Transcript Overview of Restructuring

Creating the Plan and
Including Stakeholders
by
Carole L. Perlman
Session Overview
1. Preparing for change
2. Including stakeholders
3. Assessing each school’s strengths
and needs
4. Developing a plan
5. Allocating resources strategically
6. Dealing with contractors
2
Session Overview (cont’d)
7. Selecting improvement models
8. Creating optimum conditions for
change
3
Substantial change
 Successful restructuring requires
dramatic change in a short period of
time.
 Differs from the incremental changes
that help a good school get better.
4
Examine previous
improvement efforts
 What aspects of previous
improvement efforts worked? Which
didn’t? Why?
 How can the change process be kept
on track this time?
5
What’s different now?
Principals in high-performing districts
talked of coming to the realization
that the ultimately successful
improvement effort—in contrast with
those they had experienced before—
was not a case of “this too shall
pass.”
6
Elements of successful change
A clear vision
A turnaround leader
Improvement teams
Involvement of school staff, parents,
community members, and students
 Sufficient time to craft a quality plan
 Small “quick wins” that provide
momentum for more difficult changes
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Stakeholders
 Teachers at the school
 Current principal
 Teachers’ union
 Parents
 Students (especially middle and HS)
 Central office staff
 Special ed and ELL advocacy groups
8
Stakeholders (cont’d)
 Grassroots community organizations
 Elected officials
 Local business associations
 Nonprofits that conduct fundraising or
support public schools in your
community
 Other vocal, informed, or interested
groups in your community
9
Managing stakeholders
They can make or break a change effort.
Managing stakeholders well is a key
differentiator of successful efforts to make
radically large learning improvements in
schools.
10
A view from the field
“The surprisingly hard part is getting
the community to accept that schools
need to change,” explained Katrina
Scott-George, interim acting chief for
community accountability [Oakland,
CA]. “There are service providers who
make their bread and butter from
serving failure.” (Center on Education
Policy, 2006)
11
What works with stakeholders
 Inform them and get input
 Empower those who support major
change
 Use supporters to convince others to
give change a chance
 Convince naysayers with positive
short-term results
 Communicate commitment to
continued restructuring
12
What doesn’t work
 Ignoring stakeholders or leaving them
out of the process entirely
 Allowing them to influence
restructuring in destructive ways
 Pretending that all restructured
schools will succeed the first time.
 Giving in or returning to failed status
quo if initial efforts don’t work
13
Stakeholders can help by…
 Providing input to school and district
to select the restructuring path best
for kids
 Influencing others to embrace big
changes
 Providing help to restructured schools
14
Build civic support
 Civic, community support essential
for restructuring schools
 Mayors can help marshal widespread
support for education
 Make school improvement a matter of
civic responsibility and pride
15
Assess each school’s strengths
and weaknesses
 Data obtained will guide decision on
which path to take
 Pay special attention to subgroups
 Use formative and summative
assessment data and other available
measures
 Look at several years’ data if possible—
what patterns do you see?
 Are only some groups failing to make
AYP or is it the school as a whole?
16
Develop a plan
There are two parts in the planning
process:
1. The decision on governance, made
by the district, preferably with
substantial input from the school
2. Development of the school
improvement plan by the school with
assistance and oversight from the
district.
17
What not to do
Some common mistakes in school
improvement planning (CSRI, 2006):
 An improvement planning team with
the wrong members and usually too
many of them (6-8 is about right)
 Creating a plan that is celebrated at
the beginning, reviewed at the end—
and left in a drawer in between (build
in ongoing evaluation)
18
What not to do (cont’d)
 The “Everything but the Kitchen Sink”
school improvement plan. The
number of goals should not exceed
the school’s capacity to implement
and monitor them.
19
SMART goals
Goals and objectives should be SMART:
 Specific (clear and explicit)
 Measurable (so anyone can determine if
the goal has been accomplished)
 Attainable (realistic and within the school’s
span of control)
 Relevant (directly related to identified
need)
 Time-bound (with a beginning, interim
benchmarks, and an end) (CSRI, 2006)
20
More on what not to do
Schmoker (2004) argues that most
school improvement plans have too
many goals, projects, and “initiatives
not thoughtfully vetted on the basis
of their direct or proven impact on
outcomes.”
He is critical of plans that deal too little
with what goes on in the classrooms.
21
Schmoker’s recommendations
 Have a small number of coherent
goals relating to classroom instruction
that are simple, measurable
statements linked to student
assessment.
 Have “teams of teachers implement,
assess, and adjust instruction in
short-term cycles of improvement—
not annually, but continuously.”
22
Allocate resources strategically
All of a school’s resources—financial,
human, time, material—should be
aligned to support the school’s
instructional priorities.
23
Resource allocation:
Six guiding principles
1. Use staff efficiently and be consistent
with the priorities in the school
improvement plan.
2. Consider time as the most expensive
resource.
3. Use community resources when
possible.
24
Resource Allocation:
Six guiding principles (cont’d)
4. Devote resources to the prevention
of academic problems, rather than to
remediation.
5. Organize instructional time to
support the school’s instructional
focus.
6. Incorporate time for professional
development and teacher
collaboration into the school’s daily
schedule.—CSRI
25
Effective practices in allocating
financial resources
 The school has control over the majority
of its budget.
 To the extent possible, all funds from
different sources are combined and
directed in support of the school’s goals.
26
Effective practices in allocating
financial resources (cont’d)
 Staff members actively and
systematically seek new funding
sources and partnerships with
businesses and community
organizations.
 Resources, including current
partnerships, are regularly reviewed
and evaluated to ensure that they are
used in an efficient manner.
27
Effective practices in allocating
human resources
 All staff positions are focused on fulltime instruction and areas that fall
under the school’s academic goals
and priorities.
