2015 QRIS National Meeting

Leveraging Technology for

Quality Improvement

Linda Askew, NM Department of Health

Allyson Dean, ZERO TO THREE

Raquel Diaz, University of Florida

Harriet Dichter, ICF International

Evelyn Keating, DE Office of Early Learning

Today’s Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions

• Overview and Discussion– Early Educator Central

– FL Master Teacher Initiative

– DE Early Learning Leadership Initiative

– NM Using Video in Early Intervention

• Discussion Groups

• Report Out and Wrap Up

Florida Master Teacher Initiative: Cultivating Master Teachers, Teacher

Researchers, and Teacher Leaders

Raquel Munarriz Diaz, Ed.D.Professor in ResidenceUniversity of Florida

Miami-Dade Schools & the Florida Master Teacher Initiative

• Funded by an Investing in Innovations (i3)US Department of Education Grant (49 funded out of

1600 applications)

• Focus: Rigorous scale up and evaluation of innovative practices with preliminary evidence of impact

• $5,000,000 federal funding plus $1,000,000 in matching funds from private foundations

The Partners

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS),

• University of Florida• School of Teaching and Learning

• School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies

•W.K Kellogg Foundation

Project Goals

• Improve early childhood teacher quality

• Improve educational outcomes for students by starting with a strong foundation in early grades

• Improve school environment and collaborative culture to support learning for all

What informed our program development?

• Review of the literature and professional standards

• Formative and summative evaluation data from existing programs

• Series of focus group interviews with stakeholders “on the ground” in Miami

• 4th largest and one of the most diverse school district in the country.

• 163,251 children at 255 elementary and K-8 schools.

• > 60% of children in the school district qualify for free or reduced lunch.

• > 70% speak a language other thanEnglish at home.

Miami-Dade Public Schools

Project Supports

(Guided by TLSI principles)

Early Childhood Education Master’s Degree Program• Job-embedded graduate

coursework situated within teachers’ contexts and that meets NAEYC guidelines

• Online and in-person implementation support from professors-in-residence

• Demonstration of inquiry and reflection through completion of a portfolio of projects

• Cohort of school-based, preK-3rd

grade teachers

Teacher Fellows Program• Year-long inquiry project

• Onsite facilitated learning communities to support inquiry

• Cross-school presentations

Principal Fellows Program• Professional development on

leadership skills

• Inquiry projects

• Interactions with principals across the district and state

Summer Institutes• Facilitator training• Leadership institutes

Professional Learning Community• Distributed leadership

• Dedicated time for structured collaboration within and across grades

• Data-based decision-making about teaching and learning using multiple data sources

• Trusting relationships between teachers

• Administrator and infrastructure support for school-wide implementation

Improved Classroom Practices

Instructional practices that are:

• Research-based

• Differentiated

• Emphasizing higher-order thinking skills

• Learner-centered

• Culturally responsive

• Developmentally appropriate

• Based on data and informed by an array of assessment methods

• Supporting emotional development

Positive classroom climate

Family-school partnerships

School-early learning partnerships

Learner Outcomes

• Increased academic achievement

• Strong social and emotional foundations for learning

• Increased student engagement

Teacher ProfessionalismMaster teacher• Uses effective classroom practices• Has enhanced knowledge of early childhood

education

Teacher leader• Facilitates professional learning

communities• Advocates for children• Reaches out to the early childhood

community• Has knowledge of and cross-sector

collaboration around early childhood issues• Supports transitions across early childhood

years

Teacher researcher• Engages in inquiry to improve teaching and

learning

Florida Master Teacher Initiative

State and Local Policies

Community of Practice: Defined

Communities of Practice are groups of people

who share a concern or a passion for

something they do and learn how to do it

better as they interact regularly. Etienne Wenger

Communities of Practice: The “Cookie Framework”

The essential elements of Structure, Process, Conditions & Content

Graduate ProgramTeacher Leadership for School Improvement Graduate ProgramReinventing graduate education as job-embedded professional development

Opportunities:

• Master’s or Specialist degree

• Job-embedded coursework in teacher leadership and early childhood studies

• Full Tuition Scholarship

• Professors-in-Residence in schools

• Cohort-based

Program Goals

To develop…

• Master Teachers• Teacher Researchers• Teacher Leaders

The Students• 49 students in two cohorts

• All students taught at one of the 20 treatment schools.

