What is Going on Here? - Case Study

What is Going on Here?

For seven years Toni Hicks, one of four African-American teachers at
Ridgeview Elementary, had truly enjoyed teaching third grade. This year,
however, parents begin requesting that their child be transferred out of
her class. Although she tries to rectify the situation and address their
complaints, the exodus from her class continues with no support from the
administration.

It was the beginning of a new school year, and Toni Hicks was looking
forward to a successful year with her third graders. She had begun her
teaching career at Ridgeview eight years ago as one of four
African-American teachers in the school. This year, however, there was
only one other African-American teacher on the faculty. Throughout her
professional career, Toni had been considered a committed and effective
teacher by the administration and her peers. She had received excellent
annual evaluations for all of the past seven years.

Ridgeview Elementary was located in an affluent, predominately white
neighborhood. Charlotte Fletcher, a white, middle-aged principal, was
hired two years ago to replace Mary Long, who had retired. Parental
involvement had always been valued at Ridgeview, but after Ms. Fletcher
entered the picture, talk among staff members suggested that parents ran
the school.

Toni Hicks’ class was composed of students from the surrounding area
as well as students bused from Lincoln Park, an economically
disadvantaged, predominately African-American neighborhood. Most of the
students in Toni’s class had average or above-average academic skills.
Although none of the students were currently receiving special education
services, three were being assessed to determine if services were
needed. All three of these students were from Lincoln Park.

Thomas, an African-American student, had difficulty staying focused and
in his seat. Directions often had to repeated several times before he
could comply. He was rarely able to initiate a task on his own and often
distracted his classmates during independent work with humming, singing,
and fidgeting. Although he was the best athlete in the class, Thomas had
problems with decoding words and reading comprehension.

Eric, also African-American, was often defiant and verbally provoked
other students. He was easily frustrated; from time to time he tore up
his work papers and threw them on Toni’s desk.  He had difficulty
with reading comprehension and math application skills but had already
demonstrated considerable talent for drawing and painting in the first
few weeks of class. Toni was excited that the incorporation of art
activities into her lesson plans was gradually beginning to pique
Eric’s interest in his class work.

Maria, one of Ridgeview’s bilingual students, was very quiet and
withdrawn. Mrs. Velas, the teacher of bilingual students, reported that
Maria spoke both English and Spanish at home. Toni worried about her
though because she seemed lost during most classroom discussions and
rarely spoke at all. Maria was a very attractive child although she
often looked disheveled. Because she daydreamed, she rarely finished her
work on time. In spite of working with Mrs. Velas for 30 minutes
everyday, Maria remained below grade level in every subject. Toni tried
to draw her out by engaging her in conversation whenever possible. She
recently learned that Maria was the oldest of five children and often
had to care for her younger siblings while her mother worked.

Toni enjoyed all of her students but felt a special affinity for these
three. She was happy to have them in her class and took steps to ensure
that they experienced success in academic as well as social areas.

During the annual open house, held the fourth week of school, Toni
shared with her students’ parents the curriculum for the third grade,
samples of student work, and a video of a typical school day. Open house
seemed to be a success, and Toni looked forward to the rest of the year.


The next week Toni received a memo in her box from the principal,
requesting a meeting as soon as possible. Toni wondered what could be so
pressing as she walked to Ms. Fletcher’s office.

"Come in, Ms. Hicks. I asked you to meet with me because two parents,
Mrs. Banks and Mrs. George, have some concerns about your classroom,"
Ms. Fletcher said as she handed Toni two pieces of paper with remarks
made by each of the parents.

As Toni read the first page she felt her heart sink. "Teacher blows a
whistle. Students have extra free time. Students are walking and talking
during math lesson. Children are dancing during morning announcements.
Students are not allowed to write in cursive. Students reading during
free time. Reading Rainbow on for 30 minutes during reading. Spelling
test on Monday; no reinforcement for the rest of the week." As Toni
moved on to the second page her stomach churned. "Curriculum is not
stimulating enough. Cursive writing is not allowed in class. No
structured reading lesson. Too many distractions. TV on Reading Rainbow.
No Social Studies instructions." Toni couldn’t believe what she was
reading. She thought these parents were happy with what was happening in
the classroom.

"This really is a shock. I see Mrs. Banks and Mrs. George every day when
they drop off their children in the morning and pick them up in the
afternoon. Mrs. Banks is my homeroom parent; she has not said anything
to me about this," Toni explained.

"Well, clearly there are some concerns that need to be addressed,"
continued Ms. Fletcher.

"Yes, I assure you I will meet with each parent as soon as possible to
discuss their concerns," Toni replied.

Within the week, Toni met with each parent. She reassured each of them
that the curriculum she taught met the county guidelines and that the
students were held accountable for their behavior. She also told each
parent that her child was making excellent progress and meeting all
county grade level expectations thus far and documented this with work
samples (see appendix for details of her responses). It seemed to Toni
that both Mrs. Banks’ and Mrs. George’s concerns had been addressed
and that they were satisfied. She was shocked and disheartened when Ms.
Fletcher told her later that week that both parents were still
unsatisfied. Further, they each wanted their child reassigned to another
classroom.

