View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Aquila Digital Community The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Summer 8-2009 The Alabama Advanced Placement Initiative: The Roles of the Principal, Teacher, and Student in Bridging the Racial and Socio- economic Gap in College Preparatory Curricula Kimberly LaRaine Walker University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.edu/dissertations Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Methods Commons, and the Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons Recommended Citation Walker, Kimberly LaRaine, "The Alabama Advanced Placement Initiative: The Roles of the Principal, Teacher, and Student in Bridging the Racial and Socio-economic Gap in College Preparatory Curricula" (2009).edu/dissertations/1028 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact Joshua. The University of Southern Mississippi THE ALABAMA ADVANCED PLACEMENT INITIATIVE: THE ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL, TEACHER, AND STUDENT IN BRIDGING THE RACIAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC GAP IN COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULA by Kimberly LaRaine Walker A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: August 2009 COPYRIGHT BY KIMBERLY LARAINE WALKER 2009 The University of Southern Mississippi THE ALABAMA ADVANCED PLACEMENT INITIATIVE: THE ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL, TEACHER, AND STUDENT IN BRIDGING THE RACIAL AND SOCI-ECONOMIC GAP IN COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULA by Kimberly La Raine Walker Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2009 ABSTRACT THE ALABAMA ADVANCED PLACEMENT INITIATIVE: THE ROLES OF THE PRINCIPAL, TEACHER, AND STUDENT IN BRIDGING THE RACIAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC GAP IN COLLEGE PREPARATORY CURRICULA by Kimberly LaRaine Walker August 2009 This research study was designed to determine leadership and instructional behaviors of administrators and teachers who are participants in the Alabama AP Initiative, as well as evaluate the perceptions of the AAPI with regard to student performance.
The importance of this research was three-fold. First, this study provided principals, as well as aspiring principals, with statistical research for developing a new AP Program or other advanced curricula. Second, the results of this research provided statistical research for teachers, both experienced and those new to the AP Program, who are developing and/or improving instructional strategies that will become an effective means of teaching the skills outlined by the AP curriculum, while attracting a larger and more diverse group of students into the AP Program. Third, this study provided data that indicates whether the Alabama AP Initiative serves as a means of increasing participation and performance of minority students in inner city and rural school areas.
The researcher developed three instruments to survey administrators, teachers, and students within the state of Alabama. The survey was used to determine leadership behaviors and instructional strategies used to implement ii the AAPI into high school curricula and to determine student perceptions of the AAPI. The researcher also examined four hypotheses centered around the comparison of AP exam scores, AP participation rates, and AP course enrollment over a three year period. A quantitative analysis of archival AP exam scores showed no significant difference in the AP participation rates of minority students, nor in the rates of minority students enrolling in AP courses over the three-year existence of the AAPI.
In comparing AP exam scores of minority and non-minority students, data analyses showed a significant difference in only three of the ten subject areas tested. A descriptive analysis was used to examine the survey results. Administrators reported the following behaviors as useful in implementing the AAPI into their schools curriculum: soliciting teacher input in curriculum changes, recognizing the need for more minorities to enroll in advanced courses, communicating with parents and community leaders, and scheduling professional development workshops for adequate teacher training. Teachers reported maintaining regular communication with parents, incorporating strategies learned at AP training institutes, and encouraging students to take advanced courses as instructional strategies that have were useful in enhancing their AP courses.
Students perceived the AAPI as beneficial in providing exposure to a college preparatory curriculum, as well as improving higher order thinking skills and standardized testing scores. iii DEDICATION For my grandmother, Ms. Elizaetta Walker (1923-2005), a phenomenal woman who taught me the importance of hard work, perseverance, virtuosity, and faith. You will live forever in my heart.
iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to those of you who have provided me with the support, encouragement, and love that has kept me afloat throughout this process. First, I give thanks to God, for without him nothing is possible. I also give thanks to my grandmother for bestowing her spirit upon me and serving as my guardian angel during those long, and often tiring, trips from Mobile to Gulfport and Hattiesburg. I want to thank my mother, Arabell Walker, for understanding that I needed to pursue this dream and encouraging me to remain focused and strong until completion.
You always push me through my bouts of stubbornness and weakness. You always believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself. I love you dearly. To my committee members, Dr.
Mike Ward, Dr. Kyna Shelley, and Dr. Gary Peters, thank you for encouragement, support, and help throughout this process. Ward, thank you for keeping me focused and on my toes.
I have the most profound appreciation and respect for your ability to always set high academic standards. Johnson, thank you for your words of wisdom, constant support, and above all, your willingness to work with me throughout this process. Peters, thank you for always maintaining such a pleasant disposition and positive attitude. Those attributes truly kept me at ease during the most intense moments.
To my dearest Dr. Shelley, where do I begin? First, thank you for helping me get over my fear of statistics. You were right, once I v calmed down, it all made sense. Also, thank you for just being you.
