| The case study takes place in a North Carolina School district diverse in student population and land use, which by some records is experiencing some success with the students it serves. Standardized test data reveals the existence of academic achievement gaps within schools throughout the district. The school district's superintendent declared "closing academic achievement gaps" as a part of the district's strategic plan. This study examines the perceptions of educators at various levels of service and how their perceptions influence their educational practices through a qualitative methodology. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with the superintendent, regional superintendents and principals of each of the five regions within the district. Board of Education minutes as well as documents provided by the participants were analyzed. Participant responses were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed based on the study's conceptual framework, problem definition, into themes: perceptions, reality, solutions and practices. Regional findings were used to create a case of the region based on the similarities and differences of participants' responses. A cross-case analysis of the data was conducted to create a case of the school district. Although the administrators of the district provided a common definition of the academic achievement gap, the way the administrators frame the issue of the academic achievement gap is different hence their approaches to resolving the issue of the academic achievement gap is different as well. |