 Adult-student ratios may change
depending on the specific academic
area and related goals.
 Retention strategies are designed to
minimize staff turnover.
28
Effective practices in
allocating time and scheduling
 School schedules are arranged to
provide appropriate time for jobembedded common planning and
professional development.
 Class length varies to provide
students with more time for
meaningful instruction in core
academics.
29
Dealing with contractors
A school district or state may choose to
engage the services of an educational
contractor to:
 Establish charter schools
 Manage schools in restructuring
 Assist with school turnarounds
 Develop curriculum
 Deliver professional development
 Provide supplemental education services
30
Learning more about
contractors
After narrowing your choices to 2-3
contractors, it’s time to learn more
about them as business entities.
 Will this be a good investment?
 Is the contractor financially sound?
 Can the contractor provide the
needed level of service?
 Level of scrutiny depends on length
and cost of contract.
31
Financial viability
 Financial management system
 History of “clean” audits by an external
auditor
 Financial stability
 Access to cash or sufficient reserves
 A good credit rating
 Minimal number of canceled contracts
 Diverse and sustainable funding
 Fee for service or grants?
 One large client or funding source?
32
Organizational capacity
 Management and staffing capacity
 Sufficient experience and expertise in K12
 Training program for new staff
 Ongoing professional development
 Internal performance analysis
 Conducts quality analyses of its work
 Solicits client feedback and makes
needed changes
 Customer service orientation
33
Select models
with evidence of success
 It is essential that the model chosen
addresses a school’s particular needs
 Selecting a reform model with a
proven track record can’t guarantee
success
 Faithful and complete implementation
is key
34
Create optimum conditions for
successful restructuring
 Put the right leader in each school
 Commit sufficient resources (time,
money, staff, professional
development, data support)
 Give schools freedom to make
changes, even if those conflict with
established district procedures
35
Create optimum conditions for
successful restructuring (cont’d)
 Reorganize district operations for a
coherent focus on instructional
improvement, rather than on
compliance with mandates
 Provide information on restructuring
alternatives and assistance in dealing
with contractors and holding them
accountable.
36
Create optimum conditions for
successful restructuring (cont’d)
 Assign each school a specially-trained
central office staff member who can
serve as liaison and resource, rather
than enforcer or commanding officer
 Help schools gather and use data
 Allocate financial and staff resources
equitably
37
Create optimum conditions for
successful restructuring (cont’d)
 Require accountability for both district
and school staff and address failure
promptly
 Create a pipeline of turnaround leaders
 Facilitate professional networks and
professional development tailored to
each school’s needs
38
Create optimum conditions for
successful restructuring (cont’d)
 Provide schools with control over their
own budgets
 Solicit meaningful input from schools
 Build community support for change
39
Change resources
 Hassel et al’s School Restructuring
under “No Child Left Behind:” What
Works When?
http://www.centerii.org/restructuring
/research/
 Reinventing Change Toolkit at
www.reinventingeducation.org
40
Needs assessment resources
 State departments of education
 Look Before You Leap
http://www.centerii.org/restructuring
/research/
 Just 4 the Kids self-audit
http://www.centerii.org/improvement
/research/
 Diagnostic instruments at
www.reinventingeducation.org
41
Planning resources
 Links to your state’s school
improvement planning models are
available at
www.centerii.org/centerIIPublic/criteria.aspx. Click
on your state and select “School and
District Improvement” from the dropdown box.
 Select “Restructuring” from the dropdown box for additional state
resources for restructuring schools.
42
43
Searchable Databases
& Custom Reports
■ SES, Restructuring, School & District
Improvement
■ Select state(s) or CC regions
■ Reports in PDF, Word, or Excel format
■ Open or download files
■ Policies, resources, longitudinal data
■ URLs in reports are active
■ Username = password = rcc
44
www.centerii.org
Resource allocation tools
 Advice on resource allocation and
planning forms are available at:
www.centerforcsri.org/pubs/reallocation/index.html
 Additional resource allocation
information is available at:
www.mcrel.org/PDF/LeadershipOrganizationDevelop
ment/5031TG_resourcefolio.pdf
45
Contracting resources
 Choosing an Education Contractor: A
Guide to Assessing Financial and
Organizational Capacity
www.financeproject.org/publications/
CSRQConsumerGuide.pdf
 Guide to Working with External
Providers
www.centerforcsri.org/pubs/ExternalP
roviders.pdf
46
Resources on effective models
 What Works Clearinghouse
www.whatworks.ed.gov
 Best Evidence Encyclopedia
www.bestevidence.org
47
Resources on effective models
(cont’d)
 Comprehensive School Reform Quality
Center
 Elementary
www.csrq.org/CSRQreportselementarys
choolreport.asp (updated 11/06)
 Middle and High School
www.csrq.org/documents/MSHS2006Re
port_FinalFullVersion10-03-06.pdf
48
Resources on effective models
(cont’d)
 Education Service Providers
http://www.centerii.org/restructuring/res
earch/
 Enhancing Participation of Students
with Disabilities in Comprehensive
School Reform Models
http://www.csrq.org/documents/Enha
ncingtheParticipationofStudentswithDi
sabilitiesinCSRModels.pdf
49
Resources for districts
Districts can benchmark their practices
to those of high-performing districts
at
www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/self_
audit_framework.cfm?sub=tools
and learn how they improved at
www.just4kids.org/bestpractice/study
_framework.cfm?sub=national&study
=2003broad
50
Resources on working with
stakeholders
 Hassel et al’s School Restructuring
under “No Child Left Behind:” What
Works When?
http://www.centerii.org/restructuring
/research/
 Reinventing Change Toolkit at
www.reinventingeducation.org
51