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Running head: LACK OF PARENT INVOLVEMENT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GAPS 1

Parent Involvement and Its Impact on Student Achievement Gaps 30

Parent Involvement and Its Impact on Student Achievement Gaps between American Indian Students and White, non-Hispanic Students

Becky Baggett

University of West Alabama

Author Note

Becky Baggett, School of Graduate Studies, Student in Master’s Degree in Education: English/Language Arts, University of West Alabama

This proposal was written as part of the graduate course ED 504, Techniques of Educational Research, under the guidance of Dr. Chris Moersch

Abstract

Lack of parent involvement, particularly in high school, is a major challenge in public education. Parent accountability is a vital factor in improving public education and narrowing achievement gaps among diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, many parents are choosing to be unsupportive and uninvolved in their children’s education. This proposal hopes to effectively demonstrate the importance and influence of parental involvement on student achievement within the high school level of education. This project will include collecting and reviewing state assessment results, students’ GPAs and grades in CORE classes, and students’ attendance reports to help support and show the achievement gap between J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students. Interviews with J. U. Blacksher High School’s administrators, counselor, high school CORE teachers, and the on-site full-time tutors provided by Poarch Band of Creek Indians will be conducted to collect data on parent involvement, attendance, and classroom performance among our American Indian students in comparison to the white, non-Hispanic students. This project predicts that with more parent involvement, the achievement gap between J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic will begin to narrow.

Chapter 1: Research Problem

Introduction

Ways to improve public education is a continual debate. The goal of improving public education is to improve student achievement. One vital factor in improving student achievement is parent involvement. Lack of parent involvement, particularly in high school, is a major challenge in public education. According to the Alabama State Department of Education (2019), over thirty years’ worth of research supports the importance of parent involvement in student achievement: “When parents are involved in their students’ education, those students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents’ education level.” This study hopes to effectively demonstrate the importance and influence of parental involvement on student achievement within the high school level of education.

Statement of the Research Problem

Roughly 5% of J. U. Blacksher High School’s student body is American Indian, and our American Indian enrollment increases each year. Currently, the high school student body includes 244 students in grades 9-12 with 43 of those students being American Indian. Those 43 American Indian students account for more than 20% of the school’s chronic absenteeism and tardies. Not only are these students identified as truants; they are also identified as at-risk due to low academic performance, along with chronic absenteeism. At J. U. Blacksher High School, there are more American Indian high school students identified as at-risk than white, non-Hispanic students identified as at-risk. In the spring of 2019, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) Education Committee took a more serious look into the lack of parent involvement and chronic absenteeism among our American Indian students. Phone calls were made, emails and texts were sent, and certified letters were mailed in attempts to schedule meetings with parents/guardians of these students to discuss academic performance and chronic absenteeism. PCI Education Committee and J. U. Blacksher High School’s guidance counselor’s records indicated most of the attempts to schedule these meetings were ignored. According to sign-in sheets kept on file by J. U. Blacksher High School’s administrators and counselor, when the school hosts open-house at the beginning of the school year, has monthly PTO meetings, and schedules Parent-Teacher Conference day after the first quarter, there is very little or no participation/attendance from the parents of J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students. Lack of parent involvement is a major determinant of a student becoming an at-risk student. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the connection between lack of parent involvement and its influence on the student achievement gap between American Indian high school students and white non-Hispanic high school students.

Data and Identification of the Problem

J. U. Blacksher High School Chronic Absenteeism

Alabama State Department of Education Report Card 2018-2019

Subpopulations

All Sub Population	18.18%
American Indian/Alaskan Native	25.49%
Asian	No Data
Black or African American	9.21%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	No Data
White	18.44%
Two or More Races	No Data
Hispanic/Latino	No Data
Students with Limited English Proficiency	No Data
Students with Disabilities	14.82%
Economically Disadvantaged	24.11%
J. U. Blacksher High School 2018-2019 Report Card	______________________

Figureꞏ1. J. U. Blacksher High School Chronic Absenteeism. Alabama State Department of Education (2019). ALSDE report card: Monroe county public school system, J. U. Blacksher High School [Graph]. Retrieved from

http://reportcard.alsde.edu/Alsde/OverallScorePage?schoolcode=0060&systemcode=050&year=2019

Differences Among J. U. Blacksher High School Grade 10 Students’ PreACT Scores 2019

2020

2019-2020 PreACT TM Educator Reports

STATE: AL

SCHOOL: J.U. BLACKSHER HIGH SCHOOL (012748)

School Report-Grade 10

National Norm Group: Fall 10

Do our students’ PreACT scores differ by ethnic and gender groups?

