Date of Award

1-2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

John W. Hill

Second Advisor

Peter J. Smith

Third Advisor

Neal F. Grandgenett

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine achievement and high school completion rates of Hispanic students (n = 13) with no English language skills compared to Hispanic students (n = 11) with some English language skills attending the same high school in an immigrant responsive city. All students were in attendance in the research school district's high school, ninth-grade through 12th-grade. Entering ninth-grade pretest Las Links Assessment scores compared to the ending high school posttest English Language Development Assessment scores of immigrant high school students with no English Language skills enrolled in the research high school's English Language Acquisition Program were in the direction of improved speaking ( p < .01), listening, (p < .001), reading ( p < .001), writing (p < .001), comprehension (p < .001), and composite (p < .001) dependent t test scores. Null Hypotheses were also rejected in the direction of improved speaking (p < .05), listening, (p < .05), reading (p < .01), comprehension (p < .05), and composite (p < .05) dependent t test scores for immigrant high school students with some English Language skills enrolled in the research high school's English Language Acquisition Program. However, null hypotheses were not rejected for any of the posttest-posttest English Language Development Assessment single classification Analysis of Variance scores comparisons. Results of chi-square ending twelfth-grade core credit accrual towards fulfilling graduation requirements of immigrant high school students with no English Language skills compared to immigrant high school students with some English Language skills enrolled in the research high school's English language acquisition program as measured by core credit accrual towards fulfilling graduation requirements by school year were statistically different ( p = .008) in the direction of greater credit accrual for students with some English Language skills. The null hypothesis was rejected for observed absence frequencies across all four years of high school attendance. Students with no English Language Skills had significantly greater ( p < .05) recorded absences. This pattern of absence frequencies represents a concern for students' who cannot afford to miss days of school if they are to succeed academically but who may have competing demands elsewhere at home and work. We have a moral and professional obligation to determine through research and careful analysis how to bring our immigrant students and families into a quid pro quo relationship with the world of academia--the world through which their hopes, aspirations, dreams, and talents may be realized. Immigrant students with no English language skills and some English language skills clearly benefited from participation in the research high school's English Language Acquisition program.

Comments

Department formerly called Educational Administration and Supervision.

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Education Major: Educational Administration.

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