EWING MARION KAUFFMAN SCHOOL

November 2015

EWING MARION KAUFFMAN SCHOOL

ANNUAL SPONSOR REPORT 2014-2015 ACADEMIC YEAR

U n i v e r s i t y o f M i s s o u r i

Charter School Operations College of Education

Office of Charter School Operations General Information

Vision

Challenging all learners to reach their full potential.

Mission Improve the quality and performance of charter schools in Missouri by collaborating with

stakeholders to achieve exceptional educational outcomes for all students. PERSONNEL

Columbia and Kansas City St. Louis

Deborah Carr, Executive Director [email protected]

Earl Simms, St. Louis Director [email protected]

Lisa Weaver, Assistant Director [email protected]

Shanika Harris, St. Louis Liaison [email protected]

Jennifer M. Wilmot, Kansas City Liaison [email protected]

Gerry Kettenbach, St. Louis Liaison [email protected]

CONTACT INFORMATION MU Charter School Operations 302 Hill Hall College of Education University of Missouri Columbia, Missouri 65211

Phone: 573.882.7538 Fax: 573.303.0438 Email: [email protected]

CollegeofEducationOfficeofCharterSchoolOperations

EwingMarionKauffmanSchoolAnnualReportTableofContents

Page Executive Summary

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Focus Area I: Governance

3

Focus Area II: Finances & Operations 4 Focus Area III: Culture & Environment Focus Area IV: Academic Outcomes

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Appendix: Survey Results

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Office of Charter School Operations EMKS Annual Report 2014-2015

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CollegeofEducationOfficeofCharterSchoolOperations

EwingMarionKauffmanSchoolAnnualReportExecutiveSummaryEwingMarionKauffmanSchool(EMKS)isinitsfourthyearofoperation,servinggradesfivethrougheight.TheboardcontinuestoworkinpartnershipwiththeKauffmanFoundationandexternalconsultantstomonitorandimprovealloperations.Thisworkisshowingdividends.EMKSisexcellinginallevaluationareas.Inthespiritofcontinuousqualityimprovement,weofferthefollowingareasforpotentialimprovement:

Asnotedinpastreports,EMKS,likealldiversepublicschools,willcontinuetoneedtodevelopstrategiestoreachlearnerswhoarriveatEMKSwithdifferentabilitiesandlearningchallenges.

OneconsistentchallengeisdeliveryofTitleIandspecialeducationservices,whichteachersreportasachallenge.Optionsinclude,additionaltrainingforcurrentteachers,emphasizedrecruitingfornewteacherswithmorespecializedskills,andalternativepull‐outorpush‐instrategies.

Finally,asahighlydrivenorganizationinexpansion,EMKSwillcontinuetofacechallengesmaintainingacohesiveculture.Leadershipchangesandtransitionsarealwayschallenging.WewillcontinuetoworkwithEMKSleadershiptomonitorthegrowthexperienceandhelpproviderecommendationsasneeded.

ThesefindingsaredescribedinmoredetailbelowandadditionalevidencecanbefoundinthestaffandteachersurveyresultsintheAppendix.


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GOVERNANCE Inadequate ApproachingMeets

ExpectationsExceeds

Expectations

Board

Operations

Boardoperationsareamodelforothers.However,partofthisisdue

tothestrongparticipationandcommitmentoftheKauffmanFoundation.AstheEMKSBoardmovestoamoreautonomousstructure,thismaybecomemoredifficult,butthestronginitialfoundationshouldmakethistransitionmucheasier.

TheboardconsistentlyfollowsSunshineLaws,completesandpostscomprehensiveminutesandboardmaterials.Meetingsareefficient,scheduledinadvance,withfewchanges,andallsubcommitteesreport,asneeded.

Board

Development

Theboardexceedsexpectationsbyengaginginanationally

recognizeddevelopmentprogram.Theboardisstableandkeepsallpositionsfilledwithcompetentanddiverseindividualswiththeknowledgeandskillstoprovidedirectiontotheschool.

BoardPlanning

Theboardconsistentlyengagesconsultantsandresearchersandits

ownteamtoengageinsignificantstrategicplanning.

School

Oversight

Theboardreceivesregularreportsfromschoolpersonnelanduses

performancedatatoevaluateschoolleaders.


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FINANCES&OPERATIONS Inadequate Approaching

MeetsExpectations

ExceedsExpectations

Health&Stability

Theschoolisinexcellentfinancialhealthwithstablebudgets.