The table below provides average PreACT scores by ethnic and gender groups. Averages that are based on only a small number of students provide less stable results. The last column (% taken or taking) refers to the percent of students in each row who have or are currently taking a core set of classes: English 10, Algebra 1 and one other math course, any social studies course, and biology.

Tableꞏ1. Average Scores by Ethnicity and Gender

Group	Number of Students	Composite	Math	Science	STEM	English	Reading	% Taken or Taking
Total Group
American Indian/Alaskan Native	3	13.3	14.3	12.7	13.7	12.3	13.3	0
White	33	16.7	15.6	16.6	16.4	15.4	18.8	45
Males
American Indian/Alaskan Native	1	12.0	13.0	13.0	13.0	9.0	11.0	0
White	12	14.1	15.0	14.6	15.1	12.2	14.3	17
Females
American Indian/Alaskan Native	2	14.0	15.0	12.5	14.0	14.0	14.5	0
White	21	18.2	16.0	17.8	17.2	17.2	21.3	62

Tableꞏ1. ACT, Inc. (2019). Do our students’ PreACT scores differ by ethnic and gender groups? J. U. Blacksher High School: 2019-2020 PreACT educator reports [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

ACT PROFILE REPORT- High School: SECTION 1, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Graduating Class 2019

SCHOOL: J.U. BLACKSHER HIGH SCHOOL (012748) Uriah, AL

AL

Table 2. Five Year Trends

Percent and Average Composite Score by Race/Ethnicity

2018

2015

2017

2016

2019

Tableꞏ2. ACT, Inc. (2019). Five year trends: Percent and average composite score by

race/ethnicity. J. U. Blacksher High School: 2019 ACT Profile Report: Section I: Executive

Summary [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

Race/Ethnicity	N	%	Avg	N	%	Avg	N	%	Avg	N	%	Avg	N	%	Avg
American Indian/Alaska Native	3	7	16.3	3	6	15.0	4	9	18.0	0	0		4	8	16.0
White	27	64	18.4	37	73	19.4	34	77	18.0	51	84	19.0	41	82	17.7

ACT PROFILE REPORT- High School: SECTION II, ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT Graduating Class 2019

SCHOOL: J.U. BLACKSHER HIGH SCHOOL (012748) URIAH, AL

AL

Tableꞏ3. Average ACT Composite Scores for Race /Ethnicity by Level of Preparation

Race/Ethnicity (School)	Number of Students Tested	Percent Taking Core or More	Average ACT Composite Score Core or More Less Than Core
American Indian/Alaska Native	4	25	17.0	15.7
White	41	46	19.8	15.6
Race/Ethnicity (State)
American Indian/Alaska Native	450	58	19.1	16.0
White	30,778	63	21.8	16.2

Tableꞏ4. Average ACT Scores by Race /Ethnicity

Race/Ethnicity (School)	N	Percent	English	Mathematics	Reading	Science	Composite	STEM
American Indian/Alaska Native	4	8	16.0	14.3	16.5	16.8	16.0	15.5
White	41	82	17.9	17.2	17.9	17.4	17.7	17.5
Race/Ethnicity (State)
American Indian/Alaska Native	450	1	17.2	17.4	18.3	17.7	17.8	17.8
White	30,778	54	20.6	19.3	21.2	20.2	20.5	20.0

Tableꞏ3. ACT, Inc. (2019). Average ACT composite scores for race/ethnicity by level of preparation. J. U. Blacksher High

School: 2019 ACT Profile Report: Section II: Academic Achievement [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

Tableꞏ4. ACT, Inc. (2019). Average ACT scores by race/ethnicity. J. U. Blacksher High School: 2019 ACT Profile Report: Section II: Academic Achievement [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

Tableꞏ5. Meetings Planned by Teachers, Counselors, and Administrators for At-Risk Students

Tableꞏ5. J. U. Blacksher High School (2019). Meetings planned by teachers, counselors, and

administrators for at-risk students (white non, Hispanic and American Indian): mid-

quarter and end of first semester [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

Figureꞏ2. J. U. Blacksher High School Parental Involvement Levels by Ethnicity (White, non-Hispanic and American Indian) and Activities

Figureꞏ2. J. U. Blacksher High School (2019). Parental Involvement Levels by Ethnicity (White, non-Hispanic and American Indian) and Activities [Table]. Monroe County Public School System.

