Incentives / Capacity / Incentives / Capacity / OpportunityOpportunity

Statewide Systems of Statewide Systems of SupportSupportAnd School TurnaroundsAnd School Turnarounds

Definition of Statewide System of Support

An effective statewide system of support offers incentives, builds capacity, and provides opportunity for the people in districts and schools so that they might continuously improve the performance of their coordinated roles toward the end of all students meeting or exceeding learning standards.

The Big Picture1. ESEA defines statewide systems of support, but we

propose that definition should be the floor not the ceiling of state’s role in improving schools.

2. State boards, legislatures, and governors can create incentives and opportunities.

3. State departments of education are primarily charged with building systemic and local capacity, but they can also create incentives and opportunities.

4. Besides technical capacity, a key role for SEA should be to establish “reform press;” a strong sense of urgency that change must occur.

The Big Picture5. Strategic approach may require state-level policy changes and

advocacy and a reconsideration of the “givens” (e.g., state laws and policies, and distribution of human capital).

6. Efforts to improve schools should be driven by school and district needs (diagnosis of operations and performance) rather than expediency given existing structures/systems.

7. Critical goal is to implement systems that move beyond existing SEA/LEA improvement efforts and serve as a catalyst for meaningful change that alters the educational opportunities for children in low-performing schools.

8. Strengthening the SSOS requires full description and assessment of current system and careful planning for change.

ESEA and Statewide Systems of Support

ESEA and Statewide Systems of Support

ESEA requires that SEAs provide technical assistance to schools identified as in need of improvement

1. Reserve and allocate Title 1, Part A funds (4% in 2007) for school improvement activities

2. Create and sustain a statewide system of support that provides technical assistance to schools (LEA and School Improvement: Non-Regulatory Guidance, Revised 7/21/06)

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ESEA and Support Priorities

Technical Assistance Priorities (i.e., triage approach)

1. LEAs in corrective action and schools for which LEA has not fulfilled responsibilities related to corrective action

2. LEAs identified as in need of improvement3. Title I LEAs and schools that need support and

assistance

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ESEA-Prescribed Components of SSOS– Create school support teams: Teams work in schools

throughout the state and SEA must provide adequate support for teams to be effective

– Designate and engage distinguished teachers and principals: Select successful professionals from existing Title I schools that have a track record of success

– Develop additional TA approaches: Draw on external resources (e.g., colleges/universities, education service agencies, private providers of proven TA, and USDOE funded comprehensive centers and regional education laboratories) to assist districts

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The System of Support and the State Education Agency

The Statewide System of Support

• Operates within the functions of the SEA

• Includes partners outside the SEA

• Supports the improvement of the functions of the district and school

A Big Change for the State

“This transition in the state role from oversight to capacity

building requires states to redesign existing support

systems or create new ways to ensure that districts and

schools have the resources needed to bring all students to

proficiency” (CCSSO Policy Brief 9-06).

Compliance Model

District

Funding Streams

Rules and Regulations

Compliance Monitoring

State

School

Teacher

Student

Support Model

District

State

School

Teacher

Student ParentsCommunity

Functions of the SEA

1. provide information2. set standards3. distribute resources4. monitor compliance5. assist with improvement6. intervene to correct deficiencies

SEA Function Process Safe Zone Caution Zone Danger Zone District School District School District School Information Notification Expectation Announcement Enrichment Standards Certification Programming Assessment Resource Distribution Prioritization Conditioning Allocation Compliance Assurance Documentation Confirmation Improvement Status Assessment Gap Analysis Planning Organizational

Development

Training / Prof. Development

Intervention Remediation Corrective Action Restructuring

SEA Functions, Processes, and SupportsShaded Areas Represent Statewide System of Support

Degree of Shading Symbolizes Intensity and Duration of Support

The Framework

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The SSOS Framework

• Incentives• Capacity• Opportunity

• And Evaluate the Process and Results

Providing Incentives for Change• Public disclosure: standards, accountability

and information about results• Negative incentives: consequences of low

school performance• Positive incentives: contingent funding,

reward, autonomy, and recognition• Market-oriented incentives: changing the

“market” structure of public schooling

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Building Capacity for ChangeBuilding Capacity at Two Levels

• Systemic Capacity (the State system of education)Create and disseminate knowledgeEnhance supply of personnel equipped for

improvementProvide strong data system to support improvement

• Local Capacity (the district and school)Coordinate SSOS services, components, personnelDifferentiate support to districts and schoolsDeliver services to districts and schools (provide and

allocate resources for support)

