A Proactive School: Community, Leadership, and Academic Rigor at Tallmadge Elementary

• In Event: 26.032 - Analyzing Enrollment, Outcomes, and Excellent Schools for Black and Latino Male Students in the Boston Public Schools

Abstract

Using student and school data, multiple regression identified Tallmadge Elementary as one of two schools doing well by its Black males for four consecutive years. We chose to conduct a case study of this school, rather than other research designs, because case study allows both analyses within a school as well as identification of themes across several case study schools (Paper#6) (Yin, 2009). The purpose of this case study is to use qualitative analysis of interviews, focus groups, observations, and documentation to understand the school’s success within its community context, including its shifting demographics.

A theory- and practice-based framework guided our data collection and analysis. The theories that informed the framework include critical race theory, critical pedagogy, multicultural education, empowering education, and equity (Freire, 1970; Shor, 1992; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Nieto, 2004; Duncan-Andrade, 2008; COSEBOC, 2009; Fergus & Noguera, 2010; Lewis, Butler, Bonner, & Joubert, 2010; Klevan, Villavicencio, & Wulach, 2013; Harper & Williams Jr, 2014). This study was also informed by a review of the literature on effective schools (CCE, 2014); indicators are grouped into categories such as Mission, Leadership, School Organization, Curriculum, Instruction, Culture, Family Engagement, and Community Partners. The framework permitted us to examine which practices resonated with Black and Latino males.

Tallmadge is a small school of 172 students in a historically African American neighborhood of Boston. Two-thirds of its students are Black (almost all Black North American), and one-third is Latino (mostly Latino-Black North American). The Principal has been at Tallmadge for 15 years, during which she transformed the school to one of the highest performing in the system. This caring community is inclusive and has high expectations for academics and behavior.

Distributed leadership is a key factor in creating a learning environment where everyone takes ownership for the success of the students and the school. Every adult in the building is considered a "leader."

Second, high expectations and community building are foundational principles that permeate the culture of the school. The school affirms every student and refuses to let any child "fall through the cracks" by providing a range of supports, both inside and outside the classroom, to improve performance.

School displays, activities, and resources demonstrate strong affirmation of Black cultural identities, which may contribute to their high achievement. The number of Latino students at the school has increased over the past decade to one third of the student population for the past three years. Faculty do not seem fully aware of the significance of this shift in student demographics, thereby limiting the affirmation of the unique cultural aspects of Latino students and families, which if understood could improve the performance of Latino male students.

This paper’s findings strongly suggest that high expectations of students and faculty and a strong sense of community fostered by the school’s size contribute to the school’s effectiveness. The school exemplifies the strong leadership and culture found in effective schools. Given the school’s representative student body, other Boston elementary schools have a local model from which to learn.

Authors

• Vivian Dalila Carlo, Lesley University

• Alethea Frazier Raynor, Brown University