J. U. Blacksher High School’s 2018-2019 state report card showed a chronic absenteeism percentage of 18.18% with our American Indian students having a 25.49% chronic absenteeism rate (Figure 1). J. U. Blacksher High School’s iNOW attendance reports, along with the state report card (Figure 1), show that American Indian students miss more school than J. U. Blacksher High School’s black/African American and white, non-Hispanic students.

ACT and PreACT summary reports (2019) provide information on how J. U. Blacksher High School’s ACT and PreACT scores differ by ethnic and gender groups. Table 1 reflects J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students are scoring lower than the white, non-Hispanic students. Significant differences are identified among scores on the Math, Science, English, and Reading subtests. Tables 3 and 4 show state average ACT scores by race and ethnicity and indicate an achievement gap between American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students. According to Table 1, PreACT results reflect a significant difference in reading scores between our American Indian students and white students.

J. U. Blacksher High School’s five year trends by average ACT scores and level of preparation, along with five year trends based on percent and average composite scores by race and ethnicity (2019), show white, non-Hispanic students scoring relatively higher than American Indian students (Table 2). The greatest difference in composite scores between American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students is a 4.4 difference noted in 2016 with the average composite score for American Indians being 15.0 and 19.4 for white, non-Hispanic students (Table 2).

J. U. Blacksher High School’s average ACT scores by race/ethinicity for the class of 2019 (2019) shows a 1.7 difference between American Indian students’ and white, non-Hispanic students’average composite scores (Table 4). Table 4 also shows American Indian students’ average score on the English subtest was 16.0 with white, non-Hispanics scoring an average of 17.9. The mathmatics subtest average scores reflect the greatest difference among the subtests. According to Table 4, white, non-Hispanic students’ average math score was 17.2 while American Indian students’ average math score was 14.3 for an average difference of 2.9. State average ACT scores by race/ethnicity also reflect significant differences in average scores. Table 4 identified the state average composite score for American Indians students as17.8 and 20.5 for white, non-Hispanic students; the difference between the two races/ethnicities is 2.7. It is important to understand the ACT and Pre-ACT measure what a student already knows or should have learned in high school. Both ACT and PreACT scores support the need for remediation and parent involvement to help close the achievement gap between these two ethnic groups (Tables 3 & 4).

At mid-quarter and end of first semester, teachers, counselors, and administrators schedule

meetings at J. U. Blacksher High School with white, non-Hispanic and American Indian at-risk

students and their parents. Figure 2 reflects the lack of parent involvement among American in

Indian at-risk students. These students are identified as at-risk based on poor grades, failures, and excessive absences. Students identified as at-risk at J. U. Blacksher High School in Grades 9-12 include 22 white, non-Hispanic students and 30 American Indian students. Of the 22 meetings scheduled for white, non-Hispanic at-risk students and their parents, 16 parents attended. However, for the 30 meetings scheduled for American Indian at-risk students, only 3 of these at-risk students had parents to attend. There is little to no parental involvement to support and encourage American Indian students. No American Indian parents attended parent-teacher conference day or monthly PTO meetings (August 2019-December 2019). Two American Indian parents attended open house in August 2019.

Data from Figures 1 and 2, as well as Tables 1-5, does show an achievement gap between American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students, while indicating that lack of parent involvement does have an influence on the student achievement gap between American Indian high school students and white non-Hispanic high school students. Chronic absenteeism, lack of parent involvement and interest, low Pre-ACT and ACT scores, and poor classroom performance are factors that are impacting the overall academic performance of J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students.

