Examining Renewal in an Urban High School through the Lens of Systemic Change

Abstract

Researchers collaborated with an urban high school community to help provide direction for school improvement efforts. The results of a series of focus group interviews involving more than 150 members of the school community were analyzed using an urban schools systemic change framework. Researchers identified three common themes across students, families, teachers and administrators: (1) missed connections and disconnections, (2) learning and teaching, and (3) community building. These themes reflected other urban school research efforts that connect families with their students' school success and identify culturally responsive teaching and shared governance as features of successful school improvement. By viewing the themes through a systemic change framework, researchers were able to assist the school in its efforts toward reform, targeting specific areas of work that would leverage more coherence in improving student learning outcomes.