Ebook: Engaging over-age participants in urban learning and work environments: An empirical demonstration of macro-level efficiency through effective at-risk student and teacher recovery

Inspired by the New Public Service literature that affirms humanity as the preeminent value of public administration, this study borrows heavily from the fields of psychology and philosophy to create an original theory of responsive, service-oriented instructional leadership. This New Public Service Theory of Urban Public Education opens the ‘black box’ of what occurred in one dropout prevention program of the Dallas ISD when the theory's scope conditions were met and its instrumental variable, character-driven, caring ‘I-You’ interaction, was implemented. Instructional leadership teams were created and faculty members were given 90 minutes per week during the spring semester of 2008 in which to walk classrooms and build relationships of trust with students as well as share findings with colleagues. The objective was simple: get to know over-age students, and promote self-directed behaviors that would enhance lifelong learning and success. This study uses a mixed quantitative and qualitative method to test the theory. Within a five-month time period, African American students (p = .72) and Hispanic males (p = .74) responded particularly well, while Hispanic females demonstrated progress but appeared to need a bit more time. Nine out of ten potential dropouts re-enrolled for school the following semester; and due to the resultant increase in Average Daily Attendance, these school-wide results came at absolutely no cost to the district—actually generating a small surplus of more than $2,000.