Abstracts
Abstract
The Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) program has been implemented in Ontario as a way to increase secondary graduation rates. This study’s aim was to understand how the implementation of the SHSM program impacts student outcomes. The conceptual framework consists of an amended version of Fullan’s (2007) critical factors that affect policy implementation. The study’s methods analyzed provincial student achievement data. Thirty-four interviews from four school districts in Ontario occurred. A true need, program clarity and simplicity, equality of resources, and strong leadership were found to affect program implementation, and in turn, student outcomes.
Keywords:
- program implementation,
- student outcomes,
- high school,
- student success,
- specialist high skills major program
Résumé
Le programme de la Majeure Haute Spécialisation (MHS) a été mis sur pied en Ontario dans le but d’augmenter les taux de diplomation au secondaire. L’objectif de ce projet de recherche est de cerner de quelle manière l’implémentation du programme MHS a un impact sur les résultats des étudiants. Pour ce faire, une version révisée du cadre conceptuel de Fullan (2007) sur les facteurs critiques influençant la mise en oeuvre de politiques est utilisée. En ce qui a trait à la méthode de recherche, les données provinciales sur le rendement des élèves ont été analysées et 34 entrevues au sein de quatre districts scolaires ontariens ont été réalisées. Les facteurs identifiés comme ayant un impact sur la mise en oeuvre du programme et donc, sur les résultats des élèves, sont le fait que celui-ci répond à un réel besoin, est clair et peu complexe, offre une égalité des ressources et est soutenu par un fort leadership.
Mots-clés :
- mise en œuvre d’un programme,
- résultats des étudiants,
- école secondaire,
- réussite des étudiants,
- Majeure Haute Spécialisation
Download the article in PDF to read it.
Download
Appendices
Bibliography
- Allensworth, E., & Easton, J. (2007). What matters for staying on-track indicator and graduating in Chicago public high schools. Chicago, IL: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
- Anderson, S., & Kumari, R. (2009). Continuous improvement in schools: Understanding the practice. International Journal of Educational Development, 29, 281-292.
- Anderson, S., & Togneri, W. (2005). School district-wide reform policies in education. In N. Bascia, A. Cumming, A. Datnow, K. Leithwood, & D. Livingstone (Eds.), International handbook of educational policy (pp. 173-197). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
- Balfanz, R., Durham, R., & Plank, S. (2008). Lost days: Patterns and levels of chronic absenteeism among Baltimore City public school students 1999-00 to 2005-06. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
- Balfanz, R., Herzog, L., & Mac Iver, D. J. (2007). Preventing student disengagement and keeping students on the graduation path in urban middle-grades schools: Early identification and effective interventions. Educational Psychologist, 42(4), 223-235.
- Bascia, N., & Hargreaves, A. (2000). Teaching and leading on the sharp edge of change. In N. Bascia & A. Hargreaves (Eds.), The sharp edge of educational change: Teaching, leading and the realities of Reform (pp. 3-26). London, England: Routledge Falmer.
- Bass, B. M., Avolio, B. J., Jung, D. I., & Berson, Y. (2003). Predicting unit performance by assessing transformational and transactional leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(2), 207-18.
- Bridgeland, J. M., Dilulio, J. J., & Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic: Perspectives of high school dropouts. Washington, DC: Civic Enterprises.
- Campbell, C., Fullan, M., & Glaze, A. (2006). Unlocking potential for learning. Effective district-wide strategies to raise student achievement in literacy and numeracy. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/ProjectReport_full.pdf
- Canadian Council on Learning. (2008). Evaluation of the Ontario Ministry of Education’s student success / learning to 18 strategy. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/studentsuccess/CCL_SSE_Report.pdf
- Chapman, J. D. (2005). Recruitment, retention, and development of school principals. Paris, France: International Institute for Educational Planning. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001409/140987e.pdf
- Curtis, B., Livingstone D. W., & Smaller, H. (1992). Stacking the deck: The streaming of working-class kids in Ontario schools. Toronto, ON: Our Schools / Our Selves Education Foundation.
- Datnow, A., & Park, V. (2009). Conceptualizing implementation: Large-scale reform in an era of complexity. In G. Sykes & D. Plank (Eds.), AERA handbook on educational policy research (pp. 348-361). Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.
