| In spite of state and federal initiatives enacted to stimulate academic parity and achievement between all student groups, such as California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999 and the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the pernicious achievement gap is a veritable reminder of the magnitude of work to be done in America's public schools. This Capstone Project examined the implementation of three reforms intended to addresses the academic needs of students in the Rowland Unified School District: The Ball Foundation, English Learner Instructional Support Leads, and Three Essential Priorities. The findings revealed that although the district, in general, has demonstrated its capacity to produce quality educational programs, performance gaps among English learners continued to thrive. With respect to the implementation of the three reforms, the findings indicated that reform implementation was fragmented, and suggested the presence of performance gaps occasioned by deficiencies in knowledge and skills, motivation, and organizational processes and resources among district and school personnel. The project team generated a set of specific recommendations supported by current research to abate the root causes of performance gaps found in the implementation of the three district reforms. The recommendations focused on developing and communicating specific goals, tailoring professional development, and adopting implementation guidelines and systems for accountability germane to district reforms. |
