Graduation Semester and Year

2012

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

First Advisor

E. Adrienne Hyle

Abstract

Increasing student academic achievement continues to be a national call to action. Early student academic success can help prepare future citizens to be college and workforce ready. One construct, academic optimism (Hoy, Tarter, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2006a; McGuigan & Hoy, 2006), has been used in quantitative studies to examine increased student achievement. This study aims to contribute to the research on academic optimism by extending the School Academic Optimism Scale (SAOS) survey results through a qualitative case study description of a lower SES middle school. The selected school held a campus rating of Recognized as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) state accountability tests and a high measure of academic optimism according to the SAOS. School staff beliefs, actions and procedures were documented and analyzed. Staff beliefs, actions, and procedures were related to the construct of academic optimism. Specific school interventions were presented and detailed. Academic optimism proved valuable in determining why the selected site achieved academic success

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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