Archived Information

The information in this presentation is archived for historical and research

purposes only.

Re-energizing Schoolwide Programs

Effective Schools

Particular factors that are present or associated with effective schools are consistent across research and years of study.

Anything less than excellence byall students is notacceptable!

People will ride the fence until they find where the gates are. E.

Tong

“ P e o p l e w i l l r i d e t h e f e n c e u n t i l t h e y f i n d “ P e o p l e w i l l r i d e t h e f e n c e u n t i l t h e y f i n d w h e r e t h e g a t e s a r e . ”w h e r e t h e g a t e s a r e . ”

E . T o n gE . T o n g

Factors Associated with Effective Schools

• Clearly stated goals/objectives• High expectations for all students• Strong leadership with vision and expertise• Emphasis on academics• Systems for monitoring and assessment• Maximized active learning time• Variety of instructional methods/groupings• Safe/orderly school climate• High levels of parental involvement

Ron Edmonds

Reinventing Chapter I Students in high-poverty schools were held

to lower expectations than were students in low-poverty schools. When measured on a common test an “A” student in a high poverty school would be about a “C” student in a low-poverty school.

U.S. Department of Education, 1993

The focus of schoolwidereform efforts is on the

identification of effective, proven, and

research-based practices.

Special Strategies for Educating Disadvantaged Children

U.S. Department of Education

This study reported that:• At-risk children are capable of

achieving to high standards.• Targeting early grades and utilizing

externally developed, whole school restructuring designs can lead to high achievement.

SPECIAL STRATEGIES STUDIES FOR EDUCATING DISADVANTAGED

CHILDREN:

• Where:– Technical assistance and staff development

were continuous and– Targeted to specific issues and problems

• Where:– The curriculum was demanding

Special Strategies for Educating Disadvantaged Children

Student achievement was positive where:

• Faculty and administration considered diverse options and chose a program matched to local needs.

• Principals are central administrators who sustained a focus on full implementation with intelligent local adaptation.

Special Strategies for Educating Disadvantaged Children

• Special strategies can succeed if they are implemented well.

Early Implementation of the Comprehensive School Reform

Demonstration Program

U.S. Department of Education, 2000

States and districts must focus and collaborate on:• Using data for school improvement,• Assessing and aligning reform models,• Cultivating strong and stable leadership, and• Clarify roles of external technical assistance

providers in the school reform process.

School is in SessionPlease Plan Carefully

A reform program by any other name would be as sweet.

• Components of Comprehensive School Reform Program– Comprehensive

design with aligned components

• Components and Elements of a Schoolwide Program– Comprehensive needs

assessment of the entire school.

Components of Comprehensive School Reform Program and Components and

Elements of a Schoolwide Program• Components of Comprehensive

School Reform Program– Effective, research-based

methods and strategies– Professional Development– Parental and community

Involvement– Measurable goals and

benchmarks– External technical support and

assistance– Evaluation strategies– Coordination of resources– Support within the school

• Components and Elements of a Schoolwide Program

– School reform designs are based on effective means of improving achievement using effective instructional strategies, etc.

– Strategies to increase parental involvement such as family literacy

– Professional development to help students meet high standards

– State standards, assessments, and accountability including adequate yearly progress and school profiles

– Support from a State System of Support teams, LEA, and other technical assistance providers

– State standards, assessment, and accountability as required by Title I is used for schoolwide programs

– Schoolwide programs combine almost all Federal education $$$ along with state and local resources

– A schoolwide plan must be developed with the involvement of the community, teachers, principals and other staff.

A reform program by any other name would be as sweet.

• Components and Elements of a Schoolwide Plan

– Instruction by highly qualified staff

– Transition of preschool children to school

– Measures to include teachers in decisions regarding assessment

– Activities to ensure students not mastering state standards receive additional assistance

A required component of a schoolwide program is to provide

“activities to ensure hat students who experience difficulty mastering state standards shall be provided with timely, effective additional

assistance.”Title I, Part A, 1114(b)(1)(H)

A reform program by any other name would be as sweet.

• Title I Program

• Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Project

• Reading Excellence Program

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

Accountability

Title I requires states to develop standards and assessments that will challenge students served by Title I to perform to higher levels. Research suggests that high standards, when coupled with valid and reliable assessment and aligned support, can exert a powerful influence over what children are taught and how much they learn.

Accountability

The inclusion of all children in appropriate assessments is intended to hold school systems accountable for all children, whether or not they have limited-English-proficiency or disabilities.

Accountability

State Education Agencies are required to identify schools in need of improvement and take corrective actions for continuously low performing schools and districts whose students fail to make adequate progress toward meeting challenging State standards.

Wake Up Call

• “We can whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schoolingis of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.”

Ron Edmonds