In 2005, the achievement gap between African-American and Caucasian students doubled in the state of Louisiana. Sixty-three percent of the public schools in an urban school district in southeastern Louisiana received an Academically Unacceptable Status (AUS) rating according to Louisiana accountability standards. In 2006, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education managed the school district in an effort to have 100% proficient fourth graders in English language arts by the year 2014. To achieve this goal, the district piloted the Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), a systemic, research-based school reform initiative in six of its traditional public schools in the 2008-2009 school year. The purpose of the quantitative, quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group study was to quantify the effect of teacher participation in TAP in an effort to improve the student performance on ELA standardized tests for fourth grade students. Chi-square statistical tests were conducted to analyze the difference between pretest and posttest outcomes. The sample included 257 fourth graders' test scores from six elementary schools in an urban, state take-over school district in southeastern Louisiana. The experimental group consisted of three schools with one-year Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) implementation. The control group consisted of three schools without TAP implementation. A statistical difference could not be described between schools with TAP implementation and increased student performance on the LEAP Test. The findings indicate that implementing a school reform model like TAP takes time to change teachers' attitudes and school culture. Evidence of students' success on standardized tests is a long-term process. Leaders should explore a school reform model, like TAP, that will advance teacher leadership to initiate meaningful and strategic school reform in an effort to increase student performance in ELA in urban public schools. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]