Providing Opportunity for ChangeThe State provides opportunity for improvement by –1. Removing barriers to innovation and improvement

Waivers Exemptions Alternate routes to certification

2. Creating new space for schools to innovate Charter schools Pilot schools, lighthouse schools, demonstrations Schools within a School

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Evaluation

• Goals, objectives, benchmarks• Monitor and report progress• Evaluate and improve the system

Theory of Action

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Interplay of the Framework Components

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How?1. Provide Incentives2. Build Capacity3. Provide Opportunity

Differentiate Coordinated Services to Meet Assessed Needs

Assess – Plan – Implement – Monitor1. Leadership and Decision Making2. Curriculum and Instruction3. Human Capital (Personnel)4. Student Support

People

Functions

District and School Functions

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Assignment

Millard Fillmore SchoolScores on State Assessment

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Year 1 Year 7 Year 9Year 4 Year 12

What happened about Year 7?

List 3 actions that most contributed to Millard Fillmore’s improvement.

Change of principals doesn’t count.

Leadership and Decision Making1. Allocation of resources to address learning goals2. Decision-making structures and processes3. Information and data systemsCurriculum and Instruction1. Alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to standards2. Curriculum - content3. Formative and periodic assessment of student learning4. Instructional delivery (teaching and classroom management)5. Instructional planning by teachers6. Instructional time and schedulingHuman Capital (Personnel)1. Personnel Policies and Procedures (hiring, placing, evaluating, promoting, retaining, re-assigning, replacing)2. Professional development processes and procedures3. Performance Incentives for PersonnelStudent Support1. Programs and services for English Language Learners2. Extended learning time (supplemental educational services, after-school programs, summer school, for example)3. Parental involvement, communication, and options4. Special education programs and procedures5. Student support services (tutoring, counseling, placement, for example)

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Actions That ChangedIn functions of district or school

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Building Local CapacityAssess (Diagnose)-Plan-Implement-Monitor

Point of Impact = Functional Components (Systems) of School Leadership and Decision Making1. Allocation of resources to address learning goals2. Decision-making structures and processes3. Information and data systemsCurriculum and Instruction1. Alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to standards2. Curriculum - content3. Formative and periodic assessment of student learning4. Instructional delivery (teaching and classroom management)5. Instructional planning by teachers6. Instructional time and schedulingHuman Capital (Personnel)1. Personnel Policies and Procedures (hiring, placing, evaluating, promoting, retaining, re-assigning, replacing)2. Professional development processes and procedures3. Performance Incentives for PersonnelStudent Support1. Programs and services for English Language Learners2. Extended learning time (supplemental educational services, after-school programs, summer school, for example)3. Parental involvement, communication, and options4. Special education programs and procedures5. Student support services (tutoring, counseling, placement, for example)

Indicators of Effective Practice

• Guideposts for effective practice• Plain language, behavioral indicators• Aligned with research base• Drivers of planning and improvement

• Necessary in a Culture of Candor

Strengthening the Statewide System of SupportTechnical Assistance from CII and RCCs

1. Improving a system must include an analysis of the system as a whole, its subsystems, their parts, and the way in which all function in an efficient and coordinated fashion to achieve the system’s goals.

2. Analyzing and improving a system begins with an appraisal of the system as it currently exists, but must also include a consideration of what it could be.

Strengthening the Statewide System of Support

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State Case Studies by CII• Alabama• Kentucky• Ohio• Pennsylvania• Tennessee• Washington

Self-Assessment Facilitated by Regional Comprehensive Center• Alaska (Alaska CC)• Arkansas (MC3)• Delaware (MACC)• Idaho (Northwest CC)• Illinois (Great Lakes West)• Mississippi (Southeast CC)• New Hampshire (New England CC)• North Dakota (North Central CC)• South Dakota (North Central CC)

Beginning in Fall of 2009• Arizona (Southwest CC)• Nebraska (North Central CC)

CII-RCC Intensive Consultation• Michigan (Great Lakes East)• Missouri (MC3)• Puerto Rico (FLICC)• New York (New York CC)• PREL CC in Pacific Region

School Turnarounds

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Restructuring

• Business Concept – in business turnarounds and bankruptcy

• NCLB Restructuring (change in governance)1. State Take-Over2. Turnaround – usually change in leadership and

other changeFresh Starts3. Reopen as Charter School4. Contract to an Education Management

