Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify the degree and the impact of the following factors on students meeting grade level standards: (1) professional development, (2) school culture, (3) improvement strategies, and (4) comprehensive school plans. A secondary purpose was to identify the degree to which a high-performing, high-poverty school is a professional learning community in the areas of shared vision, values, goals, collective inquiry and continuous improvement, shared leadership and supportive conditions. Methodology. Descriptive methodology was used in this study of twenty-eight high-performing, high-poverty California elementary school principals. The twenty-eight principals responded to a questionnaire. The information gathered from the questionnaire was presented in narrative and table format. Findings. The major finding drawn from this study of high-performing, high-poverty schools was that these schools were professional learning communities. The professional learning community foundations found in these HP2 schools were that they had shared vision, values, goals, leadership, and had built people-capacity through collegial professional development. The study found that the staff continuously reflected, inquired, dialogued, and discussed student learning and their teaching practices through analyzing student data. Other findings were that the staff (1) selected the research-based improvement strategies, (2) understood the impact that strategies had on students' achievement, and (3) monitored, assessed, and evaluated those strategies for student achievement. Implications. For high-poverty schools to become high-performing schools, they need to have experienced and skilled teachers. They need to create and sustain shared vision and values of high standards and expectations for all students with focus on schoolwide goals. Research-based instructional strategies need to be implemented, monitored, evaluated, and assessed. They need to have collaborative professional development focused on teaching the academic standards structured on research-based instructional strategies. Student assessment data need to be frequently collected, analyzed, and measured and then used to plan the next step of instruction.