Volume 2 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 12

10 Mark A. Ramirez, Ed.D. gap, a system to monitor individual students has to be implement- ed. The superintendent of a large urban district may not be able to know every single student, but systems for campuses to closely monitor individual students can be established. The monitoring of struggling students by each campus is one way superintendents can supervise if the performance gap is closing for Hispanic students. Instructional Framework The superintendent is responsible for the instruction taking place in schools throughout the school district and the differentiation of instruction based on individual student needs. The instructional framework defines exactly what students are required to know and be able to do at each grade level. Individualized progress monitoring leads to personalized instruction as part of a dis - trict's instructional framework. A personalized approach for each student is a major leadership practice for superintendents to close the performance gap for Hispanic students. Extended Opportunities The major theme of extended opportunities had the most varying viewpoints as to which would be the most beneficial. A strong mentoring program and ensuring the basic needs of each student is met on a daily basis were two specific strategies mentioned. Superintendents focused on interventions, but a need to look at enrichment opportunities embedded with the curriculum became evident with the current study. Magnet schools and specialized opportunities previously only reserved for the top performing students must be made available to all students. Superinten - dents acknowledged the need to increase parental involvement throughout the school district and how enrolling a student means enrolling an entire family. Resources The final major theme that emerged was the use of resources related to professional development. Once a superintendent hires the “right” people, district resources must be used to provide quality professional development for both principals and teach- ers. On a larger scale, structured and aligned professional devel - opment ensures the major district initiatives are being implement - ed effectively throughout the district. Implications The current study revealed there was no statistically significant Figure 2. Research Question 3: Major and Minor Themes. The figure represents the major and minor themes for research ques - tion 3 using NVivo Pro 11.