Impact on Student Achievement

According to J. U. Blacksher High School’s 2018-2019 report card (Figure 1), chronic absenteeism overall was 18.18% with American Indian students having an absentee rate of 25.49%. The Alabama State Department of Education (2016) defines chronic absenteeism as “missing 10 percent or more of school for any reason” and shares it is “a proven predictor of lower reading proficiency and course failure and “a leading indicator of students dropping out of school.” Of the 43 American Indian students in high school (9-12), 30 of those have been identified as at-risk students due to poor academic performance and chronic absenteeism and tardies. Poor attendance contributes to J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students’ low academic performance because they are missing valuable instructional time in CORE classes.

Research Methods

The sample technique will be purposive sampling because the 30 at-risk American Indian and 22 white, non-Hispanic students have demonstrated a need for remediation, academic guidance and progress monitoring, and more parental involvement and support. American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students who have been identified as at-risk are the significant contributors to the achievement gap between the American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students. This is a quasi-experimental study because the student populations, including Native American students, are not randomly assigned to the treatment group receiving culturally-responsive teaching. The statistical analysis of collected data will involve the use of two paired t-tests: 1) to measure difference in the attendance rate of at-risk American Indian students before the use of culturally-responsive teaching, based on prior data, and after the use of culturally-response teaching and 2) to measure difference in the student achievement among at-risk American Indian students before the use of culturally-responsive teaching, based on prior data, and after the use of culturally-response teaching. It is presumed culturally responsive teaching strategies will decrease chronic absenteeism and increase academic performance among the at-risk American Indian students.

Summary

The data reflects an achievement gap between American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students. This study will focus on the importance of parental involvement and its impact on students’ academic success. Parent involvement supports and encourages academic success while increasing students’ self-efficacy. This study will determine the impact of parental involvement on student achievement gaps between American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic high school students.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Introduction

Lack of parent involvement, particularly in high school, is a major challenge in public education. According to the Alabama State Department of Education (2019), over thirty years’ of research supports the importance of parent involvement in student achievement: “When parents are involved in their students’ education, those students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents’ education level” (Parental Involvement Resolution). The Alabama State Department of Education (2019) asserts parental accountability is a vital factor in improving public education and narrowing achievement gaps among diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Best Practices to Increase Parental Involvement and Student Achievement

Many years of research support parent involvement significantly contributes to a student’s academic achievement. According to Elish-Piper (2008), parent involvement contributes to older students’ academic outcomes, attitudes toward school, and aspirations about schooling. Middle and high school students whose parents participate in their education tend to be more academically successful than their peers whose families are not involved. More specifically, when parents are involved in education, teens typically have higher grade point averages, higher test scores on standardized and classroom assessments, enrollment in more rigorous academic courses, more classes passed, more credits earned toward graduation, and higher graduation rates. Elish-Piper’s research (2008) also asserts parent involvement is linked to lower rates of retention and decreased likelihood of dropping out of school; the longer families stay involved, the more students’ grades increase, indicating that the effects of parent involvement accrue over time, a child’s parents are the greatest investors in a child’s education; and parent involvement improves academic performance, attendance, motivation, and behavior. The challenge for educators is to determine the best ways to encourage parents to get involved. According to Walsh (2016), there are seven effective ways to motivate parents to become or stay involved in the school systems: one-on-one communication between parents, teachers, and others; available access for peers to call parents; representatives and volunteers; encouragement and recognition of involvement; providing a warm environment where parents feel welcome; holding one opportunity a month for parents to get comfortable within the school; and providing parents helpful resources to help their children while at home. Thornton and Sanchez (2010) explain lack of parent involvement is generally low among American Indian students and without the proper support, students become overwhelmed, lose motivation, and ultimately give up on school. Many high schools struggle to identify and address issues related to student dropout rates among American Indian students, and culturally responsive teaching can help encourage parent involvement and improve academic achievement among American Indian students (Muniz, 2019).

