A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF REPORTING PRACTICES AT K--6 SCHOOLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC POLICY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE MARKET PLACE (GLOBAL ECONOMY)

This study addresses the paucity of research related to the perceived effectiveness of report cards as accountability tools in relationship to student academic achievement, the marketplace and public policy. The phenomenological approach is used to interview forty-nine students, parents, teachers and administrators from three elementary (K-6) schools.

Interview questions were designed to provide data for discovering: Do report cards assist and evaluate the education's stated objective? What is the perceived role of report cards as accountability tools for measuring this objective (that is, do report cards help prepare citizens for effective contributions in the 21st Century workforce)? What are the effects of reporting practices on home-school communication and improved academic achievement? What might be the implications of these effects on individuals as adults in the marketplace? On national productivity? Are report cards similarly experienced, perceived and comprehended by those who use them (teachers and administrators), those who receive them (students and parents), and those who have a vested interest in their impact on student achievement (corporate America)?

This pre-theoretical examination is intended to contribute toward a theory of evaluation and reporting which positively correlates with increased student achievement and marketability, parent involvement, teacher productivity, and administrative accountability extending not only to the student and the family, but also to the business and industrial community.

All respondents were concerned about student academic achievement and agreed that current reporting practices are inadequate measurements and ineffective teaching tools. The data supports the need for more effective home-school communication, student evaluation and reporting which features incremental flexibility and an individualized balance of both qualitative and quantitative measurements.

The data suggests two strands of future research, one which investigates ways to minimize the negative effects of current reporting practices, and another which examines possibilities for comprehensive changes in reporting practices. Sample research directions from the first strand include: (1) correlations between reporting practices, student achievement and marketability; (2) developing reporting practices which facilitate the learning process; and from the second strand; (3) using evaluation to prepare individuals for life-long learning and productivity in the global economy.