Teacher Perceptions in Urban Elementary Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap

This research study was conducted to gain a better understanding of teacher perceptions, in both low-performing and high-performing urban charter schools, of the impact of administrative support, professional development, and teacher preparation in closing the achievement gap among fourth grade students. The trend over the last five years among public urban public charter schools in central North Carolina has shown significant gaps in non-White students on the state-mandated reading and math assessments. Students and teachers in central North Carolina are impacted by the problem of this growing gap in achievement among non-White students. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions of teachers with regards to fourth-grade student achievement at four urban Title I charter schools in central North Carolina, and to examine the teacher perspectives regarding administrative support, professional development, and teacher preparation. The behaviorism theory and the social learning theory guided the theoretical framework of this research. The perceptions of teachers and how they react and respond may have an impact on the performance of their fourth-grade students. Four urban charter schools were selected to participate in this research study, and four teachers from each school were interviewed for this study. The interview questions were open-ended to solicit open and honest responses. Each participant was either a current or former fourth-grade teacher, and the population sample equaled 16 participants. Many of the results confirm previous literature yet present new ideas that had not been published and can be used for future research into teacher perceptions as it relates to closing the student achievement gap in central North Carolina. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]