Reporting&Compliance

EMKSconsistentlyfilesdata,reports,andotherrequirements

accurately,andontime.

General

Operations

EMKStendstorecognizethegapsandinefficienciesinitsoperations

duetohighstandardsofperformanceandastrongdesireforcontinuousimprovement.However,processesforgeneraloperationsareamodelforotherschools.

FundraisingandGrants

DuetotheuniquesituationofEMKSwithintheFoundation,the

schoolexceedsexpectations.However,astheschoolbecomesindependent,itsabilitytoseekotherexternalfundsorgrantsmaybedifficult.However,theremaybepossibilitiesinmobilizingaparentgroupasanexternalentitythatcouldbeassistedtoseekandmanagegrantsandotherfundraisingactivities,particularlyathleticsandotherextracurricularactivities.


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CULTURE&

ENVIRONMENT Inadequate ApproachingMeets

ExpectationsExceeds

Expectations

Leadership

Whileteachersandstaffreportapositiveandsupportive

environment,theambitiousgoals,intenseworkschedule,andotherdemandsresultinachallengingworkenvironmentthatrequiresstrongleaderdevelopmentandconsistentfeedbackamongallstaffandstudents.

Withthecontinuedintensegrowth,itischallengingtofindandgrowleaders.However,thisisahighpriorityareaforEMKSandispartofthestrategicplanningrelatedtopersonnel.Also,missionandculturefitandcontinuedemphasisisvital.

Physical

Environment

Theschoolisawell‐maintained,modelfacilitywithexceptional

security,recreationareas,andspaceforotherstudentactivities.

Culture

Thestaffandteachersurveysraiseafewissuesofstressandmorale.

Asdiscussedabove,inleadership,thisisanongoingchallengeinallschools,urbanschools,inparticular,andespecially,schoolsthatarefocusedonhighachievementandcontinuedexpansion.

Thisarearemainsafocusofschoolplanningeffortsregardingteacherdevelopmentandrecruitment.

Outreach

BecauseEMKSfocusesonseveralgeographicareaswithinthe

KansasCitycommunity,anditisamiddle/highschool,andparentstendtohavelessinvolvementaschildrenage,itisnotpositionedtoalloweasyoutreachwithitsfamiliesandneighborhoods.

However,EMKSmaywishtoseekastrongerandmoreinvolvedparentgroup.TherecouldbesignificantopportunitiestoalsoenhanceadulteducationandpoliticalactivismaroundeducationissuesthatwouldenhanceotherEMKSgoals.


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ACADEMICOUTCOMES Inadequate Approaching Meets

ExpectationsExceeds

Expectations

Assessments

EMKSisperformingexceptionallyonstatetests. EMKSadherestoanintensive,buteffectiveassessmentplanand

effectivelyusesdatatoinformteachingandprofessionaldevelopment.

TeacherQuality&

Effectiveness

EMKShiresthebestteachersitcanfindandworkstodeveloptheir

teachersthroughextensivesupportandprofessionalreview. Findinghighqualitypersonnelisachallenge,buttheschoolcontinues

toimplementnewstrategiestoaddresstheissue.

Curriculum

Asevidencedbyassessmentoutcomes,EMKShasdevelopedits

curriculumtomeettheneedsofitsstudentpopulation.

Special

Populations

TheschoolcontinuestodevelopTitleIandspecialeducation

practicesthataddresstheneedsofitsstudents. Teachingstaffmaybenefitfromadditionalprofessionaldevelopment

inunderstandingbothTitleIandspecialeducationprocessesandprocedures.


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Office of Charter School Operations EwingMarionKauffmanSchoolAnnualReport

Appendix: Survey Results Everyyear,theOCSOperformsasurveyofallboardmembers,teachersandstaff.Othersurveysmaybeperformedasneeded,orrequested.ThisyearaboardsurveywasnotconductedforEMKSduetoitsinvolvementwithBoardonTrackandotherboarddevelopmentactivities.Wewillreconsiderthisnextyear.Asaresult,theappendixcontainsresultsfromtwentysixteachersandfourstaffmembers.Responsesfromallsurveysaretabulatedandallwrittenresponsesareincluded,thoughsomemaybeeditedforidentifyingcomments.Eachsurveyitemwillshowthemedianresponse,therange,andstandarddeviation.Eachreportishighlightedingreentoindicatethemostpositiveandconsistentresponses,andinorangetoshowthelowestandmostvariableresponses.


