East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 12-2013 A Qualitative Study of School Staff Perceptions of Lasting Effects after Implementation of GEAR UP in Five Rural East Tennessee Counties Flora R. Craig Mrs East Tennessee Sate University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Craig, Flora R. Mrs, "A Qualitative Study of School Staff Perceptions of Lasting Effects after Implementation of GEAR UP in Five Rural East Tennessee Counties" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations.edu/etd/1780 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University.
It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact digilib@etsu. A Qualitative Study of School Staff Perceptions of Lasting Effects after Implementation of GEAR UP in Five Rural East Tennessee Counties _____________________ A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership ____________________ by Flora Rae Craig December 2013 ____________________ Dr. Hal Knight, Chair Dr.
Virginia Foley Dr. Robert Leger Dr. Jasmine Renner Key words: GEAR UP, College Access, P-16, Higher Education Act of 1965 ABSTRACT A Qualitative Study of School Staff Perceptions of Lasting Effects after Implementation of GEAR UP in Five Rural East Tennessee Counties by Flora Rae Craig This study analyzed the perceptions of 13 school staff and their experiences with the implementation of GEAR UP TN. The primary purpose of this study was to examine how program activities and services are being sustained after funding for GEAR UP TN ceased.
Qualitative methodology guided this study. This approach allowed for the perspectives and lived experiences of the school staff to be voiced and heard. Data collected included their stories based on semistructured interviews and observations. Findings are presented in 4 themes that pertain directly to the research questions regarding key elements that contributed to program continuation, procedures that initiated program continuation, organizations in a collaborative that were sustained after funding, and program services not continued.
In this specific case there continues to be school district support, community support, parental support, and a level of financial and technical support from other funding sources. Recommendations based on the results of the study are (1) implement college visits, ACT workshops, dual enrollment classes, and parent FAFSA workshops to create a college going culture; (2) gain support from the school board, parents, and the community; (3) maintain sufficient financial and human resources for precollege access programs and services; and (4) build partnerships with local colleges and universities. 2 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated with much love to my husband Wendell for his undying patience and support, my sons Maurice and Aaron, and my sister Felicia. These individuals have had a tremendous impact upon my life and my quest for education.
I love you all dearly and thank you for all of your support. To my parents Shirley and Raymond Nelson, although you aren’t here with me, I know that you were with me each step of the way during this journey; I love you both. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Time and space does not allow for the acknowledgement of all of the individuals I should thank for their influence upon my life. To everyone who has helped me gain the knowledge and experiences that I now possess, I sincerely thank you! The task of completing this dissertation was sometimes long and tedious and some very helpful individuals have been there to help me through.
I would like to thank the members of my committee: Dr. Hal Knight, Dr. Virginia Foley, Dr. Jasmine Renner, and Dr.
I appreciate all of your time and help with this dissertation. I also acknowledge and thank the individuals who trusted me with their personal stories. They made this research possible. Their insights, time, and trust are greatly valued.
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT. 9 Background of the Study. 11 The Setting: Five Rural East Tennessee Counties. 12 Statement of the Problem.
14 Significance of the Study. 14 Scope of the Study. 15 Statement of Researcher’s Bias and Perspective. 15 Definitions of Terms.
15 Overview of the Study. REVIEW OF LITERATURE. 18 History of Precollege Outreach Programs. 18 A Defined Federal Role in Providing Educational Opportunity.
22 Precollege Program Models and Evaluation. 25 The Creation of GEAR UP. 33 Services GEAR UP Programs Provide. 35 Evaluation of GEAR UP Programs.
40 Effective GEAR UP Models and Strategies. 45 Previous GEAR UP Tennessee Grant. 48 5 Evaluation of GEAR UP Tennessee. 70 School District Selection.
70 Key Informant Selection. 80 Preliminary Interview Questions. 81 Data Analysis Procedures. 82 Analysis During Data Collection.
87 Theme 1: Key Elements in the Program That Contributed to Program Continuation. 88 Theme 2: Procedures That Were Essential to Initiate Program Continuation. 91 Theme 3: Organizations in a Collaborative That Were Sustained After Funding. 94 Theme 4: Program Activities or Services Not Continued.
DISCUSSION, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND CONCLUSION. 100 Theme 1: Key Elements in the Program That Contributed to Program Continuation. 101 Theme 2: Procedures That Were Essential to Initiate Program Continuation. 102 Theme 3: Organizations in a Collaborative That Were Sustained After Funding.
