An exploration of an inner-city school restructuring; resource allocation, classroom practices and student achievement

The poor rankings of California students in national standardized tests speak to the timeliness of this research. The purpose of this study was to add to the existing body of knowledge on student achievement by considering a public elementary school that was determined failing under NCLB, and its subsequent restructure as a charter school. The goal was (1) to consider changes in student demographics, resource allocation, classroom instructional practices, and student achievement, and (2) discern whether changes in the first three were correlated with any change in student achievement. Student achievement did improve significantly in year one and year two of the restructure and several factors were considered to have likely contributed to the improved academic results evidenced.;Significant changes in resource allocation did take place; resources were directed to hire additional staff used primarily to form Guided Reading teams and Resource Specialists, the school was divided into three small academies, each with their own principal, and teachers hired had a greater level of education that those employed prior to the restructure. In addition, the percentage of English Language Learners enrolled decreased.;Previous studies have shown that changes in resource allocation (how the money is used) can affect student achievement and is more important than merely having more money to spend. Smaller schools create a more intimate learning environment and foster a greater connection between parents, teachers, and students; this further contributes to a greater sharing of the vision, mission, and ethos of the school.;The teachers hired after the school restructure were better educated, applied specifically to teach there, and had high expectations of their students. School leadership created an environment where teachers felt appreciated, supported, and inspired to contribute more than the minimum effort. And lastly, by a combination of declining enrollment and other unknown factors, fewer students and a lower percentage of English Learners were enrolled, possibly resulting in fewer under-performing students enrolled.;These variables, and to a lesser extent other variables, contributed to an increase in API score from 559 in 2005, to an average between the three restructured academies of 664 for 2006.