Date of Award

Fall 9-15-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Kabba Colley

Second Advisor

Maureen Creegan-Quinqis

Third Advisor

Ben Klompus

Abstract

There are a relatively small number of schools in Massachusetts that produce strong growth in student outcomes in a given year. Having a clear understanding of the characteristics of these schools allows other schools to improve outcomes for all students. The purpose of this research study was to identify the characteristics of these schools with a specific focus on the schools that produce strong gains in student growth with large percentages of students who are designated as low income. A mixed methods study, which combined secondary data analysis and a case study was used. Secondary data analysis was used to understand the characteristics of these schools and to identify those specific schools that produce strong growth with large percentages of students who are designated low income. A case study was conducted to better understand levels of teacher efficacy and leadership styles in these schools. When compared, schools that produced strong growth in student outcomes were shown to have higher attendance rates, lower suspension rates, higher percentages of experienced teachers, higher teacher retention rates, and lower percentages of students who were designated low income. Schools with both high student growth and high percentages of students who were designated low income had teacher retention rates and experienced teacher rates that were no different than other low income schools. Teachers in these schools demonstrated high levels of teacher efficacy and leaders demonstrated a clear vision of themselves as instructional leaders. Teachers and leaders disagreed on the origin of teacher mindsets and had different perceptions of how disagreement operated in their schools. Overall, teachers in schools with high levels of student growth and high levels of students designated as low income displayed a coherent experience by which they developed self-authorship. However, it is possible that this pattern of development may leave them misaligned to their schools over time and may contribute to their decisions to leave their schools, despite their success. The dissertation discusses the above findings and their implications for policy, practice and future research.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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