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EwingMarionKauffmanSchool2015TeacherSurveyResults

Basedonresponsesfrom32teacherswithonetoelevenyearsofteachingexperienceandonetofouryearsteachingatEMKS.PartI:Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsusingthe5‐pointscalebelow:

5 4 3 2 1stronglyagree agree neutral disagree stronglydisagree

Question

Range Mean Standard

Deviation

1. Theschoolenvironmentsupportsstudentlearning. 3‐5 4.1 .6412. Theschoolenvironmentissafeandorderly 3‐5 4.2 .6283. Teachersatthisschoolbelievethatallstudentscanlearn. 4‐5 4.4 .4994. Theschool’sdailyschedulesupportsstudentlearning. 2‐5 3.6 .7595. Teachersatthisschoolhavehighexpectationsforstudent

learning. 4‐5 4.5 .507

6. Teachersatthisschoolhavehighexpectationsforstudentbehavior. 3‐5 4.3 .622

7. Teachersatthisschoolcollaboratetoimprovestudentlearning. 3‐5 4.3 .6348. Teachersutilizeeffectiveinstructionalstrategiesinlesson

deliverytopromotestudentlearning.3‐5 4.1 .564

9. Teachersutilizeassessmentstoevaluatestudentprogressandtoguideinstruction. 2‐5 4.3 .738

10. Theschoolhasaclearlydefined,highqualitycurriculum. 2‐5 3.9 .75111. Goalsandobjectivesareclearlyarticulated 3‐5 4.2 .47112. TheTitleIplaniseffectiveinsupportingstudentneeds. 0‐5 2.8 1.36813. Stafffollowamandatedprocessforidentifyingandsupporting

specialeducationstudents. 1‐4 3.1 1.045

14. Thedeliveryofspecialeducationservicesmeetstudents’needs. 0‐5 3.0 1.19415. On‐goingprofessionaldevelopmentsupportsbestpracticesand

promotesstudentlearning.3‐5 3.8 .628

16. Teachersatthisschoolhavenecessarysupplies(i.e.paper,markers)tosupportlearning 4‐5 4.8 .440

17. Teachersatthisschoolhavenecessaryinstructionalmaterials(i.e.textbooks)tosupportlearning. 2‐5 3.9 1.045

18. Teachersatthisschoolhavethenecessarytechnologytosupportlearning. 2‐5 3.9 .948

19. Studentsareactivelyengagedintheirlearning. 2‐5 3.7 .73820. Policies/proceduresforstudentbehaviormanagementare

consistentlycommunicated. 2‐5 3.5 1.077


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21. Policies/proceduresforstudentbehaviormanagementareconsistentlyimplemented. 1‐5 3.0 1.107

22. Teachersatthisschoolfeelsupportedbyschooladministration. 1‐4 3.0 .80723. Schooladministratorseffectivelycommunicateteacher

expectations. 2‐5 3.5 .690

24. Schooladministratorseffectivelycommunicatestudentexpectations. 2‐5 3.5 .803

25. Teachersatthisschoolreceiveeffectiveadministratorfeedbackandguidanceoninstructionalpractice 2‐5 3.5 .842

26. Theadministrativestaffexhibitshighstandardsofprofessionalbehavior.

2‐5 3.6 1.012

27. Administratorsexhibitstrongleadershipskills. 1‐5 3.3 1.03028. Goodcommunicationexistsbetweenallstakeholders. 2‐5 2.8 1.16429. Allstakeholdersintheschooltreateachotherwithmutual

respect.2‐5 3.6 .801

COMMENTSORGANIZEDBYMAJORTHEMESEMKSisadedicatedteamfocusedonhighachievementandgrowth.

Weworkataschoolwherehardworkisexpectedandvalued.Weworkasateamtodowhatisbestforkidsandfamilies.

Kauffmanhasastrongcultureinwhichallteammembers(staff,students,families)workextremelyhardtoreachandexceedhighexpectationsforstudentsacademicallyandbehaviorally.

Consistencyandstructurearekeycorevalues.Sustainabilityandcommunication(beingheardandvaluedbyallstakeholders)isabigpush.

