What Are Appropriate State Interventions to Close the Achievement Gap?

EPLC Final Project Alexander Grande, Cassie Budzilek Joanna Papada, Tom Chapman

No Child Left Behind

(2001)

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Since the implementation of NCLB:

 The high achievement of certain students can no longer mask the low achievement of other groups  Accountability is in the forefront more than ever before nationwide

Pennsylvania’s Effort to Close the Achievement Gap

 Getting Results!  Leading for Learning  Project 720  PAGE 1  Other tools:  Assessment handbooks, accommodations guidelines, item banks/samplers, assessment anchors, Adopt-An-Anchor, Anchors In Practice

Testing and Accountability Alone Will NOT Close the Achievement Gap

 A Plea to Policymakers    Re-evaluate current resources and supports offered through the Department of Education Assist districts in utilizing the tools put forth by the Federal Government and Department of Education Create new policy as necessary to assist districts in utilizing tools that are currently available  (e.g. mandate voluntary programs to be mandatory)

High Leverage Practices Getting Results!

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Quality Teaching

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Continuous Learning Ethic

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Quality Leadership

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Artful Use of Infrastructure

Quality Teaching

 One of the most critical indicators of how students perform is the competence of the teacher.

 High quality teachers in every classroom can positively impact student performance even when they come from struggling family backgrounds (Sanders & Rivers, 1996).

Importance of Strategies

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Policymakers need to place more emphasis on strategies to close the gap, rather than focusing exclusively on standards-based reform and high stakes testing.

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Staff professional development, especially related to research-based instructional practices, is also critical to closing the gap.

Putting a High Quality Teacher In Every Classroom: Key Issues

 Teacher Preparation Programs  Teacher Certification/Induction  Effective Instruction/Progress Monitoring  Professional Development

Teacher Preparation Programs

 Need for greater contribution of higher education to prepare teachers with teaching skills needed to assist in closing the gap .

 Re-evaluation of coursework to include more emphasis on:  Research-based effective instructional practices     Monitoring student progress Making instructional decisions based upon data Working with students with disabilities Teaching reading effectively

Teacher Certification

 Policymakers should investigate new and innovative programs to meet the teacher quality challenge.

 Alternative routes to teacher certification  Teach For America  Troops to Teachers

Teacher Induction: A Need for Funding

  Provide funding support for teacher induction Create more stringent and more intensive induction programs, possibly extending to a 2 year program  Incorporate detailed individual needs assessments into induction programs  Ensure new teachers are using and refining newly learned skills through stronger mentor programs

Progress Monitoring

 Provide necessary supports and funding to ensure:  Teachers are well versed in research proven instructional practices  Teachers are monitoring the progress of their students on a regular basis, analyzing the data and making instructional adjustments based upon that data

Continuous Learning Ethic

 Act 48 Professional Development  Required for teachers to maintain certification but often:  does not meet specific teacher needs  lacks ongoing, intensive support needed to lead teachers to take ownership of learning and applying new skills

Staff Development Plan

 A well conceived professional development plan must:     Result in an evaluation with more value Ensure program’s goals are clear Guide the collection of relevant data Increase likelihood of producing results for students National Staff Development Council (NSDC, 2001)

Standards for Staff Development

(NSDC, 2001)  Proposal to policymakers:  The NSDC standards related to

context, process

and

content

should be the benchmark for all PA schools in increasing student performance and eliminating the achievement gap.

Context, Process and Content Standards

Context Standards

 Organize adults into learning communities  Require skillful leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement  Require resources to support adult learning and collaboration

Process Standards

 Use data to determine adult learning priorities and sustain continuous improvement  Use multiple sources of information to demonstrate impact (evaluation)  Use learning strategies appropriate to goal  Provides educators with knowledge and skills to collaborate

Content Standards

 Prepare teachers to hold high expectations  Deepen content knowledge  Provide research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting standards  Promote family involvement

Needed in PA: A Paradigm Shift

FROM TO

  Externally designed Summative evaluations      Filed/shelved Done as an afterthought Process-focused Documentation Presentation of results        Internally designed Planning, formative & summative evaluations Used Planned from beginning Results-focused Evaluation Reflective dialogue

Key Factors for Successful Staff Development

 Form  Duration  Collective Participation  Content  Active Learning  Coherence

What should professional development look like in Pennsylvania?

 Differentiated  Based upon an analysis of need  Options  Whole group instruction  Reading groups  Independent study  Study groups  Action research teams

Some Ideas: Differentiated Staff Development

 Arrange teacher schedules to create common planning time for study groups  Use faculty meeting time  Hold breakfast colloquiums  Needs assessments

Quality Leadership

 Effective leadership sets the tone and conditions for schools to serve children well.

 Getting Results! defines quality leadership through four categories: instructional, organizational, personal and public

What is Needed?

A redefinition of effective leadership and a redesign of how we prepare and develop educational leaders.

QUALITY LEADERSHIP

Committed and capable leadership for public education must respond to the demographic, social and technological changes facing schools and students today in closing the achievement gap.

Getting Results!

 Organizational Leadership …creates a compelling organizational purpose of closing the achievement gap  Instructional Leadership …provides the resources required to close the achievement gap.

Getting Results!

 Personal Leadership … the dynamic of energy, empathy and empowerment in creating team members  Public Leadership. …frames the question of closing the achievement gap. Engages, educates, enlists and empowers public support of the objective.

The School Improvement Effort

 Educators need to understand that school improvement is a complex process.

 Even a well designed approach to closing the achievement gap through school improvement may fail unless policy makers and school leaders put in place the conditions to support its success.

Recommendations

 Pennsylvania Department of Education review higher education training for school leaders.

 Accept the Middle Atlantic proposals for reciprocity  State funding for leadership training through grants to school districts

Artful Use of Infrastructure

 Authentic Relationships  Strategic Alignment of Stakeholders  Intensive support

A School Community Circa 1960’s

THE FACTS: Advocacy

Courageous Conversations

• We have researched the causes ; •We have examples of best practices and solutions •Now, we have to talk about it- take it to the Community

Taking Action

Students On a solid foundation Teachers Develop pilot collaboration with community partners Principals Set a Clear Vision & goals for organization.

Acknowledge that real change will take time Districts Create open & Supportive environments Local Communities Pre-occupation with The health of schools Tax base Law/Policy Makers State Level Task Force Business and Industry Public Education = Healthy Economy

Power- Key Relationships

Students To Community Principal To Community Teachers To Students Principal To Teachers Teachers To Community Principals & Teachers To Families

Corridor of Orientation

The Empty Corridor

Math English Art Vo-Tech Science Social Studies

The Relational Corridor

Math Employers English Civic & Political Art The Community Vo-Tech Scienc e Business and Industry Social Studies Higher Education Social, Cultural & Faith Sectors

The Law of the Land: NCLB & Rip

 The overall guidance and the intent was provided by senior leadership…but the forces in the field would not depend on intricate orders from the top. They were to use their own initiative and innovation as they went forward

Rapid Cognition: Trusting the

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Soldiers in the Field of Battle

“…to be successful at education our students our school communities must move away from a single source definition of success, just because we can measure and quantify test scores does not mean we have succeeded at out job…” James Comer 

Thank You For Your Attention!

References for this powerpoint presentation are provided in the attached paper.