Cultural Responsive Teaching

According to Muniz (2019), scholar and teacher educator Gloria Ladson-Billings’ cultural responsive approach, or cultural responsive teaching, is pertinent in a diverse classroom or school environment. Ladson-Billings defines cultural responsive teaching as “a form of teaching that calls for engaging learners whose experiences and cultures are traditionally excluded from mainstream settings” (Muniz, 2019, p.2). Muniz (2019) also asserts because schools have traditionally privileged the input and collaboration of families from dominant backgrounds, culturally responsive educators aim to develop the trust of diverse families to ensure they are involved at all levels of their child’s education throughout the year. Morgan (2009) shares “the traditional American school curriculum is often criticized for alienating minority students by not including their cultural contributions or respecting their culture fairly or accurately” (p. 12). Educators must recognize and understand the role culture plays in a child’s education. Therefore, educators must communicate with parents in order to understand their culture and its influence on education.

Chronic Absenteeism

According to Marsh (2019), race and ethnicity are predictors of absenteeism, and American Indian students are one of the top ethnic groups to have high absenteeism rates. Reducing absenteeism is a way to remove inequity in education among different race/ethnic groups and white students. Attendance Works (2018) defines chronic absenteeism as “missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason.” Chronic absenteeism negatively impacts academic performance. Educators, parents, and communities must work together in order to identify the reasons for chronic absenteeism and determine the best methods to reduce absenteeism among American Indian students.

Synthesis of Literature Review

Muniz (2019) shares Gloria Ladson-Billings’ belief that if teachers become familiar with their students’ home lives and backgrounds, then teachers will gain insight into the students’ behaviors and attitudes. Knowing and understanding students’ backgrounds can help teachers and parents improve education. Ladson-Billings asserts culturally responsive teaching will promote positive perspectives on parents and families, culturally mediated instruction, and communication of high expectations, while decreasing absenteeism and improving academic performance among American Indian students (pp. 1-6).

Technical Terms and Language

Achievement gap: any significant and particular disparity in educational performance or

educational attainment between different groups of students, such as

white students and minorities.

Cultural Responsive Teaching: an educational method that recognizes the importance of

including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning.

Attendance Works: An organization and action research project that uses continuous quality

improvement to evaluate gaps in knowledge and capacity building among

students and strives to use this knowledge to determine the best

interventions to reduce chronic absenteeism in public schools.

Chapter 3: Methodology

Introduction

J. U. Blacksher High School has 30 of 43 American Indian students in grades 9-12 identified as at-risk students due to poor academic performance, chronic absenteeism, and tardies, compared to 22 of 169 white, non-Hispanic students identified as at-risk. There is little to no

parental involvement in support of these American Indian students. Lack of parental involvement and interest in the students’ education is significantly contributing to the achievement gap between J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students. Chronic absenteeism, lack of parent involvement and interest, low Pre-ACT and ACT scores, and poor classroom performance are factors that are impacting the overall academic performance of the school’s American Indian students. Parent involvement can lead to student success and help narrow the achievement gap between American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students, while improving academic performance, attendance, motivation, and behavior. J. U. Blacksher High School’s administrators, teachers, and guidance counselor must recognize and understand the role culture plays in a child’s education. Culturally responsive teaching strategies can promote positive perspectives on parents and families, culturally mediated instruction, and communication of high expectations, while decreasing absenteeism and improving academic performance among American Indian students. The plan includes teachers being trained on culturally responsive teaching strategies, the school identifying and implementing the best ways to improve communication among parents, teachers, and students; and the school and Poarch Creek Indian Education committee helping to increase parental involvement and support in order to narrow the achievement gap between the American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students.

Population

J. U. Blacksher High School is a K4-12 grade rural school located in Monroe County. The school’s enrollment and population have increased over the past five years, resulting in the school moving from Class 1A to 2A. In grades 9-12, there are 240 students. Of these 240 students 43 are American Indian students who live in Poarch or on the Poarch Creek Indian reservation, and 169 are white, non-Hispanic students who live in Monroe County. The high school student body also includes 1 Asian student and 27 African American students, all of whom live in Monroe County. None of the American Indian high school students live in Monroe County; therefore, they transport themselves to school each day. J. U. Blacksher High School is

a Title I school, meaning the majority of the students are from low-income families. Of the 43

high school American Indian students, 30 have been identified as at-risk due to low academic

performance and chronic absenteeism; whereas, 22 white, non-Hispanic students have been identified as at-risk out of 169 white, non-Hispanic students, as a result of low academic performance and chronic absenteeism. There is more parental involvement and support among white, non-Hispanic students than there is with American Indian students. The 13 American Indian students who are not identified as at-risk have a 2.0 or above GPA, miss 5 days or less of school, and do have parental support. The achievement gap between American Indian students and white, non-Hispanic students continues to widen in CORE classes and on standardized tests.