Organization (EMO)5. Other (96%)

Turnaround – Evolving Definition

• President Obama – Turnaround 5,000 schools• 1,000 a year for 5 years• 5% of all schools

• Secretary Duncan – 4 Ways to Turn Schools Around1.Kids Stay, Adults Go2.Replace staff and leadership and reopen as Charter

School or contract to EMO3.Keep most staff, dramatically change culture4.Close the school—send students to better schools

Secretary Duncan on Principals

“America needs to find 5000 high-energy, hero principals to take over these struggling schools – and they will need a quarter of a million great teachers who are willing to do the toughest work in public education. We will find them in the union ranks and the charter community, the business world and the non-profit sectors. We won't find them overnight. I don't expect a thousand to show up next fall. We can start with one or two hundred in the fall of 2010 and steadily build until we are doing 1000 per year.”

Secretary Duncan on Option 3

Replace some staff and dramatically change cultureEspecially for rural schoolsWhat changes?• Establish a rigorous performance evaluation system along

with more support, training and mentoring. • Change and strengthen the curriculum and instructional

program. • Increase learning time for kids during afternoons,

weekends, and in the summer -- and provide more time for teachers to collaborate, plan and strategize.

• Principals and leadership teams must be given more flexibility around budgeting, staffing and calendar.

Questions1. Have some low-performing schools turned

around?2. Do we understand why they turned around?3. Can the turnaround variables be reduced to a

set of practical steps?4. Can we apply this set of practical steps to

intentionally turn a school around?5. Which schools, under what conditions?

Terminology

• Effective School• Beat-the-Odds School• Reconstitution• Restructuring• Turnaround• Fresh Start• Continuous Improvement Trajectory• Rapid Improvement Trajectory

The IES Turnaround Report

• Institute of Education Sciences• Released in May 2008• Panel and staff worked for almost a year prior• Goal: formulate specific and coherent

evidence-based recommendations for use by educators aiming to quickly and dramatically improve student achievement in low-performing schools.

IES Definition of Turnaround• School began as chronically poor performers—with a high

proportion of their students failing to meet state standards of proficiency in mathematics or reading over two or more consecutive years.

• School showed substantial gains in student achievement in a short time (no more than three years). Examples: – reducing by at least 10 percentage points the proportion of

students failing to meet state standards for proficiency in mathematics or reading

– showing similarly large improvements in other measures of academic performance (such as lowering the dropout rate by 10 percentage points or more), or improving overall performance on standardized mathematics or reading tests by an average of 10 percentage points (or about 0.25 standard deviations).

4 Recommendations

1. Signal the need for dramatic change with strong leadership.

2. Maintain a consistent focus on improving instruction.

3. Make visible improvements early in the school turnaround process (quick wins).

4. Build a committed staff.

Turnaround: Evidence and Actionsfrom CII Evidence Review

Cross-Sector Evidence– Environmental Context

• Timetable—Planning, Implementing, Sustaining• Freedom to Act• Support and Aligned Systems• Performance Monitoring• Community Engagement

– Turnaround Leadership• Leader Actions• Leader Capabilities

Leader Actions: Initial Analysis and Problem Solving

• Collect & Analyze Data• Make Action Plan Based on Data

Leader Actions:Driving for Results

• Concentrate on Big, Fast Payoffs in Year One• Implement Practices Even if Require Deviation• Require All Staff to Change• Make Necessary Staff Replacements• Focus on Successful Tactics; Halt Others• Do Not Tout Progress as Ultimate Success

Leader Actions:Influencing Inside and Outside the

Organization• Communicate a Positive Vision• Help Staff Personally Feel Problems• Gain Support of Key Influencers• Silence Critics with Speedy Success

Leader Actions:Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)

• Measure and Report Progress Frequently• Require all Decision Makers to Share Data and

Problem Solve

Turnaround, Terminate, or Reinvent?

• Turnaround vs. Fresh Start• Closing schools – to reopen, or forever?• Toxic communities• Reinvent schooling?• What would it look like?

Questions• Do you know of schools that have turned

around?• Do you know why they turned around?• Could you apply these same practices to turn

around another school?• When is a school a candidate for turnaround?• If you doubt a turnaround will succeed, then

what?• What harm results from failed turnaround

attempts?

Additional Resources

Center on Innovation & Improvement

www.centerii.org

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