Increasing Poverty: How Do Leaders in One Suburban District Respond?

Abstract

This dissertation addresses the question of how suburban school district leaders in one large Midwestern school district respond to increasing student poverty. The purpose of this study was to determine how suburban school district leaders respond to increasing student poverty in their decision making and actions. Data for this study came from one large suburban school district in Kansas. For decades, the district was known traditionally for wealthy areas and families as well as extremely high student achievement. Over a 15 year period, student poverty grew significantly. Free and reduced student populations grew from single digit percentages to nearly 40% of the district enrollment. A doubling of students' need occurred every four years with poverty forecasted to continually grow. As a result, this district was a prime source of study. Current literature investigating suburban school district leaders' responses to the growing student poverty is sparse. Therefore, literature reviewed for this study included urban district leaders' responses to student poverty. Studies revealed urban school districts to possess similar demographic changes to suburban settings at the onset of growing poverty. Thus, urban studies contributed to the investigations of this suburban study. Out-of-school factors which poverty brings into school settings are also similar in urban and suburban settings. Housing and resources needed to manage poverty's out-of-school factors were common to both settings. In this suburban district studied, these factors evolved as part of leaders' responses. Housing changed in the suburban district and students were less prepared for learning due to factors in their homes. Varied recognition of increasing student poverty contributed to purposeful versus lack luster responses. Leaders' efforts to respond to increasing student poverty were occasionally founded in research; yet, others were implemented with no researched-based decision-making. Literature describing organizational theory and leaders' decision-making was also utilized in this study. As poverty was recognized as a phenomenon needing district leaders' planning, greater effectiveness in decision-making was gained through use of multiple frameworks. Prior, suburban leaders hadn't been pushed to reframe their thinking due to homogenous populations. One-size fits all may have been effective before student diversity became present. Multiframed thinking evolved over time as leaders moved past singular framed decisions closely related to their own roles. Using in-depth qualitative data from interviews along with quantitative data, this study sheds light on decision-making and actions of suburban district leaders as they responded to increasing student poverty. Key findings indicated initial decisions were made with little recognition to increasing poverty. Initially, decision making was made through a political framework. Therefore, initial decisions were made out of compliance versus decision-making with intent to respond to student poverty. As recognition of student poverty grew, true intentions to respond to increasing student poverty surfaced. Key areas were uncovered as foci in district leaders' responses: reinvestments in neighborhoods, improving programming, early intervention, and teacher professional development. Additionally, lessons learned for the future were uncovered in suburban district leaders' responses to increasing student poverty.