Success in the Time of NCLB: A Description of a Successful Charter High School

This phenomenological study presents a description of the experience of students and teachers in a charter high school in an urban school district during the time of the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The school is defined as successful in NCLB's accountability terms because it has made AYP in reading and math for eight years. This study describes the factors that contribute to that success. Using qualitative research methods to acquire descriptions from students and teachers about their experiences that led to and relate to their feelings of success, this study allowed an understanding of the relationships among students and teachers as those relationships promote engagement, motivation, and growth that lead to the success of both students and teachers.