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176 CRITICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT organizational skills through programs, such as, A++ and Guaranteed 4.0 were also helpful in addressing the challenge. Parent involvement. In a rural area where many parents had not attended college, helping to ensure that all parents received information on ways to navigate the path to college posed difficulties. Teachers described this challenge by stating: It’s a challenge to get some of the parents involved in college preparation because they don’t understand the process and are afraid of it. Getting parents involved is difficult. Some parents seem to come for sporting events, but they don’t show the same level of interest for academic concerns. Some parents are working multiple jobs and have difficulty attending meetings at the school. GEAR UP newsletters with college information were mailed to parents’ homes. Personal calls and outreach to parents were provided. Information meetings were set for various times and included Spanish translators, when needed. Meeting students’ needs. In a school with over five hundred students in a class, providing the necessary follow-up for all students presented a challenge. GEAR UP coordinators explained, “I think one of our challenges is that we are the largest school in the area and are addressing a large group of students.” In order to meet individual student’s needs, the campus focused on the students with specific needs. The other partner schools also have identified students for targeted services in order to provide outreach and support. Advisory groups were formed to personalize the large high school. Personal outreach to the students and personal conversations and meetings that were conducted in Spanish for parents were ways that students were encouraged to pursue rigorous courses. All students also took ACCUPLACER or THEA to qualify for community college courses. If students can attain college credit while in high school, they can be encouraged to persist. Native Spanish speakers were also given the opportunity to take AP Spanish to earn college credits. CONCLUSION A clear focus on the goals, student support and outreach through locally designed interventions, professional development, high expectations, interventions to demystify college, and parent outreach were the primary factors in these schools' success in increasing students’ participation in advanced level courses. Lessons learned of ways to overcome the challenges of student motivation, student preparation, parent involvement and meeting students’ needs were shared. The study has implications for the preparation of future administrators in identifying practices and processes that can increase student participation and success in advanced level courses. For students to be prepared for postsecondary education and careers in the 21st century within our global economy, promoting greater participation and success in rigorous courses by increased numbers of students, particularly those often underrepresented in advanced level courses, is an important leadership role for school principals. This study provided examples of ways that school leaders can foster conditions that promote high academic achievement for all students and increase students’ participation and success in rigorous courses, important goals for leaders in today’s schools.
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20 NCPEA 11 BLAZING NEW TRAILS: Pre
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NCPEA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2010-2011 Pre
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NCPEA HONOR ROLL OF PRESIDENTS, 194
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Contributing Auth
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Betty J. Alford, Stephen F. Austin
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xii Yearbook Reviewers Kenneth Rasm
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INVITED CHAPTERS PART 1
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4 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (3) The fed
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Shadows and Images II 7 LIVING LEGE
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Shadows and Images II 9 see little
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Shadows and Images II 11 settings,
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Shadows and Images II 13 into the m
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16 INVITED CHAPTERS Purpose of the
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18 INVITED CHAPTERS do not recogniz
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20 INVITED CHAPTERS Research Proced
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22 INVITED CHAPTERS Political maneu
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24 INVITED CHAPTERS CONCLUSION This
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Complexities in the Workload of Pri
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47 CRITICAL ISSUES IN SHARED LEADER
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Professional Learning Communities:
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Special Education Director Burnout
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Administrative Functions The Admini
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