"Ms. Fletcher, I really don’t know what to say," Toni remarked
dejectedly. "Both Mrs. Banks and Mrs. George seemed satisfied with their
children's progress after our conversation. Is there something they are
not telling me?"

"I can only report to you what they have told me," Mrs. Fletcher
responded.

Without further discussion, she authorized the transfers.

Although Toni was troubled by the way the situation was handled, she was
relieved that it was behind her and thought she could move on. But to
her dismay, another parent asked that her child be transferred out of
her classroom. "What is going on?" she thought to herself.

Toni met again with Ms. Fletcher and the assistant principal, Margaret
Hall, the following day.

"I’m afraid this is very serious, Toni. Danny Caldwell’s family is
now expressing concern about what is happening in your classroom," Ms.
Fletcher revealed as she gestured for Toni to sit on the couch across
from her desk. "Mrs. Caldwell brought in one of Danny’s assignments
that has been graded incorrectly," Ms. Fletcher continued, handing Toni
a sheet of paper that she recognized as one of this week's graded
spelling tests. "Also, one of the parents reported that you yelled at
them during a conference," the principal added with a grim expression on
her face.

Toni could see that she had miscalculated Danny’s grade for the
assignment and acknowledged that she had made a mistake. She then
assured Ms. Fletcher and Ms. Hall that she would never yell at a parent
and offered to show her the video of the typical school day in her class
as well as enrichment materials she used with her students.

"Margaret, you have visited Toni’s classroom a number of times
recently," Ms. Fletcher said as she turned to the assistant principal.
Ms. Hall had been silent up until this point, looking rather
uncomfortable as she sat alongside Toni on the couch. "What is your
opinion on this situation?"

"There is really nothing unusual happening in Ms. Hicks' classroom," Ms.
Hall responded as she glanced assuringly at Toni. "As far as I can see,
all standard operating procedures are being followed," she added,
shaking her head sympathetically.

"I’ll certainly call Mrs. Caldwell as soon as possible to apologize
for the mistake," Toni offered as she struggled to regain her composure.
"Danny Caldwell is making excellent progress so far this year; he’s
one of my brightest students. I just can’t understand why his parents
would question the quality of his education."

"Toni, don’t take this too personally," Ms. Fletcher advised as Toni
stood to leave. "Parents often request to have their children
transferred from one classroom to another. It’s usually just the
family’s preference for a particular teaching style. Some of the
parents just might not be comfortable with yours. Due to the fact that
several parents have expressed concern however, I would recommend that
you review your classroom procedures and teaching methods."

"Thank you, Ms. Fletcher, I certainly will," replied Toni in a weak and
shaky voice that betrayed her emotions.

After much consideration, Toni called Mrs. Caldwell that evening,
assuring her of Danny’s progress and expressing regret for the grading
error. "I am really sorry that I made that mistake on Danny’s spelling
test. I was trying to get all the tests graded while the children were
in Music because I wanted them corrected that afternoon. I guess I was
just in too much of a hurry," Toni explained sincerely. "Danny is one of
my best students, and I am very pleased with his work so far this year.
He has excellent work habits," she added sensing the discomfort in Mrs.
Caldwell’s reply.

"Yes, Mrs. Hicks, my son is a good worker and we really want to keep it
that way," Danny’s mother said hesitantly. Mrs. Caldwell then began to
express concerns about some of Toni’s students with special needs.
After a few minutes Mr. Caldwell took the phone.

"My wife is trying to be tactful about this, but I am going to say it
right out," he said emphatically. "We want Danny in another class. You
have too many problem children in your class!"

"What do you mean problem children?" Toni responded.

"I’ll be blunt Ms.Hicks, our son says that you pay all your attention
to those three kids that sit by your desk. He says that you constantly
re-explain things to them over and over," Mr. Caldwell began. "My wife
and I have also observed that you are entirely too lenient with those
children and allow them to behave in ways that we do not believe are
acceptable. We feel these children are taking up too much of your time
and that your curriculum is geared more towards them than the rest of
the class," Mr. Caldwell asserted.

Toni asked Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell if they would be willing to meet with
her and the principal, hoping that with the principal present, the
issues could be better addressed. The Caldwells reluctantly agreed and
the meeting was set tentatively for the following day.

Toni considered the prospects of a face-to-face meeting with Ms.
Fletcher and the Caldwells as she hung up the phone. Needless to say,
she did not welcome such an intense encounter but knew it was important
that these issues be brought out into the open. As she contemplated her
dilemma, her mind returned to Mr. Caldwell’s comment about "those
children."

"The parents seem to think that I am not meeting the needs of all the
students in the class," Toni reflected as she drove home that afternoon.
"Am I being too lenient and giving too much of my attention to the
children with special needs?   Is my curriculum geared too low for the
rest of the class?"  

QUESTIONS:

Could action research be employed in any way to resolve the issues
presented in the case study?

Who could most advantageously use AR to address the myriad issues
described in the case study?