Capstone Presentati on

D. Lanahan & J. Weyburn

Apri l 2012

ED’S REPORT CARDA FRAMEWORK FOR DISTRICT PERFORMANCE

BIRMINGHAM EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Birmingham Educati on Foundati on asked us to create a report card for Birmingham City Schools.

This project will provide leaders in Birmingham’s schools and in the community with rich informati on to help them bett er understand the current state of K-12 public educati on in the city.

    

PROJECT GOAL

Accountability as a tool for school improvement

“Everywhere you turn--from Congress to the statehouse to local communiti es and parent groups—some people are trying to make other people more accountable for something in educati on.” (O’Day, 2002)

Community report cards as a tool for stakeholder buy-in

Re-emergence of focus on district role in school improvement

Post-NCLB opportuniti es to expand indicators of performance

CONTEXT: NATION

Largest city in Alabama, Jefferson county seat City populati on: 212,237 Greater metropolitan area, 1,212,848 – ¼ of AL’s populati on

City Demographics Historical Context

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts; City of Birmingham website

CONTEXT: BIRMINGHAM

CITY DEMOGRAPHICS

Poverty Status in the last 12 months

Birmingham Alabama US

26.40%

17.10%

13.80%

Median Household Income

Birmingham Alabama US

31,827

42,081

51,914

Geographic Mobility

(% of children 18 and under who have moved)

 

Birmingham Alabama US

25.30%

15.50% 14.00%

Unemployment

(% 18 and older unemployed)

 

Birmingham Alabama US

12.90%

8.70%7.90%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey

CITY AND DISTRICT POPULATIONS

Birmingham City Population, by Race

 

BCS Student Population, by Race

White21%

Black/African-

American74%

Asian1%

Hispanic/Latino4%

White1%

Black95%

Hispanic/Latino4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey, BCS

Students: 2514688% qual i fy for Free/Reduced Pr ice Lunch

Schools: 5125 e lementary11 middle schools7 K-8 schools8 h igh schools1 a l ternati ve school

Teachers: 171161% Master ’s Degree or Higher93% Highly Qual ifi ed or Exempt125 Nati onal Board Certi fi ed Teachers

$280 mil l ion annual budget

CONTEXT: BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS (BCS)

Student Enrollment and Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/reduced Lunch, 2006-2011

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

24000

25000

26000

27000

28000

29000

30000

70

75

80

85

90

95

Enrollment FRPL%

Source: BCS

PROJECT QUESTIONS

1) FOR WHAT PURPOSES AND AUDIENCES HAVE EDUCATIONAL REPORT CARDS BEEN CREATED?

2) WHAT MODEL OF REPORT CARD WILL BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR BEF AND BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS?

3) WHAT DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES WILL MOST CLEARLY INDICATE THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT?

4) WHAT INPUTS AND PROCESSES INFLUENCE THESE OUTPUTS?

5) WHAT BEST PRACTICES IN DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT COULD BE SUGGESTED FOR BIRMINGHAM?

Questi on 1

FOR WHAT PURPOSES AND AUDIENCES HAVE EDUCATIONAL REPORT CARDS

BEEN CREATED?

Matrix Categories

Produced By Intended Audience/Purpose/Scope Format Key Themes Data/Indicators Included Pros/Cons

REPORT CARD ANALYSIS

Nashville’s 18 th Annual Educational Report Card (2011)Boston’s Educational Pipeline: A Report Card (2008)Alabama State Department of Education, System Profi le

ReportNew York State District Report CardsOhio State District Report Cards Jeff erson County, KY Public Schools Annual Progress

Report 2010San Diego, CA, County Report Card on Children and

FamiliesFixing the Milwaukee Public Schools: The Limits of

Parent-Driven ReformPrograma de Promocion de la Reforma Educative de

America Latina y el Caribe

REPORT CARDS ANALYZED

Question 2

WHAT MODEL OF REPORT CARD WILL BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR

BIRMINGHAM?

Choosing indicators to include

Deciding how best to

present indicators

visually

Borrowing on ideas

from other report cards

Negotiating with

clients/Working with

design team

CREATING THE REPORT CARD

What is the best way to show the story of Birmingham City Schools?

Questi on 3

WHICH DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES WILL MOST CLEARLY INDICATE THE STATE OF

THE DISTRICT?

OUTCOME MEASURES

•Standardized test scores (AYP)•Graduation/dropout rates•In-school student data

Achievement Indicators

•AP scores/participation•ACT scores/participation•Post-secondary matriculation/persistence

Post-Secondary Readiness and

Access

•Workforce readiness/entrance•Civic engagement

Impact Indicators

Questi on 4WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THESE

OUTCOMES?