- Dei, G. J. S., Mazzuca, J., McIsaac, E., & Zine, J. (1997). Reconstructing “drop out”: A critical ethnography of the dynamics of black students’ disengagement from school. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.
- Epstein, J. (1996). Perspectives and previews on research and policy for school, family, and community partnerships. In A. Book & J. F. Dunn (Eds.), Family-school links: How do they affect educational outcomes? (pp. 209-246). New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis.
- Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
- Hallinger, P. (2003). Leading educational change: Reflections on the practice of instructional and transformational leadership. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33(3), 329-351.
- Hammond, C., Linton, D., Smink, J., & Drew, S. (2007). Dropout risk factors and exemplary programs. Clemson, SC: National Dropout Prevention Center, Communities in Schools.
- Heppen J. B., & Therriault, S. B. (2008). Developing early warning systems to identify potential high school dropouts. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED521558.pdf
- Honig, M. I. (2006). New directions in education policy implementation. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.
- James, D. W., & Partee, G. (2003). No more islands: Family involvement in 27 school and youth programs. Washington, DC: American Youth Policy Forum.
- Jerald, C. D. (2006). Identifying potential dropouts: Key lessons for building an early warning system. Washington, DC: American Diploma Project Network, Achieve.
- Jimerson, S., Egeland, B., Sroufe, L. A., & Carlson, B. (2000). A prospective longitudinal study of high school dropouts examining multiple predictors across development. Journal of School Psychology, 38(6), 525-549.
- King, A. (2004). Double cohort study: Phase 3 report. Retrieved from https://educ.queensu.ca/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.educwww/files/files/Research/SPEG/SPEG%20Double%20Cohort%20-%20Phase%203.pdf
- Krahn, H., & Taylor, A. (2007). “Streaming” in the 10th grade in four Canadian provinces in 2000. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-004-x/2007002/9994-eng.htm
- Leithwood, K., Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., & Harris, A. (2006). Successful school leadership: What it is and how it influences pupil learning [Report to the U.K. Department for Education and Skills]. Retrieved from http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151715/http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/RR800.pdf
- Leithwood, K., Seashore Louis, K., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. (2005). How leadership influences student learning. Retrieved from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/school-leadership/key-research/Documents/How-Leadership-Influences-Student-Learning.pdf
- Levin, B. (2008). How to change 5000 schools. Boston, MA: Harvard Education Press.
- Lieberman, A., & Mace, D. H. (2008). Teacher learning: The key to educational reform. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(3), 226-234.
- Lyche, C. S. (2010). Taking on the completion challenge: A literature review on policies to prevent drop out and early school leaving [OECD Education Working Papers, No. 53] Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/5km4m2t59cmr-en
- Mac Iver, D. J., & Mac Iver, M. A. (2009). Beyond the indicators: An integrated school-level approach to dropout prevention. Arlington, VA: The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education.
- McLaughlin, M. W., & Talbert, J. E. (2006). Building school-based teacher learning communities: Professional strategies to improve stu-dent achievement. New York, NY: Teacher College Press.
- Ministry of Education, Ontario. (2016). High school graduation rate reaches all-time high of 85.5 percent. Retrieved from https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/05/high-school-graduation-rate-reaches-all-time-high-of-855-per-cent.html?_ga=1.236545217.1365297363.1463704272
- Oakes, J. (2004). Keeping track: How schools structure inequality (2nd ed.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Radwanski, G. (1987). Ontario study of the relevance of education, and the issue of dropouts. Toronto, ON: Ministry of Education.
- Royal Commission on Learning. (1995). For the love of learning. Ottawa, ON: Queens Printer for Ontario.
- Rumberger, R. W. (1995). Dropping out of middle school: A multilevel analysis of students and schools. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 583-625.
- Rumberger, R. W. (2001). Why students drop out of school and what can be done. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/58p2c3wp
- Segedin, L. (2012). Listening to the student voice: Understanding the school-related factors that limit student success. McGill Journal of Education, 47(1), 93-108.
- Sinclair, M. F., Christenson, S. L., Lehr, C. A., & Anderson, A. R. (2003). Facilitating student engagement: Lessons learned from check & connect longitudinal studies. The California School Psychologist, 8(1), 29-42.
- Wohlstetter, P., Datnow, A., & Park, V. (2008). Creating a system for data-driven decision-making: Applying the principal-agent framework. School effectiveness and school improvement, 19(3), 239-259.
10.7202/1011668ar