You were always calm in the midst of a storm and managed to help me remain positive. I want to thank my best friend and college roommate, Jimise Rogers Mitchell, Ed., for your strong sense of self worth, faith, and encouragement. I also thank you for reminding me that you were the oldest and I should do as you said and did, which led to my completion of this degree. Your friendship means the world to me.
I also thank my favorite cousin, Robette Hayden King, and my second college roommate, Celena Simpson Perine. The two of you truly loved me through the good and bad times. When times were rough and weary, your willingness to tolerate my emotional and verbal abuse did not go unnoticed. Thanks for allowing me to vent and keeping me grounded and focused.
A special thanks to my sorority sisters, Aletia Wax Seaborn, Ph., Roxanne Hannon-Odom, Ed., Katryna Lowery Ellis, Patty M. Crockett, Prentice Coleman, Ph. All of you were so encouraging, understanding, and supportive. Aletia and Roxanne, thank you for sharing your dissertation experiences so that I, too, could have a rewarding experience.
Katryna, thank you for all of those 5:30 A. phone calls, ensuring that I was up and on time for work after a long night's journey. You are truly the eternal optimist who always sees the good in everyone. Patty Cake, thank you, thank you, thank you, for keeping it real, packing my bags, and dragging me to new adventures all over the globe.
Those trips always rejuvenated me enough to make it through one more semester. Prentice, thank you for encouraging me to vi apply for admissions to this program. You will always be a great source of inspiration to me. Patrice, I thank you for being my personal counselor.
You always had the most positive things to say. You kept me focused. To my co-workers, Kathryn Smith, Paula and Shelia Spencer, and E. Felice Howard, thank you for all of the early morning rump sessions.
You all always had the ability to make me laugh in the face of despair. You always exhibited true "Delta Spirit." Felice, I thank you for the constant encouragement and faith, even when I argued with you most of the time. When you are ready to begin this journey, I will be there for you every step of the way. To my dearest friends, Phillip Herring and Shannon Smith, I don't know how I could have made it without you.
Thank you for being so motivating, challenging, and encouraging. The two of you have made this process most memorable. I love you all. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii DEDICATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v LIST OF TABLES x CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION 1 Background Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Research Questions Hypotheses Definition of Terms Delimitations Assumptions Justification Summary II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 13 Theoretical Framework Review of Literature on Pertinent Research and Expert Perspectives The Alabama AP Initiative The Administrator's Involvement in the School's Curriculum The Teacher's Role in Assuring Fidelity to AP Program Elements and Equitable Representation and Performance of Students Summary III. METHODOLOGY 55 Research Design Participants Instrumentation Validity Procedures Data Analysis Summary viii IV. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS 64 Response Rate Presentation and Analysis of Data Summary V.
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 82 Purpose Discussion of Statistical Findings Discussion of Findings Based of Descriptive Data Limitations of the Study Recommendations for Policy and Practice Recommendations for Future Studies Conclusion APPENDICES 97 REFERENCES 107 ix LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Means and Standard Deviations for the Percentage of Minority Inner City and Rural Students Participating in the AP Program 67 2. Means and Standard Deviations for the Performance of Inner City and Minority Students on the AP Exams in 2006, 2007, and 2008 69 3. Means and Standard Deviations for the AP Exam Scores of Minority and Non-Minority Students 71 4.
Means and Standard Deviations for Leadership Behaviors of Administrators Involved in the AAPI 74 5. Means and Standard Deviations for Instructional Strategies of Teachers Involved in the AAPI 78 6. Means and Standard Deviations for Student Perceptions of the Effects of the AAPI on Student Learning and Performance 81 x 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Chapter One provides several key elements of this study, including the background of the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the creation and implementation of the Alabama Advanced Placement Initiative (AAPI), and the administrator's role in incorporating this new program into the school's curriculum. The reader will also find a listing of terms, research questions and hypotheses, limitations, and justifications that were all pertinent to this research study.
The primary purposes of this study were twofold. The first objective was to determine the leadership behaviors and instructional strategies of administrators and teachers who were actively involved in implementing the AAPI in high schools throughout the state. The second objective was to examine whether AAPI affected AP participation of minority students and changed AP test scores of high school students in the State of Alabama. Background Proposals for the reformation of the American public school system have been a controversial issue for over 50 years.
During the 1950's, the Supreme Court of the United States addressed educational reform by declaring separate but equal schools unconstitutional and mandated that schools be integrated nation wide (Brown Foundation for Educational Equality, 2004). In 1983, a scathing review of the nation's public schools commissioned by President Ronald Reagan declared the educational system to be at risk of being non-competitive 2 with other countries. His proposal, A Nation At Risk called for changes that would improve students' testing, writing, and critical thinking skills (The Research Center, 2004). Ten years later, President Bill Clinton identified a decline in teacher morale and opined that this was affecting the learning process.