Purpose

The purpose of this multi-strand mixed-methods action research study was to introduce the innovation of the I'm College and Career Ready (ICCR) . The iCCR is a collaboratively developed system utilizing a Participatory Action Research (Herr & Anderson, 2015; Ivankova, 2015) structure that (a) provided staff and stakeholders professional development on post-secondary needs for students; (b) collaboratively set-positive goals and expectations for all students in our schools to be ready for 21st century post-secondary environments; (c) developed and implemented a pathway planning document for staff and student use in our advisory period; and (d) provided parent professional development session to increase parental and staff knowledge of college and career ready requirements for students. The iCCR was developed and implemented over a 16-week period in the Fall semester of 2018.

Philosophical Background:

Critical inquiry in education is closely associated with Freire (Gutek, 2004; Crotty, 1998). My critical stance is rooted in the epistemology of Subjectivism. For the subjectivist, knowledge is formed in the mind (Crotty, 1998). Ontologically I am have taken the position of Idealism. This is the position that truth can be constructed (Gutek, 2004; Crotty, 1998) and therefore change is possible. However, it is important to this research, methods and findings, that I have adopted the position of both definitions of ontology, that of being and becoming (Gray, 2013). Action research is cyclical, reflective in practice, and requires an action to be taken and studied (Ivankova, 2015; Mertler, 2014; Mills, 2011). I view action research as a vehicle of praxis that spans the expanse between being and becoming. This is important to this cycle of research as I enter this cycle to focus on being and the challenges of educational leaders.

Systems and Change Theory:

My inquiry of this cycle is on the perceptions of students labeled high needs as it pertains to their academic achievement and our responsibility to them. I acknowledge that students are subject to a variety of factors outside of what they experience in schools (Anyon, 2014; Carter & Welner, 2013; Anyon, 2009). To examine the complexity of the systems we are subjected to I have adopted Bronfenbrenner’s (1994; 1977) Ecological Systems Theory (EST). As a model of child and human development, EST has been widely used in the learning environments of school (Burns, Warmbold, & Zaslofsky, 2015; Tynan, Somers, Gleason, Markman, & Yoon, 2015; Wicks & Warren, 2013; Brendtro, 2006; Bronfenbrenner, 1994). To navigate EST I have adopted the framework of Hope Theory (Snyder, 2002) whereby hope is operationalized as being a perceived capability that is triangulated within the constructs of goals, pathway, and agency.

Literature Guiding This Study:

I argue that the literature suggests that upon graduating from our U.S. education institutions student find themselves in a globally-competitive marketplace with several disadvantages. Their degree of Economic Freedom (EF) is less than citizens in other developed countries and continues to decline (Miller et al., 2016). This may impact the constitutionally-outlined area of property rights, where their degree of EF has experienced a sustained decline (Miller & Kim, 2016). They will be entering the workforce in a country that ranks relatively low in terms of conditions needed for self-actualization (Maslow, 1999), such as peace and safety (Institute for Economics and Peace, 2015). They are more likely to be imprisoned than in any other country (Kaeble et al., 2015). They have lower levels of educational expectations, attainment rates, and performance indicators when compared to other industrialized countries (Stephens et al., 2015; OECD, 2013; OECD, 2012). Therefore, my problem of practice must address setting higher levels of chronosystem goals for student who have been labeled high-needs to meet the demands of the world that they are entering.

Previous Cycles of Action Research:

• Reconnaissance: Document analysis and review of formal and informal goals and expectations for student to graduate high school in the southwest of the United States.

• Cycle 0: A qualitative exploratory cycle that explored the research question "what are the perceptions of post-secondary student preparedness as expressed through graduation requirements?" Findings indicated disconnections between policy and intent; (b) district policies and laws can support expectation but are not a requirement for having them; and (c) the knowledge and beliefs of adults at schools are critical to setting expectations.

• Cycle 1: A quantitative cycle that focused on the question "how and to what extent was the Course of Study a barrier to establish a pathway towards setting high expectations?" The results were the recommendation of the restructuring of course offerings by 64.8% to clarify positive goals and pathway.

• Cycle 2: A qualitative critical inquiry that explored "how do urban educational leaders describe the learning potential of students labeled high need? and "how do urban educational leaders describe their responsibility to students labeled high need?" Finding led to the development of a grounded theory that when urban educational leaders set positive ecological systems goals, actively engage in the struggles students face, create clear expectation and supports for school staff, and engage in equity based resourcing, that students labeled high needs are more likely to find success.