Determining the Academic and Well-Being Needs of Students in Urban School Environments: A Delphi Study

Abstract

Research indicates that there is a discrepancy in academic outcomes between students attending school in urban environments and those attending school in suburban environments. While educational reform efforts have focused on providing in-school academic interventions, they often do not consider variables that address well-being, nor are they aligned among critical stakeholders. This study implemented a two-round Delphi survey to develop consensus around critical priorities of focus to improve the academic and well-being outcomes of students. It was discovered that the main focus of intervention continues to be on academics, with less attention on well-being. Results and implications for practice are discussed.

The Delphi Process: Involving Parents of Children With Disabilities in Participatory Consensus Building

“…The Delphi process described here is somewhat simplified from a process that would be used in a research situation, but is nonetheless an accurate and worthwhile procedure. It provides a structured format through which parents present solutions that are justifiable in a specific school or community situation (Jones et al, 2014;Morgan et al, 2019). The themes that emerge from this procedure provide a consensus to the carefully defined problem or concern that began the process.…”

“…All data collection is done within a framework of anonymity, which is crucial to the process. This "grass roots" approach makes the Delphi an appropriate method for engaging parents who might otherwise be hesitant to provide authentic, candid, and honest responses to an educational authority, especially one with whom they previously have not had a satisfactory relationship (Morgan et al, 2019). While the Delphi is not intended to replace direct communication between school personnel and parents, it helps develop a fuller macro picture of the environment (i.e., parental concerns and involvement) in which the school is situated.…”

“…Round 1. Morgan et al (2019) used an open-coding qualitative analysis procedure to identify unique response items that were identical or very similar in meaning. For example, in response to the first prompt, a sentence or phrase such as "having an interpreter" or "speaking Spanish" would be considered as representing a single idea.…”

“…School and classroom policies often require restructuring and change, or problems are identified that impact a specific group within a building (Matute-Chavarria, 2020; Morgan et al, 2019). It is best if the suggestions to change or solutions to problems come from the "clients" of the school-the parents of children with and without disabilities (Jones et al, 2014).…”

“…Thus, in a school setting, judgment-based decisions are not made by a "person of power" but by parents who do or do not have children with disabilities and who live within the community to which the school provides services (Black et al, 1999). The result is an immediate state-ofthe-community opinion on important issues that are related specifically to the school site, the community at large, or to a specific classroom (Morgan et al, 2019).…”