Sample

The sample includes the 22 white, non-Hispanic at-risk high school students and the 30 American Indian at-risk high school students. When meetings were scheduled at mid-quarter of the first semester and the end of first semester with the parents of these at-risk students, 16 out of 22 white, non-Hispanic parents attended in support of their children; whereas, only 3 out of

30 parents of American Indian students attended the meetings. These white, non-Hispanic and

American Indian students who have been identified as at-risk and their parents will help determine the impact parental involvement has on a student’s education, while helping to narrow

the achievement gap between J. U. Blacksher High School’s American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students.

Sample Technique

The sample technique will be purposive sampling because the 30 at-risk American Indian and 22 white, non-Hispanic students have demonstrated a need for remediation, academic guidance and progress monitoring, and more parental involvement and support. American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students who have been identified as at-risk are the significant contributors to the achievement gap between the American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students. The at-risk students are struggling to pass their CORE classes and benchmark on the PreACT and ACT tests. This is a quasi-experimental study because the student populations, including Native American students, are not randomly assigned to the treatment group receiving culturally-responsive teaching. All CORE classes are going to use culturally-responsive teaching. The statistical analysis of collected data will involve the use of two paired t-tests: 1) to measure difference in the attendance rate of at-risk American Indian students before the use of culturally-responsive teaching, based on prior data, and after the use of culturally-response teaching and 2) to measure difference in the student achievement among at-risk American Indian students before the use of culturally-responsive teaching, based on prior data, and after the use of culturally-response teaching. It is presumed culturally responsive teaching strategies will decrease chronic absenteeism and increase academic performance among the at-risk American Indian students.

Role of Participants and Impact on Participants

The identified at-risk American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students will be expected to be actively engaged in classes, attend school regularly during the semester designated for research, attend on-site tutoring sessions when their grades in CORE classes drop below a C, attend ACT workshops provided by the Monroe County Public School System; and parents will be highly encouraged to attend meetings every two weeks to help begin to close the achievement gap between American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students. The participants’ data collected from teachers, iNOW, and counselors and administrators will help determine the best ways to encourage parent involvement, help parents understand how important parent involvement is, and identify how the lack of parent involvement is impacting the achievement gap between American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students. The data will also help administrators and teachers understand the need for culturally responsive teaching in CORE classes, while identifying the best methods to encourage parent involvement and improve academic performance among the identified at-risk students.

Plan for Protection of Human Subjects

As a fundamental responsibility, the researcher will ensure all participants-both students

and parents of the students-will be protected from harm and student (research) data will be

kept confidential. Participants and their parents will be informed of their rights and consent will be received. Participants and their parents will be advised they can withdraw themselves as a participant at any point in the study or request their information not be used in the study. Parents and students will also be informed of the purpose of the study. The only identifying information being used will be state issued student ID numbers; no participant’s name will actually be used. Chalkable iNOw reports and teacher feedback will be used to collect data; however, all participant information, including students’ three weeks’ progress monitoring reports, teacher feedback sheets, and notes recorded in parent meetings, will be kept confidential. Once data collection is complete, the researcher will be the only person who has access to the information.

Variables

The independent variable in this research study is culturally responsive teaching strategies for the identified at-risk American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students. Culturally responsive teaching strategies will be implemented in the CORE classes of the at-risk students. Culturally responsive teaching can help increase academic performance, decrease dropout rates, and improve school attendance rates. Participants must attend remediation/tutoring sessions if their grade falls below a C in a CORE class. The dependent variables are attendance and student

achievement.

