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Description
Secondary school principals in California face increased pressure to ensure students will successfully complete the math portion of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Passage of the test is a graduation requirement. Also, student passage rates are included in school accountability profiles. While the responsibility for passing high school exit exams inevitably falls on the individual student, principals are responsible for improving and sustaining the achievement of their students on these exams. With the high stakes associated with high school exit exams, principals are expected to influence high passage rates and high graduation rates. This qualitative case study investigated how school administrators and their staff in one Southern California charter high school endeavored to ensure that their students; including a high percentage of Black and Hispanic students passed the mathematics section of the CAHSEE on the first administration. Considerable attention has been paid to the leadership of principals and their impact on student achievement. This study more specifically examined the leaders' roles in developing and promoting success in mathematics for Black and Hispanic high school students. The qualitative study examined one urban charter high school in Southern California in which high percentages of Black and Hispanic students passed the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) on the first administration. In particular, the study examined how the administrators influenced changes that resulted in strong math performances for these two demographic groups of students. To better understand the administration's role in promoting the successful performance of students who passed the math portion of the CAHSEE, interviews were conducted with three administrators, four teachers, including the math department chair, a support teacher, and a focus group consisting of 11 students who passed the CAHSEE on the first attempt of the purposefully selected public charter high school. The results of the qualitative study (FCHS), indicated that principal leadership, behavior, and their practices play a significant role in student achievement.