104 Theme 4: Program Activities or Services Not Continued. 105 Recommendations for Practice. 106 Recommendation 1: Implement College Visits, ACT Workshops, Dual Enrollment Classes and Parent FAFSA Workshops to Create a College Going Culture. 107 Recommendation 2: Gain Support from the School Board, Parents, and the 7 Community and keep Key Personnel in Place.
107 Recommendation 3: Maintain Sufficient Financial and Human Resources for Precollege Access Programs and Services. 108 Recommendation 4: Build Partnerships with Local Colleges and Universities. 108 Recommendations for Future Research. 119 Appendix A: Informed Consent Forms.
119 Appendix B: Audit Trail. 122 Appendix C: Interview Guide. 127 8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The economic strength and competitiveness of our nation depend on the quality of our workforce. Nearly two thirds of the job openings forecast to be created by 2018 will require education beyond a high school diploma (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2010).
Our nation must become better educated in order to thrive and prosper in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. The federal government, national foundations, and virtually all the states have launched many initiatives to meet this challenge (National Economic Council, Council of Economic Advisers, and Office of Science and Technology Policy, 2011). On July 18, 2011, President Obama hosted an education roundtable with key leaders in both the private and public sectors to discuss ways to ensure a competitive American workforce (The White House Blog, 2011). During the discussions, President Obama stated: A world-class education is the single most important factor in determining not just whether our kids can compete for the best jobs but whether America can out-compete countries around the world.
America’s business leaders understand that when it comes to education, we need to up our game. That’s why we’re working together to put an outstanding education within reach for every child (The White House Blog, 2011, para. The Obama Administration released its 2013 budget providing $302 million for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), the nation’s premier program to prepare low-income students for the challenges and rigor of higher education (PR Newswire, 2012). In New York City Congressman Fattah delivered opening remarks to some 1,000 attendees at the 2012 GEAR UP Capacity Building Breakfast at which he announced new research awards to track the progress of low-income students in the nation’s most successful college readiness and awareness program (PR Newswire, 2012).
9 After the Obama budget was announced, Fattah said the funding shows that even in a time of tough budget choices and cutbacks President Obama agrees that GEAR UP levels the playing field for young, underserved Americans (Fattah, 2012). “The President and I are in agreement that GEAR UP is critical to assuring an equal opportunity for all Americans to pursue higher education,” said Fattah, who developed the program for bipartisan 1998 enactment by Congress (Fattah, 2012, para. GEAR UP was created in 1998 as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. As mandated by the legislation (PL 105-244, 1998), GEAR UP grantees sought to increase postsecondary access and completion through information to students and parents, individualized academic and social support to students, parent involvement in education, educational excellence, school reform, and student participation in rigorous courses (U.
Department of Education, 2003). This discretionary grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides 6-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school.
GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students (U. Department of Education, 2012). GEAR UP offers state and partnership grants. State grants are competitive 6-year matching grants that must include both an early intervention component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students and a scholarship component.
Partnership grants are competitive 6-year matching grants that must support an early intervention component and may support a scholarship component designed to 10 increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students (U. Department of Education, 2012). Since 1998 GEAR UP has provided assistance to 12 million young people in 49 states, with an investment of almost $3 billion in federal resources (Fattah, 2012). The program offers counseling, academic and financial preparation, and inspiration for students and their parents, starting in the sixth grade who might otherwise not even consider college (Fattah, 2012).
Background of the Study In September 2005 the state of Tennessee was awarded a $3.5 million dollar federal discretionary 6-year grant by the U. Department of Education, known as GEAR UP. GEAR UP provides resources to assist state efforts to increase the number of underserved students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Through the creation of early intervention programs, enhanced academic assessments, and a broad-based outreach campaign articulating the importance of postsecondary access, GEAR UP TN aim to achieve the following goals: • Increase educational expectations of GEAR UP TN students and their families through an expanded knowledge of postsecondary access and financial aid opportunities.
• Enhance the academic preparation of GEAR UP TN students to improve high school graduation rates and postsecondary enrollment, retention, and completion. • Provide effective professional development for classroom teachers, school, and system staff to ensure increased academic rigor and postsecondary preparation. • Encourage community engagement through GEAR UP TN to sustain an environment that supports college access and life-long learning (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2009, p. 11 Partnering together in the development and implementation of GEAR UP Tennessee (GEAR UP TN) was the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Tennessee System, along with a host of other consultants and local regional partnerships (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2009).
GEAR UP TN served 47 middle and high schools in nine rural counties; Campbell, Cocke, Grundy, Hardeman, Johnson, Lake, Meigs, Union, and Wayne (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2011). In the nine counties over 6,164 students received direct services through the grant and over 44, 991 students received services through statewide initiatives in the sixth year (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2011). The grant operated as a priority model and served a rising cohort within that model.