Scope and Significance of the Problem 39

Rationale for Investigating the Problem 39

Well-Defined Problem Statement 40

Part 3: Research Possible Solutions 41

Possible Solutions 41

Possible Solution One: Increase Access to Technology for Low-Income

Students 42

Possible Solution Two: Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care

Training for Teachers 46

Possible Solution Three: Introduce a Parental Involvement Program 51

Possible Solution Four: Implementation of School-Based Health

Centers 55

Part 4: Select a Solution 60

Solution One: Increase Access to Technology for Low-Income

Students 62

Solution Two: Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Training for

Teachers 63

Solution Three: Introduce a Parental Involvement Program 64

Solution Four: Implementation of School-Based Health Centers 64

Discussion of Barriers 66

Solution One: Increase Access to Technology for Low-Income

Students 66

Solution Two: Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Training for

Teachers 66

Solution Three: Introduce a Parental Involvement Program 67

Solution Four: Implementation of School-Based Health Centers 67

Part 5: Strategies to Accomplish the Selected Solution #

Strategy One: Strategy Title #

Synthesis of Literature Related to Strategy One #

Strategy Two: Strategy Title #

Synthesis of Literature Related to Strategy Two #

Part 6: Evaluation of the Strategies #

Quantitative Strategic Plan Matrix #

Evaluation of Internal Factor Evaluation #

Discussion of Internal Factors That Influence the Plan #

Evaluation of External Factor Evaluation #

Discussion of External Factors That Influence the Plan #

First Alternative Attractiveness Score and Benefit for the Organization #

Second Alternative Attractiveness Score and Benefit for the Organization #

Summary of Most Important Strategy #

Part 7: Development of an Action Plan #

Action Steps #

Timeline #

Roles and Responsibilities #

Resources #

Organizational Support #

Barriers or Resistance #

Evaluation #

Reflection on the Overall Experience #

Part 8: Audio-Visual Presentation of SRP #

Narrative of Electronic Presentation #

Peer Review Questions #

Oral Defense of the SRP #

Narrative Defense of Selected Questions #

Part 9: Conclusion #

Recommendations #

Final Conclusions #

References 79

Appendices

A Mission Statement 97

B Vision Statement 99

C Value Statement 101

D Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

E Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

Tables

1 Strengths 12

2 Weaknesses 15

3 Opportunities 18

4 Threats 21

5 Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix 23

6 Four Strengths and Four Weaknesses Factors 26

7 External Factor Evaluation Matrix 27

8 Four Opportunities and Four Threats Factors 30

Figures

1 Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

2 Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

3 Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

4 Title in Initial Caps and Lower Case #

ii

iv

Part 1: Critical Analysis

Researcher’s Role

A person who conducts in-depth study on a subject to gain greater knowledge about that subject is called a researcher. A good researcher needs to be many things to many people. Research is very important in education. Education research can play a vital role in policy making and learning programs. There is no one set of duties that a researcher is expected to fulfill across all academic disciplines or professional domains. Researchers in the medical field may utilize clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of a novel treatment, whereas social scientists may use questionnaires and in-person interviews to gain a better understanding of how people behave (Aspers & Corte, 2019).

Through the processes of data gathering, analysis, and interpretation, the role of a researcher is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in their respective discipline. Researchers acquire data through a variety of methods, some of which include controlled experiments, surveys, interviews, and direct observation (Bakker, 2018). Direct observation is another method. They first do statistical analysis on the data to derive conclusions, and then they interpret the findings of that study. They present their findings at conferences and publish them in academic journals and papers to share their findings with others and advance the field.

I am the former principal of George H. Oliver Elementary School (GHO). I was a teacher for 14 years before I moved into administration. I was a high school principal for 4 years before I became an elementary principal. I served as principal of GHO for 4 years before I decided to return to being a high school principal. It was my role and responsibility to serve as the instructional leader of the school. As principal, it was also my responsibility to conduct informal and formal observations of teachers using the Mississippi Professional Growth Rubric. School administrators are required to be trained by the Mississippi Department of Education to give teachers ratings during observation (Mississippi Department of Education, 2022). I also worked with teachers to set learning goals based on the state approved curriculum.

