Kristen Campbell Wilcox Janet Ives Angelis Know Your Schools~for NY Kids School of Education

1. Lessons from Higher Performing Middle Schools: Putting Research Findings into School Improvement Practice National Middle School AssociationAnnual Conference Baltimore November 4, 2010 Kristen Campbell Wilcox Janet Ives Angelis Know Your Schools~for NY Kids School of Education University at Albany

2. Session Objectives • To understand the best practice research findings-- where they came from and how the research was conducted • To reflect on a school you care about and how practices there compare with schools in our study • To know where to get other free resources to inform continuous school improvement efforts in the future

3. Agenda • Overview of research method and key findings • Examples of each finding followed by use of reflection tool • Discussion and sharing of results of reflections in small groups • Overview of on-line resources for your future use

4. http://knowyourschools.org/site/index.php http://www.albany.edu/aire/kids/

5. Background Relies on achievement data (NY state assessments) over time • Elementary schools • Middle schools • High schools • Middle school science • Critical Needs (ELL, Spec. Ed. , Diversity) (2011)

6. Study Sample • 10 consistently higher performing schools with 6 similar but consistently average performing schools, based on 3 years of state assessment data (Grade 8 Math & ELA) • Favor poverty (F/RL) • Urban, rural, suburban • Open admissions • State average per pupil expenditures

7. The data Methodology • 2-day site visits • Semi-structured interview protocols with teachers and administrators • Documentary evidence collection • Analyzed and wrote case studies for each site • Cross-case analysis to develop best practice framework and reports

8. 10 Higher Performers

9. The Schools Urban “High” Needs Schools, Limited Resources • Westbury - Westbury UFSD • Port Chester - Port Chester-Rye UFSD • John F Kennedy -Utica CSD • West - Binghamton CSD • Niagara - Niagara Falls CSD Urban “Average” Needs Schools • J.T. Finley -Huntington UFSD • A. Leonard - CSD of New Rochelle Rural “Average” Needs Schools • Holland - Holland CSD • Vernon-Verona-Sherrill - Sherrill CSD Suburban • Queensbury - Queensbury UFSD For a case study of each school: http://www.albany.edu/aire/kids/cases.html

10. 5 Key Elements

11. Trusting and respectful relationships • Emotional/Social well-being • Collaboration • Evidence-based decision making • Shared vision of mission and goals Higher-Performing Middle Schools

12. 1. Trusting and respectful relationships • Emotional/Social well-being • Collaboration • Evidence-based decision making • Shared vision of mission and goals Higher-Performing Middle Schools

13. Relationships: What does your school look like?

14. Findings Relationships Lay the Foundation Trust and respect make possible… security and well-being for students and faculty; constant collaboration; honest evaluation of results and willingness to make adjustments; development and enactment of a shared vision

15. Respect • Respect for and from all • Clear expectations of students • Shared responsibility I feel totally comfortable to talk about concerns with the principal. When the principal comes into my classroom – we have strong support and trust. We can’t do it alone. . . . Parents are involved here.

16. Trust The single most important thing . . . is to build trust with your faculty. • Deliberate • “Family” • Provides safety to disagree, to share challenges, even failures

17. AP HP Trust • Working on safety and security • Less sense of shared ownership for performance • “I” > “we” • Able to focus on instruction, not discipline • Clear sense of shared responsibility for performance • “We” > “I” • Community building deliberate • Free from fear of blame; can openly admit failures or weaknesses

18. Relationships: A Case in Point 2006 Grade 8 ELA K. Nickson, 2007, Queensbury MS: Best Practices Case Study

19. Case in Point: Queensbury MS Relationships Total Enrollment: 945, gr. 6-8 QMS state

20. Relationships Not playing politics as usual I’m not a politician. Queensbury Superintendent

21. Relationships Focus on student learning and performance We’re never done; we have to go up the next step of the ladder. Queensbury Superintendent

22. Relationships Enact a culture of self-improvement We can say, ‘What’s a better way to do this?’ and not be penalized. Taking risks is okay. It is okay to talk about weaknesses, to put them out there, to make self-improvements. Queensbury Teacher

23. Relationships Be approachable and trustworthy I believe that the principal’s leadership has been a driving force in why that school is doing so well. Queensbury Assistant Superintendent

24. Relationships: What does your school look like?

25. 1. Trusting and respectful relationships • Emotional/Social well-being • Collaboration • Evidence-based decision making • Shared vision of mission and goals Higher-Performing Middle Schools

26. Emotional/Social: What does your school look like?

27. Emotional & Social Well-Being • Its lack interferes with learning • Connect with every student: teaming, looping, “guide rooms,” activities, social services; special attention for those at risk • Transitions: ES – MS; MS – HS • Safety, security, diversity We use social emotional learning to focus on what’s common among us and not on what is different.

