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)
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 PracticesGetting Results!
Quality Teaching Continuous Learning Ethic Quality Leadership 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
Policymakers need to place more emphasis on strategies to close the gap, rather than focusing exclusively on standards-based reform and high stakes testing.
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
Externally designed Summative evaluations
Filed/shelved Done as an afterthought Process-focused Documentation Presentation of results
TO
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 RelationshipsStrategic Alignment of StakeholdersIntensive 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 ActionStudents
On a solid
foundation Teachers
Develop pilot collaboration with community partners
PrincipalsSet a Clear Vision & goals for organization.
Acknowledge that real change will take time
DistrictsCreate open & Supportive environments
Local CommunitiesPre-occupation with The health of schools Tax base
Law/Policy MakersState Level Task Force Business and Industry
Public Education = Healthy Economy
Power- Key Relationships
Principal To
Community
Principal To
Teachers
Principals & TeachersTo
Families
Teachers To
Community
TeachersTo
Students
StudentsTo
Community
Corridor of Orientation
MathMath
EnglishEnglish
ArtArt
Social StudiesSocial Studies
ScienceScience
Vo-TechVo-Tech
The Empty Corridor
MathMath
EnglishEnglish
ArtArt
Social Studies
Social Studies
Science
Science
Vo-TechVo-Tech
The Community
Social, Cultural & Faith Sectors
Employers
Business and Industry
Higher Education
Civic & Political
The Relational Corridor
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 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.
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