependency schools, serving more students in need of intervention supports, used core material to ensure basic coverage of grade level material and relied more heavily on classroom teachers to support the full range of learners’ mathematics needs. Low-level school dependency schools focused on providing grade-level and enriched mathematics instruction using an organizational structure that helped teachers focus on specific students’ needs. Management of complexity and risk were themes that demonstrated how the school-dependency features impacted decisions at the school level. Patterns of behavior within high-level school-dependency school cases suggested that schools serving large numbers of students of economic disadvantage make decisions that reflect pressures from state testing, pushing personnel to focus on generating new practices to increase mathematics achievement scores through emphasis on testing and curricular fidelity. Low-level school dependency schools were less pressured by testing, but seemed to respond to community and parental pressures. Implications from this study suggest that school dependency features of context provided an important lens for viewing practices employed in different schools to meet the needs of the students present. As such, universal guidelines for school improvement toward higher mathematics achievement should account for these differences when making recommendations to practice that are feasible in light of the needs and resources present. Future research should utilize school dependency as a theoretical frame to better understand how schools plan for and implement mathematics instruction and supports to ensure widespread mathematics proficiency, particularly among students of economic disadvantage.
Sarah Stitzlein, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Anna Fricano DeJarnette, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Vicki Plano Clark, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Susan Watts Taffe, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
261 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Foote, L. A. (2019). Planning for Success: A Mixed Methods Comparative Case Study Investigating Elementary Mathematics Supports across School-Dependency Profiles [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1554211897796846

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Foote, Lori. Planning for Success: A Mixed Methods Comparative Case Study Investigating Elementary Mathematics Supports across School-Dependency Profiles. 2019. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1554211897796846.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Foote, Lori. "Planning for Success: A Mixed Methods Comparative Case Study Investigating Elementary Mathematics Supports across School-Dependency Profiles." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1554211897796846

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)