Elementary Administrators' Exploring the Factors that Promote or Inhibit Reading Achievement

The purpose of this study is was explore the factors that public school administrators felt promoted or inhibited the reading achievement of elementary children. The participants for this study were administrators who were employed at eleven Title I schools in North Carolina. The study used a qualitative design and collected data by phone interviews. Several overarching recurring themes and patterns surfaced that administrators perceived promoted reading achievement (a) family support, (b) early literacy exposure, and (c) teacher effectiveness and expectations. The recurring themes that they perceived inhibited reading achievement were (a) lack of early literacy exposure, (b) lack of family support, and (c) lack of teacher and parental expectations. Introduction Over the past decades, many programs have been implemented to address the concerns of low reading achievement among elementary students. However, despite these programs some elementary children continue to be low proficient in reading. According to a report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (2010), failure to read proficiently by the end of third grade is linked to higher rates of school dropout. Webley (2011) referred to a study conducted by Hernandez, a sociology professor at the City University of New York, who found that 26 percent of third-graders who lived in poverty and not able to read on grade level would eventually drop out or fail to graduate on time. Poor reading comprehension continues to be a dominant trend among elementary students, especially those attending Title I schools. Even though federal dollars have made it possible to detect the early warning signs of low reading performance, many Title I students continue to lack mastery in reading. Therefore, research is needed to understand exactly why this is a continued pattern in public schools and most importantly, how educators can begin to resolve this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that public school administrators felt promoted or inhibited the reading achievement of elementary children. The following research questions guided this study: 1. What are administrators’ perceptions of the factors that promote students’ reading achievement? 2. What are administrators’ perceptions of the factors that inhibit students’ reading achievement? Economically Disadvantaged Students and Education Research is necessary to find solutions to stop the catastrophe of economically deprived individuals’ failure to obtain an education, it is society’s responsibility to ensure that an equal Journal of Research Initiatives Vol. 3 No. 1 November 2017 ISSN: 2168-9083 digitalcommons.uncfsu. edu/jri 2 education system is available to all children (Ford, Watson, & Ford, 2014). It is essential to investigate factors that inhibit the economically deprived child from scoring low on reading proficiency, which hinders them from being successful in a globally competitive society. According to Stinnett (2014), students from higher economically advantaged homes generally outperform students who come from lower socioeconomic families. This is mainly due to the availability of resources that are sometimes not available to children from low socioeconomic families. Hagans and Good (2013) also indicated that children from low socioeconomic backgrounds were more prone to reading difficulties, and these children were more likely to acquire persistent learning problems that may have long-term detrimental consequences. Stinnett (2014) claimed that students from low-income families enter high school five years behind those from high-income backgrounds. Again, this is contributed to the unequal distribution of wealth that separates one group from another, solely based on wealth. It is vital for individuals to obtain literacy skills that will enable them to excel and become productive citizens of society, and it is the responsibility of the school systems to provide the resources for all students’ success. Research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation 2014, found that children raised in economically disadvantaged homes encountered excessive levels of stress that impacted their health, brain development, and social and emotional well-being. Jensen (2009) stated that disadvantaged children are often left at home to fend for themselves while the guardian works strenuous hours. Ironically, it was noted that individuals from financially stable homes were unaware of the level of pressure that children from lowincome homes face on a daily basis. The researcher further noted that children raised in poverty face overwhelming challenges that affluent children never have to encounter. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of educators to close the achievement gap that exist among the two groups of students. However, despite the barriers that many low-income children face, studies have found that these children can be successful and resilient during their academic path. Fenske (2013) reported that low-income elementary children could be successful when teachers demonstrate positive perceptions and high expectations for these students. Simpson (2014) also found that low-income students were able to succeed against the odds in literacy because they had family support, a strong sense of self, and teachers who believed in their academic success. Promoting Reading Achievement Williams, Greenleaf, Albert, and Barnes (2014) found that school personnel play a critical role in the development of educational resilience among students labeled at-risk for school failure. Furthermore, the researchers mentioned that principals, support staff, and teachers should strive to do the following: 1. Bring together families, schools, and communities through collaborative efforts such as strength-based partnership programs. 2. Advocate for students in and out of school. 3. Learn more about the students’ lives outside of school. 4. Assist parents in understanding and navigating the politics of schools. 5. Assist parents in accessing social capital. 6. Integrate an ethic of care in school policies and practices. 7. Teach African American students about resiliency. 8. Integrate resiliency into daily duties. 9. Identify diverse forms of parent/caregiver involvement. 10. Provide different outlets for family participation. Journal of Research Initiatives Vol. 3 No. 1 November 2017 ISSN: 2168-9083 digitalcommons.uncfsu. edu/jri 3 Flynt and Brozo (2009) implied that ongoing mentoring and professional development should be offered to teachers by literacy coaches and others who have demonstrated knowledge and skills in connecting with students to help them achieve higher levels of reading. Jay (2011) explored the principal’s role in high-poverty schools with high literacy achievement, and found that collaboration, reflective practice, progress monitoring, literacy experts, and maintaining a climate that promotes trust and respect were all recurring themes that promoted literacy. Harris (2011) reported that organized structures that consisted of effective collaboration, data driven instruction, and effective decision making contributed to high reading scores. The Internet is certainly a way to reach out to all children, Flynt and Brozo (2009) indicated that the Internet is ultimately a major way to promote literacy and should be utilized in classrooms. The authors noted that teachers who do not have experience with social networking or YouTube are missing opportunities to connect to their students’ lives and interests. If teachers can make this personal connection with their students in the classroom, it will enhance all students’ literacy knowledge. The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2010) reported that all children are owed a fair and equal opportunity to succeed, and the nation’s workforce, employers, and universities would benefit from a larger population of high school graduates who are prepared to compete in a globally competitive society. According to research, it is suggested that school personnel strive to develop trusting relationships with their students and make personal connections during instruction to their students’ lives and personal interests (Davis, Gableman, & Wingfield, 2011; Flynt & Brozo, 2009). Davis et al., (2011) studied first graders’ relationship with teachers as a means for promoting achievement. Through an interview protocol they were able to determine that lowincome children felt more confident when they trusted their teachers. It is imperative that educators show students that they believe in them by forming positive relationships so that achievement gains can happen for all children. Research found that when students participated in cooperative learning, their academic achievement revealed significant growth (Wilson-Jones & Caston, 2004). According to McNair (2006), cooperative learning implemented in many schools has shown a positive influence on students’ academic achievement. Zarei and Keshavarz (2011) reported that cooperative learning had statistically significant effects on both vocabulary and reading comprehension. The researchers further voiced that cooperative learning is imperative to the school curriculum and the academic success of children. Method This study used a qualitative design. Obtaining qualitative data allowed the researcher to capture rich data from the participants on their perceptions of the factors that promoted or inhibited reading achievement in elementary Title I schools. Bellenger, Bernhardt, and Golstucker (2011) stated that choosing a qualitative design allows a researcher to understand how individuals feel and think. Therefore, this approach allowed the researchers to focus on the administrators’ feelings, experiences, and thoughts. The qualitative approach also enabled the researchers to better understand administrators’ perceptions of the factors that they perceived contributed to reading achievement. Creswell (2013) reported that qualitative research steps consist of orga