Timeline

The course of the research study will take place first semester, a total of 18 weeks. During the summer, CORE teachers will attend training to understand what culturally responsive teaching is and begin to implement culturally responsive teaching strategies at the beginning of the school year and continue throughout the study. Participants will be actively engaged in their learning and be expected to attend school regularly. Participants grades and attendance in CORE classes will be progressed monitored every three weeks of a nine-week grading period. Parent meetings will be held with a Poarch Creek Indian representative to discuss the grades and absences of American Indian and white, non-Hispanic at-risk high school students. American Indian students having below a C in a CORE class must attend remediation/tutoring sessions on-campus before or during school or after school at Poarch Creek Indian Education Center. White non-Hispanic students having below a C in a CORE class must also attend remediation/tutoring sessions on-campus before, during, or after school. Data will be reviewed based on iNOW reports, teacher feedback, and parent meeting notes. At the end of the semester, all data will be

analyzed to determine the impact of parental involvement on student achievement gaps between the at-risk American Indian students and at-risk white, non-Hispanic high school students.

Constitutive and Operation Definitions

Achievement gap: any significant and particular disparity in educational performance or

educational attainment between different groups of students, such as

white students and minorities.

Cultural Responsive Teaching: an educational method that recognizes the importance of

including students’ cultural references in all aspects of

learning.

Chronic Absenteeism: missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any

reason.

At-risk: a term used to describe students or groups of students who are considered to have a

higher probability of failing academically or dropping out of school. The term may be

applied to students who face circumstances, such as lack of parent involvement and

chronic absenteeism, that could jeopardize their ability to complete school.

CORE class: a core course of study will typically include specified classes in the four “core”

subject areas—English language arts, math, science, and social studies—during

each of the four standard years of high school. 

GPA: GPA is an abbreviation for grade point average that is typically calculated by adding all

the numbered grades and dividing that total by the number of classes. GPA is usually

given on a scale from 0 (an F) to 4.0 (an A). GPA is a standard way of measuring

academic achievement.

ACT: The ACT test is a curriculum-based education and career planning tool for high school

students that assesses the mastery of college readiness standards.

PreACT: A multiple-choice assessment that provides 10th graders with short practice for the

ACT test; the PreACT simulates the ACT testing experience within a shorter test

window on all four ACT test subjects: reading, English, math, and science.

Poarch Creek Indian Education Committee: A committee that administers various education,

employment and training programs. The

function of the committee is to further develop

and improve the basic education skills of adult

Tribal Members; upgrade and improve the

academic performance of eligible Indian

children; provide on-site work experience

within tribal operations; provide support for

academic and technical training for eligible

participants.

Progress Monitoring: used to assess students’ academic performance, to quantify a student rate

of improvement or responsiveness to instruction and to evaluate the

effectiveness of instruction. Progress monitoring can be implemented

with individual students or an entire class. In progress monitoring,

attention should focus on fidelity of implementation and selection

of evidence-based tools, with consideration for cultural and linguistic

responsiveness and recognition of student strengths.

Semester: a half-year term in a school or college, typically lasting fifteen to eighteen weeks.

Chalkable iNOW: a web-based student information program that keeps track of grades,

attendance, classes and contact methods; it helps students stay accountable

in the classroom and fosters communication among parents, students, and

teachers.

Description of Data

Data will be collected from Chalkable iNOW. Collected data from Chalkable iNOW will include students’ grades and attendance in CORE classes. If a student has below a C in a CORE class, the student must attend remediation/tutoring sessions for the CORE class or classes. Progress monitoring will be done every three weeks during each nine-weeks grading period for the duration of the 18-week (semester) study. Once progress monitoring is complete, parents will be called to attend a meeting to discuss their child’s grades and absences. Notes will be taken during the parent meeting and will be shared with the researcher.

Teacher feedback forms will be used as a resource to collect data. Teachers will provide information that answers these four questions: 1) what can the student do? 2) what can the student not do that is hindering success in the classroom? 3) how does the student’s work compare to other students’ work? and 4) how can the student do better? Teachers will provide meaningful feedback in a timely manner for the researcher to help determine if remediation/tutoring and culturally responsive teaching strategies are improving academic performance and attendance. All data collected will be used to help determine the impact of parental involvement and culturally responsive teaching on student achievement gaps and attendance between American Indian at-risk students and white, non-Hispanic at-risk students.

Reliability and Validity of Instrument

Chalkable iNOW is a web-based student information program that keeps track of grades, attendance, classes and contact methods; it also helps students stay accountable in the classroom and fosters communication among parents, students, and teachers. This program records each time a parent or student logs in to check grades. Teachers and administrators can record the reason for an absence and why a student failed an assignment. Chalkable iNOW is noted to be a reliable source and is used in education systems throughout Alabama for a safer, faster, and more efficient method to manage student information. This program will be used in the study to obtain data on the identified at-risk American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students.

