Acker-Hocevar, Cruz-Janzen and Wilson have produced a remarkable book after a sustained and comprehensive piece of research. They have found seven schools that can overcome the odds, the odds of having a stu- dent group that doesn’t come from the right side of the tracks and an educa- tion system that is built on hierarchy and punishment. They have likened the success of each school to a tree, a Learning Partnership Tree (LPT), with a solid trunk of core values and a substantial root system of leadership, com- munication and involvement that branches into what they call their Systems Alignment Model (SAM). And like a tree, they found that each school was unique in terms of how it applies the various aspects of trunk, roots and foli- age to develop into a fully functioning organic system. Some are Aspen, oth- ers are Oaks, but all in their own way are beautiful. However, what also needs to be said is that these trees have grown on barren ground. The study also found that these schools were able to achieve all of this in spite of, rather than because of, the state system of education in which they found themselves. We find schools that struggle to make ends meet, where teachers and principals can be moved overnight and where schools are punished if they don’t meet a narrow range of standards, regardless of how many other skills and attitudes schools might help students attain. It leaves us with the question, how much better would these trees grow, if they found some fertile soil to support them? —Tony Townsend, Professor Chair of Public Service, Educational Leadership and Management School of Education University of Glasgow This book will be received as a timely and significant piece of research. It represents a balanced discussion about the meaning of educational excellence within a framework of equity and fairness, and measurement and impact. In part, the study is a critique of a high stakes testing frenzy, which unfortunately has emerged as the dominant tool for evaluating pub- lic schools, and worse, the quality of education. The authors explain con- vincingly that other measurable factors, like respect for culture, support for parents, involving teachers in decision-making, and other features, must be part of the equation for success at schools with any history of traditionally low-academic performance. —Professor James Jennings Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Professor Jennings has held visiting appointments at Northeastern University (1988), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1992), and Yale University (1997). Acker-Hocevar, Cruz-Janzen, and Wilson conclude that standards-based reform approaches may be necessary but they are not sufficient to promote student success. A more humanistic framework emerges in this book that reaffirms the value of principals’, teachers’, and parents’ shared leadership and participation in a more context-driven, additive notion of school reform. —Marilyn J. Taylor, Ed.D. Associate Professor Institute for Teacher Education and Department of Curriculum Studies University of Hawaii at Manoa This wonderful book reminds us that successful schools are complex, human organizations. They exist—and persist—in spite of many poli- cies and in the face of many challenges. They exist—and persist—because committed administrators, teachers, and staff work with families and learn- ers to ensure that everyone is well and respected and cared for and suc- cessful. Acker-Hocevar, Cruz-Janzen, and Wilson are to be commended for providing us with rich portraits of seven marvelous schools and for helping us understand how each became a great place to work and learn. —Lynn G. Beck Dean and Professor Gladys L. Benerd School of Education University of the Pacific Leadership from the Ground Up Effective Schooling in Traditionally Low Performing Schools A volume in Issues in the Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice of Urban Education Denise E. Armstrong and Brenda J. McMahon, Series Editors Issues in the Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice of Urban Education Denise E. Armstrong and Brenda J. McMahon Series Editors Struggling for Social Justice: Inclusive Leadership for a Diverse World (2011) by James Ryan Schools as Radical Sanctuaries: Decolonizing Urban Education through the Eyes of Latina/o Youth (2011) by Rene Antrop-Gonzalez Including Families and Communities in Urban Education (2011) Edited by Catharine Hands & Lea Hubbard Inclusion in Urban Educational Environments: Addressing Issues of Diversity, Equity and Social Justice (2006) Edited by Denise E. Armstrong & Brenda J. McMahon Leadership from the Ground Up Effective Schooling in Traditionally Low Performing Schools Michele A. Acker-Hocevar Washington State University Marta I. Cruz-Janzen Florida Atlantic University Cynthia L. Wilson Florida Atlantic University INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING, INC. Charlotte, NC • www.infoagepub.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Acker-Hocevar, Michele, 1948- Leadership from the ground up : effective schooling in traditionally low performing schools / Michele A. Acker-Hocevar, Marta I. Cruz-Janzen, Cynthia L. Wilson. p. cm. -- (Issues in the research, theory, policy, and practice of urban education) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-61735-650-6 (pbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-61735-651-3 (hardcover) -- ISBN 978-1-61735-652-0 (ebook) 1. School improvement programs--United States--Case studies. 2. Educational leadership--United States--Case studies. 3. Children with social disabilities--Education--United States--Case studies. I. Cruz-Janzen, Marta. II. Wilson, Cynthia L. III. Title. LB2822.82.A27 2011 371.2’07--dc23 2011038824 Copyright © 2012 Information Age Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America Dedication We dedicate this book along with our heartfelt appreciation to our hus- bands, Fritz Hocevar, John Janzen, and Mel Wilson, for their patience and support. We thank our children Shawn Moffitt; Kevin and Shawn Ho- cevar; Bryn Black; Eva Hodgens; Ashley Brooks; Amber, Andrew, and Aus- tin Wilson; and our grandchildren Evan and Ryan Moffitt; Elsa and Jonas Hocevar; and Jude and Zack Hodgens, who have graciously sacrificed time they could have had with us had we not been working on this project. We are each grateful to our families for their love and encouragement as we pursued this work over the years. Contents Series Editors’ Preface .........................................................................xiii Acknowledgements .................................................................................xv Introduction ........................................................................................xvii 1 Let the Journey Begin!....................................................................1 2 The Conceptual Framework and Research Methodology: Developing the Systems Alignment Model (SAM) ..........................9 Standards-Based Reform Variables ...............................................11 Embedded Variables .......................................................................16 Research Methodology ...................................................................19 Selection of Schools ..........................................................................19 Design-Based Research ....................................................................20 Instrument .....................................................................................21 Pilot Study ......................................................................................21 Inter-Rater Reliability .....................................................................22 Site Visits ........................................................................................22 Research Questions ........................................................................23 3 Show Me the Money ......................................................................25 Introduction ....................................................................................25 Description of the School ..............................................................26 Entrepreneur Funding ...................................................................27 Overcoming External Obstacles ....................................................30 vii