FRAMEWORK

Inputs Processes Outcomes

Inputs

Student Demographics

Community Demographics

Resources

Consultati on with clientCollecti on of descripti ve measuresQualitati ve analysis

Interviewee selecti on (maximum variati on sampling) Development of interview protocols (standardized, open-ended

questi ons, based on Framework processes) Field Notes Document review Coding data, fi nding patt erns, labeling themes (Patt on, 2002)

Limitati ons to consider

METHODS FOR DATA COLLECTION

QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS

Individual Interviews

• District Administration (Central Office, Board)

• School Administration

• Community Leaders

Focus Groups

• Teachers• Parents

48 Total

FINDINGS

FINDINGS: DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES

Data show a district with significant challenges to

overcome, given student and community demographics

BCS is a poorly performing district, lagging behind the

state on all measures

BCS does not collect several important measures

MORE FINDINGS: DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES

District is not meeting AYP largely because of special education

subgroup

Some improvement in math achievement scores

High school faces additional challenges, not only special education, but also reading

More students are taking AP and ACT exams, but scores remain very low

QUALITATIVE THEMES

Looking back and moving forward

“The Birmingham Bubble”

“It’s a different world….”

Current Conditions and Persistent Obstacles

QUALITATIVE THEMES

The page is turning It’s gotta be the leadership

Retooling teachers You are not in it alone

The home-school connection

Moving the District Forward

BIRMINGHAM VOICES

“The Freedom March generation is literally dying away—just like Fred Shuttlesworth. They’ve lost power…that whole history is dying, and that is very difficult for the ones that were there and are now watching those strong leaders die. But simultaneously, it is opening a huge opportunity for the next generation to step up and say, ‘We’re going to honor Fred Shuttlesworth, we’re going to honor Martin Luther King, we’re going to honor everything that you folks stood for, and we’re going to use all the positive things to move it forward.”Looking Back and

Moving Forward

“The airport that is in Atlanta, they wanted to build in Birmingham. Folks said no…because they didn’t want things to change. That’s our history.”

BIRMINGHAM VOICES

“The ‘Birmingham bubble’ gets formed around the school system. They run the school system. They don’t want a lot of outside help. Most of the ideas have to come internally. It makes it very difficult for outside stakeholders to be involved, or to want to be involved in the decision-making process. Corporate leaders around the city have tried, hard, unsuccessfully, to help, to be a part, to help that along. There is a general reluctance to be open to that support….”“The Birmingham

Bubble”

“People say, ‘This is Birmingham…we’re different. It’s like we have to create our own wheel.’”

BIRMINGHAM VOICES

“It’s a different world….”

“[Students in an urban district] are dealing with different life situations than they’re dealing with in Homewood, Vestavia, and Mountain Brook. It’s a different world, and you have to treat those kids differently.”

“The truth of the matter is, if you live in Birmingham, you’re going to send your kids to a private school.”

BIRMINGHAM VOICES

•“Our city is going to die, our city will be dead, if the Birmingham Board of Education does not stabilize what we have.”

Strategic Leadership and

Governance

•“The administration misses out on a lot of important knowledge and information that they can get from the teachers. They just throw things at us. If they would empower the teachers to help with the programs, to implement the programs, we could get a lot done.”

Quality Instruction

•“It takes a lot of work to be a welcoming school for parents who might not have had the greatest experience in schools themselves.“

Community Engagement

Questi on 5WHAT BEST PRACTICES IN DISTRICT

IMPROVEMENT COULD BE SUGGESTED FOR BIRMINGHAM?

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BCS

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Expand data collection to include other measures of quality/success

Quality Instruction

• Develop coherent instructional program, especially for AP

Professional Development and Capacity

• Evaluate impact of current professional development initiatives

Culture and Climate• Implement school climate surveys for students, parents, and teachers• Consider use of on-track data and early warning indicators to identify struggling students and

personalize supportsCommunity Engagement

• Improve communication and collaboration with teachers

Ed’s Report Card

Identi fy specifi c measures and benchmarks of success for BEF strands Determine measureable goals for

successful parent engagement

Conti nue and expand conversati ons about most important indicators to include in Ed’s Report Card

Assist the distr ict with data col lecti on and program evaluati on to determine progress

The Foundation’s Role

Conti nue to clar ify BEF’s role in relati on to BCS

Consider “Reform Support Organizati on” strategies ( C o h e n , 2 0 0 0 )

Champions of reform -- sharpening vision and focusing eff orts

Educators -- providing training and assistance

Program developers -- investi gati ng new ideas

Management coaches – assisti ng implementati on challenges

Politi cal advocates -- pressuring systems to be more hospitable to reform

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEF

CONCLUDING THOUGHTSTo what extent will this report card be utilized for district improvement?

Short-Term

Question

What are the most effective levers for district improvement?

Long-Term

Question

QUESTIONS?