Teacher feedback forms on student performance will be easy to understand and quick to complete. All CORE teachers of the identified at-risk students participating in the study will be

given all the researcher’s contact information in case teachers have any questions about the feedback forms or the study. Tutors provided by the Poarch Creek Indian Education Committee

and the Monroe County Public School System will record participant’s attendance and performance at tutoring sessions and share the information with the researcher.

J. U. Blacksher High School’s guidance counselor will provide the researcher with PreACT and ACT score reports for the identified at-risk American Indian and white, non-Hispanic students in grades 10 and 11. ACT, Inc. will provide the score reports for J. U. Blackhser High School’s counselor. The counselor will also provide notes recorded during parent meetings with the researcher.

Teachers will be instructed to implement culturally responsive teaching strategies learned

during the summer training. Administrators will monitor classrooms to make sure culturally responsive teaching strategies are being used. To control any threats to internal validity, the same instruments and methods used for data collection will be used on all the participants.

Collaborative Resources

J. U. Blacksher High School CORE teachers, administrators, and counselor will work with the Poarch Creek Indians (PCI) Education Committee to help increase parent involvement in order to improve academic performance, decrease absences, and lessen the achievement gap between American Indian high school students and white, non-Hispanic students. The best practices (Master Plan) that will be used and fully implemented by the 2020-2021 school year include having a culturally respectful environment that includes a caring, supportive, and communicative staff; offering on-site (J. U. Blacksher High School and Poarch Creek Indian Reservation) tutoring and remediation before, during, and after school; having an American Indian advocate/representative at each scheduled meeting; scheduling meetings at a convenient time for the parent, instead of during the Monday-Friday school schedule of 7:35 a.m. through 2: 45 p.m.; and Poarch Creek Indians providing transportation if the parent has no means of transportation to attend meetings. Teachers will also be aware of each American Indian student’s background to better understand how to help encourage parent involvement in their child’s education and to motivate American Indian students in the classroom. Teachers will continue to update iNOW weekly in order to progress monitor students in a timely manner. The collaborated resources include J. U. Blacksher High School’s administrators, counselor, CORE teachers of the identified at-risk students; PCI Education Committee; tutors and advocates provided by PCI Education Committee; and parents of the identified American Indian and white, non-Hispanic at-risk students.

Leverage Plan

Culturally responsive teaching training will be done in the summer prior to the start of the study. South Alabama Regional In-service Center (SARIC) will conduct the workshop. Any teachers who could not attend during the summer will be trained on teacher workdays prior to the first day of the study. Poarch Creek Indian Education Committee will pay the on-site tutor to be available for tutoring from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday of the semester in which the study will be conducted. The committee will also be providing a tutor on the Poarch Creek Indian reservation after 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday during the time of the study. Collaboration with CORE teachers is vital since they will be providing input on each at-risk student’s progress in class. The goal is the leverage plan is to use as many resources available at the school, in the community, and with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to provide what is needed for these students without having to purchase anything for the study.

Limitations

Limitations or outside interferences that might interfere with improved student achievement include the following: student absences; CORE teacher absences; teachers not recording grades in a timely manner; parents of at-risk students refusing to be involved; at-risk students refusing to attend tutoring sessions before, during, or after school; teachers not implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies; teachers not being available for parent meetings or refusing to attend the meetings; and parents not attending the meetings. Other limitations include teachers’ refusal to attend the summer training session on culturally responsive teaching and participating students simply being unmotivated and unengaged during CORE class time and instruction. Since so much data, such as attendance and grades in CORE classes, will be collected from Chalkable iNow, it is important to have adequate internet connections. Inadequate internet connections could interfere with teachers posting attendance and recording grades in a timely manner as needed for progress monitoring, as well as interfere with parents checking their child’s grades. These limitations could negatively impact the study’s results and data collection. The study should result in understanding how parent involvement can lead to student success and help narrow the achievement gap between American Indian and white, non-Hispanic high school students, while improving academic performance, attendance, motivation, and behavior among these students at J. U. Blacksher High School.

References

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