As the leader of the school, I had to build partnerships with community stakeholders so that the whole child could be educated. I was also responsible for developing and implementing a school improvement plan. In my capacity, I served as support for new teachers and served on the district’s disciplinary committee. It was also my responsibility to manage the George H. Oliver district and federal budget. I had to ensure that federal money was spent according to the needs of the school. Finally, as principal, it was my responsibility to improve the culture of the school by boosting teacher morale, decreasing the amount of discipline problems, and increasing attendance.

Description of the Setting

GHO is in Clarksdale, Mississippi, which is in the heart of the Mississippi Delta region. GHO is in the Brickyard neighborhood, an area of the city plagued by violence and crime. GHO inherits all the social ills associated with these tumultuous community environments. GHO is one of the Clarksdale Municipal School District’s four elementary magnet schools serving students in prekindergarten through Grade 4. Currently, GHO serves approximately 350 students, which represents an enrollment increase due to the closure of one of the district’s elementary schools in 2016. Students from the closed elementary school were divided among the four remaining schools. Almost all of students at GHO come from low-income families, and 100% of the students at GHO receive free meals through the district's participation in the Community Eligibility Provision Program. Approximately 99% of the students at GHO are African American (George H. Oliver, 2021).

GHO is a themed, magnet school targeting the Visual and Performing Arts to enhance the curriculum. In addition to the core subjects, students can participate in music classes including keyboarding and choral music. The staff is comprised of approximately 30 employees, consisting of one administrator; one secretary; one part-time counselor who comes two times a week; 15 full-time certified staff members, consisting of one prekindergarten teacher, one part-time music teacher, one part-time physical education teacher, one part-time librarian; and nine non-certified staff members. Staff turnover at GHO has been a tremendous challenge. Over the last 4 years, there have been three different school principals, and approximately 40% of the current teachers have less than 4 years of teaching experience. About 15% of the teachers hold an emergency or provisional license.

The district leadership includes a superintendent, assistant superintendent, chief executive officer, and business manager. The district also has several departments in the organizational structure which include the special education, transportation, maintenance, human resource, and food service departments. The various departments ensure that schools are provided with the supports they need. An important part of the district is the federal programs departments. Funds are received from the federal government to ensure equity for all the students in the Clarksdale Municipal School District. Federal funding makes up a majority of the district budget (Clarksdale Municipal School District, 2023).

Organizational Background and History

Established in 1962 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, GHO is one of four elementary schools in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Clarksdale Municipal School Board wanted to establish an elementary school in an area where it was easily accessible by the African American population. The goals of GHO are to improve student achievement, build teacher capacity, and increase student attendance (George H. Oliver, 2021). GHO increased its accountability rating with the state department of education from an F to a D in 2018. The school received recognition from the Mississippi Department of Education (Mississippi Department of Education 2018). GHO has had three principals and high traditional high teacher turnover. From 2019 to 2021, the teacher turnover rate was low because the school was able to keep the same principal for 4 years.

In 2018, the school was a comprehensive support and improvement school because of the F rating on accountability. The school was able to raise the accountability level by eighty-seven points to become a D school on accountability (Mississippi Department of Education 2018). Factors that contributed to the improvement was improved school culture, teacher retention, and improved attendance. One of the most importance factors in helping to transform the school was increase in teacher morale. GHO continues to struggle with socioeconomic issues that prevent academic achievement from being the main focus.

The Mission Statement

The elementary school's mission is to provide an accurate, comprehensive, and contemporary curriculum that prepares students for increased understanding, critical thinking, and lifelong learning. In addition, the school aspires to contribute to developing a positive school environment where students are nurtured as healthy individuals who can become active participants in society. The mission statement (see Appendix A) is concise, focused on what drives the school, and includes who it is, what the school does, and why things are being doing a certain way (Alegre et al., 2018). It also sets out how these goals are achieved. It should guide the organization whom they want to serve and what it wants to be. The given mission statement consists of the name of the school (George H. Oliver Elementary School), high-quality learning, and a unique distinguishing factor that makes the school stand out: teamwork of parents and qualified staff. The statement outlines what the school is striving to accomplish. It describes student life, parent involvement, and community relations. The statement also highlights the organization's future target, ensuring that students are responsible citizens in the future. An essential part to add would be the school's innovations. Moreover, long-term goals inclusion would make the statement a success.