• All students were teachers of children in Pre-K through 3rd grade.

Cohort Support Structure

• A community of learners dedicated to improving their practice.

• Supports program retention, especially when a critical mass of teachers of teachers is not present at a school.

Early Childhood Teacher Leadership for School Improvement (ECTLSI)

• Guided Teacher Inquiry • Cultural Responsive Classroom Management• Families • Transforming the Curriculum and Developmentally

Appropriate Practice• Assessment and Portfolio Part I• Instructional Coaching• Policy & Transitions • Teacher Leadership and School Change & Differentiated

Instruction • Meeting the Educational Needs of Children Living in

Poverty• Portfolio Development

Inquiry Oriented

• Trying something new

• Collecting and analyzing data

• Learning with colleagues

• Making teaching public at Showcase

Doing inquiry empowers teachers.

–Leia

Job-Embedded Design Features

• Learning is situated within teachers’ contexts

• Emphasis on implementation of new learning

• Literature is accessible and introduces new ideas with a focus on the knowledge ofpractice

The Professors in Residence

• Based on Miami-Dade County.

• Professors in Residence are available for one-on-one support and guidance.

• Create connections between course content and classroom and school practice.

This project was fund by in Investing in Innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Education

For more information, contact Dr. Raquel Munarriz Diaz at rdiaz@coe.ufl.edu

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Early Learning Leadership Initiative

July 16, 2015

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Administrative Leadership

• Rigorous, Interactive Content

• Self-Paced

• Access to Materials & Resources

• Professional Learning Community

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Key Features of a Professional Learning Community

• Sustained Focus on Learning

• Culture that Promotes Collaborative Inquiry

• Learning by Doing

• Reflection

• Commitment to Continuous Improvement

• Focus on Results

• Shared Core Beliefs & Values

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Aim4ExcellenceNational Credential

• Nine Online Modules

• Focus on Essential Skills and Knowledge

• Link to NAEYC Accreditation, Articulates into College Credit, Delaware’s Professional Development System & QRIS

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Supports

• Self-Contained Course through Your Computer – free computer

• 16 Clock Hours per Module

• Assessments & Assignments

• Research-Based

• Cross-Sector Community of Practice

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Module Content

1. Leading the Way2. Recruiting, Selecting & Orienting Staff3. Promoting Peak Performance4. Managing Program Operations5. Building A Sound Business Strategy6. Planning Indoor & Outdoor Environments7. Supporting Children’s Development &

Learning8. Creating Partnerships with Families9. Evaluating Program Quality

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Leadership Matters

• Ability to Attract & Retain Teachers• Benefits of Specialized Training in Leadership

& Management• Quality Professional Development Makes a

Difference• Improved Practices with Mentoring &

Coaching• QRIS is an Effective Strategy for Increasing

Qualifications• Incentives Support Credential Attainment

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Why Leadership?

• Our early educators lag in education

• Only 1 in 5 has a BA or higher and 1 in 4 has only a high school diploma

• On average, our educators earn just $19,000 per year – the poverty line for a family of 3

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Delaware’s Professional Development System

• Coordinated through the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (DIEEC)

• Cross Sector• Funded through CCDF and State General

Funds• Qualifications through the Department of

Education and Office of Child Care Licensing

Governor Jack Markell | Susan Perry-Manning, Executive Director | www.greatstartsdelaware.com | www.facebook.com/greatstartsdelaware | www.twitter.com/greatstartsde

Linkages

• Articulation Agreements between 2 and 4 year Institutions of Higher Education

• TEACH Early Childhood• Articulation between McCormick and

Delaware Technical Community College

• CORE Awards

Using Video in Early Intervention:The FIT FOCUS Video Demonstration Project

QRIS National Meeting: Higher Ground – Taking Quality to Scale

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FOCUS on Young Children’s Learning

New Mexico Department of Health

Family Infant Toddler Tiered

Quality Rating & Improvement

System (TQRIS)

Goals of the FIT FOCUS Video Demonstration Project

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Primary Goal:

Support FIT early intervention personnel to learn how to use video, video conferencing and related technology to:

• enhance a range of early intervention practices;

• support their program’s Continuous Quality Improvement process.

