Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 24

22 State Assessment In Texas, an achievement gap in STAAR math performance is evident in the middle grades (Green, 2014). Students clas- sified as ELL are underperforming, and “results reveal they [lag] 26.2 percent behind non-ESL students. [In addition], economically disadvantaged students also struggle with passing rates [and perform] 20.2 percent behind their peers” (Green, 2014, para. 2-3). Research conducted by Flores, Bata- lova, and Fix (2012) for the Migration Policy Institute found “the low passing rates of…ELL [students raised] serious concerns [regarding] their chances of remaining in school, graduating, and pursuing postsecondary education” (p. 14). Flores et al. (2012) reported ELL student performance on Texas achievement tests lagged far behind the all student group indicator. In fact, ELL students “had alarmingly low scores in math…[with] a gap in performance on the math exam [of] 22 percentage points in third grade, 31 points in fourth grade, 28 points in fifth grade, [and] 58 points in eighth grade” (p. 15). Gallup Student Poll The Gallup organization developed “the Gallup Student Poll [which] tracks the hope, engagement, and wellbeing of students in grades 5 through 12 across the United States” (Gallup, Inc., 2014, p. 1). Data drawn from the Gallup Stu - dent Poll (2014) indicated: Students who are ready for the future are also hopeful for the future, engaged at school, and thriving in life (i.e., high wellbeing). These students possess high lev - els of motivation and describe their lives in very posi- tive terms. Furthermore, these students report that the conditions at their school promote involvement and enthusiasm. (p. 1) Engagement Christenson et al. (2012) contended behavioral engagement attributes include attentive focus during instruction, accep - tance and compliance with expectations and rules, and vol - untary participation. Students who are engaged behavioral - ly are physically involved in the learning environment and demonstrate a willingness to accept and apply understand - ings. Christenson et al. (2012) claimed students who are in - volved in school clubs, sports teams, or performance groups display higher levels of behavioral engagement in academic environments, and higher levels of engagement have been found to correlate to student achievement gains. Research in the neurosciences has recently uncovered the “intricate interactions between the emotional and cog - nitive brain systems” (Hardiman, 2010, p. 2). Information is first processed through the “brain’s limbic system, located just above the brain stem at the base of the brain, [and] is responsible for our emotional responses” (Hardiman, 2010, p. 2). Hardiman (2003) recommends schools and teachers consider the environment in which students interact with new learning, and “maximize strategies that promote pos - itive emotion” in the learning process (p. 2). Stress and “threats impede learning, [but] positive emotional experi- ences, during which the brain produces certain chemicals or neurotransmitters, can contribute to long-term memory” (Hardiman, 2010, p. 2). Behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement struc- tures interact with and influence achievement. The most vul - nerable student, the at-risk child, is particularly impacted by the lack of an engaging and supportive school environment. Educational leaders are faced with a formidable challenge to increase student engagement while simultaneously im - proving the educational experience and achievement of all student groups. Results The current study investigated the relationship between stu - dent engagement, as measured by the engagement section of the Gallup Student Poll, and three indicators of campus performance: academic achievement, attendance rate, and the number of behavioral removals. The correlational investigation was designed to answer the following research questions: Research Question 1: Does a relationship exist between scores on the engagement indicators of the Gallup Student Poll and the math achievement scores on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) of middle school campuses? Research Question 2: Does a relationship exist be- tween scores on the engagement indicators of the Gallup Student Poll and student attendance rates of middle school campuses? Debbie Cano, Ed.D.