Strict,overbearingbutsupportiveandcommunicative. Inregardstostaffandadministration,thereisalotofsupport.Teachersandadministration

arealwaysavailabletosupporteachother. Highexpectationsforkidsandteacherspushusalltosucceed.Teachersseektolearnand

improveandeveryoneisfocusedongrowthanddevelopment. Teachersandadministrationhavethebestintentionsandhighexpectationsforstudent

learningandbehavior.Itisalmostalwaysimplementedeffectively. Mostofthetimesupportiveandreallyowningitasateam. The7/8staffculturehasbeenpositiveduetogoodcommunication. EMKSholdsstudentstohighexpectationsandfocusesonconsistencyacrossallclassrooms. Thecultureofourschooldependsonconsistentlyhighexpectations.Whileweareallat

differentstagesofdevelopment,theseexpectationspusheachofustoalwaysgetbetter.Weareatourbestwhenteachersandstudentsfeelasenseoftrustandsupportassociatedwiththeseexpectations.


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Highstandardsleadtoongoingcultureandleadershipchallenges.

Ithinkweworkinanintenseenvironment.Peopleareconstantlyworkingtomakeimprovements.AsaschoolIbelievewearemeetingtheneedsofourstudentsbutneedtofigureouthowtomakethisworksustainable(shorteryear,lesshours,maternityleavepolicies.)

Weallhavegoodintentions,sometimesthewaywegoaboutimplementingthemallisnotassimpleandtransparentaswemakeitouttobeandwantittobe.

ThecultureatEMKSgoesinspurts.Overall,wesupportoneanotheronadailybasis.However,whenfeedbackisgiven,weneedtofindwaystoimplementthefeedbackorchangewhatneedstobechanged!Systemsprobablyneedtoberevisitedaswecontinuetogrow.

Thisfeltlikeayearoftransitions.Withnewleadershiprolesandagrowingschool,studentandstaffculturewerelesspositiveandlessconsistent.Teachersreallysteppeduptosupporteachotherandourstudentsthroughthesechanges.

Thereneedstobemoreexperiencededucatorsinleadership. Certaintimesinexperienceleadstothingsnotworkingasplanned. Therehavebeenseveralinstanceswhereleadershipspeakspoorlyofotherschoolsto

teachersthatareapplyingorworkingtherenextyear.Thisishighlyunprofessionalandtacky.

ThecultureatourschoolcanbecategorizedintothreesubculturesthatI’mapartof:studentculture,adultculture,andstudent‐teacherculture.Ithinkallthreehavehadstrugglesthisyear,specificallyinrespecttodisrespecttowardsteachers,adults,andmistrust/communicationamongadults.

Thereisalackofrespectforoutsideexperienceandknowledge.ThegeneralatmosphereisthattheKauffmanwayisthebestway.Thistendstocreatefrustrationinexperiencedteachers.

Theschoolcultureissuchthatadmin.isoftennottrusted.Teachersoftendonotfeelsupported,overall,thisyeartheculturehasbeennegative.

Ithinktherearetimesalackofclearcommunicationleadstofrustrationfromstaff. Theschoolcultureisheavilybasedonrelationshipscurrently.Ifeellikestudentsstruggle

withpeopletheydon’tyetknow.Teachersloveandtrustoneanother,buttherehasbeenastrongdisconnectbetweenprincipalsandteachers,mostlyincommunication.Iloveourkiddos,butteachersneedmoredevelopmentQ2insteadofQ1/supportonly.Ialsolovemycoach.Trulyhelpedmethisyearbemybestselfandteacher.

Stronginsomeplacesandveryweakinothers.Transparencyisanissueandlackoftrustbetweenadminandcertainstaff.

Forthemostpart,thecultureisstrongandfocusedonkids.Thereareafewteachersdissatisfiedwithadministrationandoftentakethatopinionintoworkrooms,etc.,creatinganegativeculture.


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Cultureisnegativebecausestudentsarenotgivenopportunitiestobechildrenandthereisalackoftrustbetweenteachersandadministration.

Culturehasstruggledthisyearmorethanpreviously.Thereisaloudminorityofindividualsverydissatisfied,whichhasmadeitdifficulttocreateapositive/strongculture.

Wehaveveryhighstandardsandexpectationsforstudentbehavior,howevertheimplementationandexecutionofexpectationsisinconsistent.Whileouradultcultureisgenerallyfriendly,adultsdonotoftengiveeachotheradjustingfeedbackandhavedifficultyinconversations.

Ourschoolisalwaystryingtodowhatisbestforkids.Weeffectivelyinvestkidsinassessmentthroughouttheyear.Adultculturehasbeendecidedlynegativeanditisachallengetohaveinexperiencedleadershipattemptingtocreateandupholdpositiveculture.Overall,ourschoolenvironmentissafeandkidslearnalot,evenifitdoesn’tfeelasperfectandpositive,aswewouldlike.