The Vision Statement

The future is now! The faculty and staff believe a great school starts with a deep understanding of each student's needs and the communities surrounding our schools. This is a shared belief and the faculty and staff are passionate about developing strong leaders who can serve their students, communities, and the world in the ways they want to. The school will provide many opportunities for students to develop skills in areas such as reading, writing, math, and science, as well as other areas which give them a strong foundation for success. Each student will graduate from elementary school with a quality education, knowledge of navigating the world surrounding them, and the motivation needed to achieve their personal goals. The statement encompasses a completely objective or goals the school can and will achieve (Allen et al., 2018).

The vision statement also contains something simple to remember, concise, and intellectual (Sulastri et al., 2021). It clarifies goals, defines values, and communicates how people are motivated. This should define what the organization wants to become in the long run and its target position. The vision statement for GHO (see Appendix B) has been expressed positively, where the institution strives to utilize its high-quality learning experiences to provide superior education to every child. Although the statement is short and complete, I would add details on learning technologies to support learners in becoming productive global citizens

The Value Statement

The school emphasizes the importance of respect, responsibility, integrity, excellence, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. These values will be expressed in a way that speaks to the school’s commitment to helping the students reach their fullest potential. This statement is clear, concise, and straightforward (Gurley et al., 2021). This provides clarity for teachers, classmates, administrators, and parents (Vermont Primary School, 2022). The statement is neither too long or nor complex to read that easier to comprehend it. The value statement (see Appendix C) is clear, concise, and easy to understand. It has been written in a way that is accessible and easily understood by students, staff, and the wider community. Also, it is reflective of the school's culture and values, and it is aspiring and inspiring while reflecting the school's goals and objectives. It is the foundation that sets the school's tone and establishes the values, principles, and beliefs that the school stands for and will strive to uphold. It is important to clearly articulate the school's values to create an environment conducive to learning, growth, and success.

Organizational Reputation and Sustainability

Reputation. GHO in Clarksdale, Mississippi, has a poor reputation based on test scores, student progress, and equity. The test scores at this school fall far below the state average, which indicates that most students need to perform as expected at grade level (U.S. News and World Report, 2019a). The student progress is also slow and poor annually compared to similar students in the state (U.S. News and World Report, 2019b). In addition to low test scores, most students in this school have earned low points and fall behind their peers in terms of their academic progress. The highest percentage involves underserved students from low-income families, which leaves them at an economic disadvantage that create a significant achievement gap (U.S. News and World Report, 2019a). This vulnerability makes most students fall behind other students in the state. Based on enrollment and student demographics, 98% of the students are Black and 2% of the students are White (Mississippi Department of Education (2023). Overall, this imbalance creates a negative perspective that results in a negative reputation for the school.

Sustainability. GHO lacks sustainability due to an absence of capacity building of professional teacher, lack of financial resources, and short-term pressure for higher academic performance. Nonetheless, there is an opportunity for the school to improve its organizational sustainability. For example, the school can use the student support and academic enrichment grant to increase its capacity to establish a pool of professional teachers (Mississippi Department of Education, 2023). The grant can also help the school to provide all the students with access to a well-rounded education, improve the use of technology and improve school conditions for student learning resulting in improved academic achievement (Mississippi Department of Education, 2023). It can further use Section 4101, Section 4106(d), Section 4110, and Section 4109(b) of Article IV to establish student support and academic enrichment programs that ensure the school's substantiality in short and long term.

Relevant Terms

Academic Achievement refers to a student’s learning outcome of a school’s curriculum (Tian, 2018).

At-Risk Student is defined as a student who is likely to perform poorly in school (Fazul, 2022).