Other Goals:

• Produce educational videos that can be used to help other FIT early intervention personnel learn new skills.

• Support programs to use video for a number of programmatic purposes, including illustrating quality practices, making presentations to boards, community organizations, and policy makers, and producing documentation to submit with grant proposals.

Professional Development Activities in 2015

35

March 10 April 14 June 2 Sept. 3-18 Nov. 10

Receive video equipment

Editing and compressing

video

Video conferencing

Advanced application

Final F2F session

Other Supports:

1. Coaching

2. Application assignments

3. Weekly check-ins

4. TA whenever requested

FIT FOCUS VIDEO DEMONSTRATION PROJECT Training Date Participants Purpose

December 10th, 2014

ECN Coaches • Provide Coaches with examples of the use of video to improve practices (reinforcing the “Why”)

• Provide coaches with “hands-on” instruction and experience using video equipment.

March 10th

2015Video Demonstration Project Participants:• 32 Participants • Representing 6 FIT

Providers• Representation from all 4

FIT Regions

• Provide Participants with examples of the use of video to improve practices.

• Provide Participants with “hands-on” instruction and experience using video equipment.

• Provide Coaches with “hands-on” experience coaching (everything gets practiced).

March 11th, 2015

ECN Coaches • Provide Coaches with example of the use of video to improve practices

• Provide Coaches with “hands-on” instruction and experience in editing and compressing video.

April 14th, 2015 Video Demonstration Project Participants

• Provide Participants with example of the use of video to improve practices

• Provide Participants with “hands-on” instruction and experience in editing and compressing video.

• Provide Coaches with “hands-on” experience coaching.

April 15th, 2015 ECN Coaches • Discuss rationale for the use of video conferencing to improve practices.• Introduce ECN Coaches to the use of Zoom for video-conferencing• Work with ECN coaches to practice using video conferencing

June 2nd, 2015 Video Demonstration Project Participants

• Discuss rationale for the use of video conferencing to improve practices.• Introduce Participants to the use of Zoom for video-conferencing• Work with Participants to practice using video conferencing• Provide Coaches with “hands-on” experience coaching.

FIT FOCUS VIDEO DEMOSTRATION PROJECT

In Their Own Words:

ECE and EI providers use video for:

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Documenting children’s learning, development, and progress

Evaluation and assessment

Consultation

Coaching

Family education

Collaborative planning

Progress monitoring

Self-reflection

Reflective supervision

Individualized planning

Video modeling

Professional Development, Technical Assistance, and Dissemination Projects use Video for:

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Illustrating practices

Tutorials

Orientation

Consultation

Coaching

Dissemination

Marketing

Archiving activities

Exchanging information

Research and evaluation

Collecting, analyzing, and reporting data

Some Ways that Families are Using Video

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Document learning, development, progress

Share home life with practitioners and other families Participate in evaluation

Participate in assessment

Provide documentation for individualized planning

Request and provide consultation

Assist with transition

Celebrate with practitioners and family

members

Other

Discussion

•Do you have similar experiences to share?

•What resonated with you?

•What will you take back and why?

Need More Information?

Early Educator Central

Harriet Dichter– harriet.dichter@icfi.com

Allyson Dean- adean@zerotothree.org

Florida Master Teacher Initiative

Raquel Diaz- raquelmdiaz@coe.ufl.edu

Delaware Early Learning Initiative

Evelyn Keating- evelyn.keating@state.de.us

New Mexico Video and Early Intervention Initiative

Linda Askew- linda.askew@state.nm.us