Studentinvestmentinbehaviorsystemsprovidesaconsistentchallenge.

Overall,theschoolisconsistentbutstudentsarenotgenerallyengagedinorexcitedaboutlearning.

Inregardstoschoolculture,studentsarereallyinvestedindataandgrowthwhichhelpswithlearning.However,studentsarenotveryinvestedinthebehaviorsystems.

Thereneedstobeastrongerfocusonacademicsinregardstoparentcommunication/conferences.Parentsshouldnotbecommunicatedwithsolelyaboutbehavior.

Therearemanybehavioralissuesthatpersistinthe5/6building.


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EwingMarionKauffmanSchool2015StaffSurveyResults

BasedonresponsesfromninestaffmemberswhohavebeenwithEMKSbetweenoneandthreeyearsandhaveonetonineyearsofrelatedexperienceintheareainwhichtheyareemployed.PartI:Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsusingthe5‐pointscalebelow:

5 4 3 2 1stronglyagree agree neutral disagree stronglydisagree

Question

Range Mean

StandardDeviation

1. The school environment supports student learning. 1-3 4.1 1.269 2. The school environment is safe and orderly. 2-5 4.1 1.054 3. Staff at this school believe that all students can learn. 2-5 4.8 .441 4. The school’s daily schedule supports student learning. 4-5 4.4 .726 5. Staff at this school have high expectations for student learning. 3-5 4.6 .527 6. Staff at this school have high expectations for student behavior. 4-5 4.3 .707 7. Staff at this school have necessary supplies (i.e. paper, markers)

to support learning. 4-5 4.7 .500

8. Staff at this school have the necessary technology to support learning.

4-5 4.2 .667

9. Students are actively engaged in their learning. 3-5 4.3 .707 10. Policies/procedures for student behavior management are

consistently communicated. 3-5 3.6 1.424

11. Policies/procedures for student behavior management are consistently implemented.

1-5 3.2 1.302

12. Staff at this school feel supported by school administration. 1-5 3.7 1.414 13. School administrators effectively communicate staff

expectations. 1-5 3.9 1.167

14. School administrators effectively communicate student expectations.

2-5 3.9 1.167

15. Staff at this school receive effective administrator feedback on job performance.

2-5 3.9 1.054

16. The administrative staff exhibits high standards of professional behavior.

2-5 3.8 1.394

17. Administrators exhibit strong leadership skills. 2-5 3.7 1.414 18. Good communication exists between all stakeholders. 2-5 3.7 1.093 19. All stakeholders in the school treat each other with mutual

respect. 2-5 3.7 1.090


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COMMENTSORGANIZEDBYMAJORTHEMESEMKSisadedicatedteamfocusedonhighachievementandgrowth.

Theschoolhasavisionofexcellencethatislivedoutinwhatwedoasadultsandwhatweexpectofourstudents.

Teamisdedicatedandfocusedonstudentsandkeepsourkidsasmainpriority.Leadersareinvestedinteamgrowthandsustainability,andsatisfactionandcollectandimplementfeedbackregularlyasatooltopushteamgrowth.Thereisanappreciationforlateralleadershipwhereallteammatesareviewedasleadersforourstudents.

Focusedonachievementandstudentgrowthandalsogrowingandimprovingasprofessionals.We’realsoalignedanddriven.

Thereistrueclarityandmissionandvision.Allstaffherearecommittedtocreatingcollegegraduates.Attimesthehighlevelofexpectationsmakesculturetenseanddifficult,butweultimatelyrecognizeitisdoneforthekids.

Highstandardsleadtoongoingcultureandleadershipchallenges.

Thepotentialandtalentistherebutstrongleadershipislacking.Alsosustainabilityisanissue(unrealisticworkload,longdays).

Thecultureoftheschoolhasbeenprettynegativethisyear.Theteachersworkextremelyhardandhavesomuchpassionforteaching,howeverwiththelackofexperienceandleadership,theyarenotsupported.Thislackofsupporthascausedaverynegativeculture,notonlywithstudentsbutstaffaswell.

Theschoolenvironmentisveryentrepreneurial.Theexpectationondeadlinesisunreasonable.

Onecommentaboutparentinvolvement.

Ibelievethattheschoolculturewouldgreatlybeimprovedwithmoreparentalinvolvementandparentcommunication.


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