| This ethnographic case study was designed to provide descriptive data regarding the dynamics in terms of culture, interaction, and change which surfaced as educators accommodated the varying needs of a diverse school population, especially the needs of second language learners. This ethnographic case study employed qualitative methods of data collection, particularly participant observation, semistructured interviews, and participant generated records, to describe those dynamics. The site selected was appropriate to the question and purposes of this study since its educator and student populations are typical of current demographic trends at the state, local, and national levels toward increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the classroom. The study sought to describe and interpret the activities and discourse of a collaborative group of European-American school administrators, teachers, and support staff in a middle class, elementary school in the Midwestern section of the United States. The activities and discourse of this collaborative group were focused on the appropriate accommodations necessary to address professionally the needs of an increasingly diverse student population in the school, especially second language learners. Of the themes that emerged over the duration of the study, three were particularly germane to this dissertation. These were: tradition, collaboration, and nurturing teacher leadership. The discussion of identified themes in this study is first related to the substantive theoretical framework for the research. Additional conclusions provide an extended foundation for an exploration of implications and suggestions for future research. |
