The Relationship Between Small Urban High Schools and Resiliency in At-Risk Students

235 Pages·2017·9.57 MB·English

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Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses
Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses
(ETDs)
2013
The Relationship Between Small Urban High
Schools and Resiliency in At-Risk Students
Monique A. Darrisaw-Akil
Seton Hall University
Follow this and additional works at:https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations
Part of theUrban Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Darrisaw-Akil, Monique A., "The Relationship Between Small Urban High Schools and Resiliency in At-Risk Students" (2013).Seton
Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 1885.
https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/1885
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SMALL URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS AND

RESILIENCY IN AT-RISK STUDENTS

BY

MONIQUE A. DARRISAW-AKIL

Dissertation Committee

Martin Finkelstein, Ph.D., Mentor

Joseph Stetar, Ph.D., Committee Member

Castro, Ed.D., Committee Member

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Ofthe Requirements ofthe Degree

Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership, Policy and Management

2012
II
SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN SERVICES

OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES

APPROVAL FOR SUCCESSFUL DEFENSE
Doctoral Candidate, Moniglll Andrea Darrisatll-AkiJ, has successfully defended and

made the required modifications to the text of the doctoral dissertation for the Ed.D. during

this

Spring Semester 2013.

DISSERTATION COMMITTEE
(please sign and date beside your name)
Mentor: 3;1//;3
Dr. Martin Finkelstein
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----~~----------~~~~--------------~~--~~~----~-----
Committee Member:
Dr. Evelyn Castro
Committee Member:
External Reader:
The mentor and any other committee members who wish to review revisions will sign and
date this document only when revisions have been completed. Please return this form to the
Office of Graduate Studies, where it will be placed in the candidate's file and submit a copy
with your final dissertation to be bound as page number tw'o.
llJ
ABSTRACT
The Relationship Between Small Urban High Schools and Resiliency in At-Risk
Students
The purpose of this research study was to examine what influence, ifany, small
schools have on resiliency development in at-risk students. It addressed two research
questions: I) What makes some "at-risk" students continue to progress in school, and 2)
what school-related structures in particular allow small schools to positively affect
students?
This research focused on a case study of one small high school in New York
City. Subjects involved in this study were students, parents, and staff members from
this one school. Students in their third year of high school were administered the
Resiliency Survey to identify subgroups ofmore and less resilient students. Fourteen
students, five staff members and three parents were interviewed to collect data on in­
school academic experiences. Data on pre-entry and current academic achievement
was also collected.
The results ofthis study indicate that at-risk students, both male and female,
more and less resilient, responded positively to an intentional focus on personalization
and a school culture that promotes high expectations for all learners. This school used
advisory groups, counseling services, college planning and teacher teaming to support
students. Students reported feeling cared for, and they performed better as a result. The
study found, however, that students were progressing successfully towards graduation,
irrespective of self-reported resiliency. The study concluded that, while small schools
may not necessarily promote resilience in at-risk youth, they enable students of lower
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resilience to be successful. Implications for school policy and future research are
identified and discussed.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to begin by acknowledging the people who have guided me through
this tremendous learning experience. These are the people whose guidance, support,
and advice have made the completion of this dissertation possible.
Dr. Finkelstein, thank you for your thoughtful feedback and your tough
questions. You challenged me to think deeply, but you also encouraged me every step
ofthe way. Thank you for making time for me and helping me to see this to the end.
Dr. Stetar, thank you for being my second reader. I was quite fortunate to have
been your student in your policy and qualitative studies courses, and now I'm even
more fortunate to be able to apply what I learned from you in my dissertation.
Dr. James Caulfield, thank you for your leadership in the Executive Ed.D.
Program. Your vision has enabled hundreds of educational practitioners to achieve
their dreams of earning a doctoral degree. Your love and unconditional support has
truly left a footprint on our lives.
To my mends and colleagues from Bushwick - Terry Byam, Nathan Dudley,
Mark Rush, Rev. Dale Donaldson, Janet Miranda, Milena Uribe, Elizabeth Ruiz and
Pedro Sierra - I love you all more than you will ever know. Working with you was the
greatest professional experience of my life. You all taught me so much about
leadership, service, and excellence. J am so proud to walk among you and call you my
mends.
1 want to acknowledge the support of my sister/mend, Tamika Matheson. You
have been a constant source of strength in my life through chaos, pain and struggle; but
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you have also been there to cheer me on and celebrate all of the good times. Thank you
for always being there for me.
Dr. Evelyn Castro, only God could place someone like you in my life. When I
was a young girl growing up in Bedford Stuyvesant, you created a school for gifted
children in my neighborhood. Fortunately, I was selected to attend that school, and
ever since then you have been a living angel guiding me through every step of my
career. Your mentorship and love have helped me in ways you will never know. You
are truly a servant-leader and a model of what an educational leader should be. Thank
you for being you.
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DEDICATION

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I give you all the glory for what you have
done in my life. It was your grace and mercy that allowed me to do this. For this, I
give you thanks and I dedicate all my efforts to you.
Jdedicate this work to my family, the Darrisaws, the Grants and the Greens. I
thank you for blessing me with a wonderful heritage. Because of you, I know that I can
overcome any obstacles that may come my way. You paved the way and set the
example for how it's done.
To my grandmother, Willie Mae Darrisaw, thank you for praying for me and
loving me unconditionally. To my grandmother, Gwendolyn Grant, my heart, my
"shero", Jknow I got my strength and determination from you. Thank you for always
being there for me, for listening to all my crazy dreams and for encouraging me to go
for them all.
To my father, Reverend Carl L. Darrisaw, thank you for being an awesome dad.
Your faith, your values and your work ethic shaped who l am. Thank you for showing
me what it means to love your family and to serve your community. You have been
such a blessing in my life.
To my children, Angelina, Kw asi and Akil, I love you with all my heart. Each
of you is so gifted and unique. I know one day you wi]] conquer the world; in fact, you
have already begun. Thank you for teaching me how to love and how to truly give.
Finally, to my loving husband, Shomari Akil, when 1 first started thisjoumey,
you were right by my side. At the time, 1 had no idea that you would be my husband,
but I knew that I had never experienced Jove and support like this before. When I felt
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doubt, you were there. When I wanted to quit, you were there. When 1 didn't know
what to do next, you were there. You have been that source of strength I can always
count on. Thank you for sharing this life with me and believing in my dreams. Thank
you for loving me through it alL