Mississippi Department of Education seeks to create a world class education system that gives students the knowledge and skills to be successful in college, as well as the workforce, and to flourish as parents and citizens (Mississippi Department of Education, 2023).

Researched-Based Instructional Strategy is any teaching approach supported by a statistical analysis of data from the learning environment (Apostolou, 2020).

School Culture is the belief and attitude influencing every aspect how a school function (Hall & Hord, 2015).

Identify Potential Gaps or Areas for Growth

Strategic planning is a common concept in today's business world and many different industries. Strategic planning acts as a roadmap to the organization's future. It not only acts as a blueprint to the actions that should be taken within an organization but is also a form of long-term planning. Antonio and Martha (2020) argued that strategic planning is important to an organization because it provides a sense of direction and outlines measurable goals. These views align with those of Ben-Messaoud (2022), who explained that strategic planning aims to assess the potential within an organization and hence define the organization's long-term success. A strategy marks where an organization is at the current and then indicates the goal for success to the next point. Stevens (2015) added that a strategy enables a given organization to be where it wants to be in a future time. It shapes the organization, aligning it to the best direction better placed to achieve its future goals. In addition, this strategic plan brings more advantages to the organization on top of achieving the set goals. Umar et al. (2020) established that it enhances the financial performance of an organization, its longevity, and its effectiveness.

At GHO, there are several gaps in the organization's management, and the school has a financial gap in the management of its operations. The school requires more finances to manage the financial needs of the students from the neighboring community by financing their food program and educational needs. Furthermore, it needs finances to align the school with up-to-date technology. Leonard and Box (2010) recognized the need to close the existing funding gap among schools in the United States, especially in Mississippi. Leonard and Box added that low-performing schools need more funding than high-performing ones. Another gap that should be addressed within this school is teacher turnover, qualifications, licensing, and experiences since their qualifications and licensing greatly determine the grades to be scored by the students they deal with. A study by Bhai and Horoi (2019) showed that teacher experiences have the largest effect on students' performance. Therefore, teacher characteristics such as qualifications and licensing are very significant at GHO. Action should therefore be taken to close this gap in regard to the types of experience and licenses among other characteristics of teachers who are employed at GHO.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)

The strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis enables an organization to explore possibilities for new solutions, decide on the best initiative, determine where change is possible, and adjust and refine plans mid-course (Renault, 2017). Osita et al. (2014) defined strength as what the organization is strong in or good in, while opportunities are anything outside the organization that might benefit the organization if taken advantage of. On the other hand, weaknesses are what the organization needs to improve on, while threats are those factors happening outside that the organization needs to take measures to guard against. A study by Mandrazhi (2021) recognized SWOT as part of its strengths and that it allows for competitiveness within the organization to realize its goals. In a SWOT analysis, the realistic recognition of the weaknesses and the threats of any given organization is the starting point when setting grounds to streamline strategies for change and improvement within any given organization. Orr (2013) referred to the SWOT analysis as a driving force when implementing change, especially within the education system.

Strengths. The following 10 factors are as follows (see Table 1).

1. Strong Value Statement. The value statement describes what an organization stands for. At GHO, a strong vision statement helps attract students from wide localities and qualified staff. Allen et al. (2018) argued that the value statement reinstates the commitment of the school to deliver quality to its students. By clarifying its goals, defining its values, and communicating its motivation, it stands out compared to all other organizations. GHO’s value statement reinstates commitment to quality for the school.

2. Enough Staff. With a population of 350 students, GHO has enough staff to serve the students appropriately. Lieberman (2021) showed that many schools shut down for lack of enough staff. This is different for GHO, where there are over 25 staff with different qualifications. The school shows a clear number of staff within the organization. A good staff number helps improve the service provided to students. This brings about satisfaction and good handling of the students hence better performance.

3. Online Accessibility. GHO has penetrated the online spaces with a website accessible from Clarksdale Municipal School District. This enables it to be accessed by those from far and those who want to know more about it. It enables parents to access calendars, updates as well as other notification from the school website. Reimers et al. (2020) showed that online presence is key in times like the pandemic. This would allow the school’s stude