28. AP HP Emotional/Social • Less consistent communication and “enforcement” of expectations • Less consistently part of shared vision • Respond to problems • Fewer ways to draw students into community • Clear expectations – for respect, responsibility, how to work -- consistently articulated and upheld • Part of shared vision • Prevent problems • Ensure a connection for every student and provide multiple ways to draw students into community

29. Emotional/Social Case in Point: Vernon-Verona-Sherrill MS Total Enrollment: 387, gr. 7-8 V-V-S state

30. Emotional/Social Well-Being: A Case in Point Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (V-V-S) Middle School Staff Learning is social before it’s cognitive. V-V-S Superintendent, Principal, Teachers

31. One of the nice things about this place is that it focuses strongly on the fact that kids have an outside life, which they cannot leave behind when they come to school. V-V-S social worker J. Marino, 2007, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill MS: Best Practices Case Study From www.vvscentralschools.org

32. “Family” Develop a culture, because learning is social before it’s cognitive. Develop that culture within your staff; develop a family atmosphere. Families fight, argue, battle, but they take care of family business inside – support each other. Make sure you hire people that fit your culture. It’s imperative. V-V-S MS Principal Be a person first, principal second. Sign on the Principal’s bulletin board

33. Emotional/Social: What does your school look like?

34. 1. Trusting and respectful relationships • Emotional/Social well-being • Collaboration • Evidence-based decision making • Shared vision of mission and goals Higher-Performing Middle Schools

35. Collaboration: What does your school look like?

36. Collaborative Conversations • Purpose: student learning & achievement - collectively, individually • Consistent, expected, frequent • Scheduled and unscheduled • Teams, committees - within and across grades and subjects - within, across, outside of school We communicate from one grade to the next. We respect teachers in the grades below. V-V-S Teacher

37. AP HP Collaboration • Catch as catch can • Expectation not articulated or clear • Intermittent discussions • Less decision making • Each teacher responsible for own subject area • Teachers left to own devices • Teachers handed a curriculum • New teachers “wait their turn” • Scheduled time • Expected • Ongoing discussion of C,I, A, and student performance • Decision-making ability • Teachers reinforce skills across subjects • Coaching, PD, support provided • Teachers build living curriculum • New teachers expected to play active role

38. Collaboration Case in Point: Port Chester Middle School Total Enrollment: 790, gr. 6-8 PC MS state

39. Collaboration: A Case in Point Port Chester Middle School Classroom Every teacher is a teacher of literacy. Port Chester Principal

40. You need to work as a team; there’s nothing a teacher can accomplish alone. Teacher We are all ELA teachers. Teachers Grade 8 ELA results, 2006 J. Marino, 2007, Port Chester MS: Best Practices Case Study

41. Sample Team Schedule, Port Chester MS

42. Rebuilding the Wheel You have to have staff involved in decision making. We have 8 or 9 new teachers coming in next year. We need to go back and rebuild the wheel to keep the wave going. . . . We need to constantly overhaul and do tune-ups. Port Chester MS Assistant Principal

43. Collaboration: What does your school look like?

44. 1. Trusting and respectful relationships • Emotional/Social well-being • Collaboration • Evidence-based decision making • Shared vision of mission and goals Higher-Performing Middle Schools

45. Evidence: What does your school look like?

46. Evidence-Based Decision Making • Multiple sources - student performance data - teachers’, administrators’ anecdotal accounts - students, parents, and community input We invite students back after a semester or two at college and ask what was most helpful . . . [and not] so helpful. V-V-S Superintendent

47. Evidence-Based Decision Making • Focus beyond the state assessments: standards and success in high school • Data collected, analyzed, and acted upon consistently

48. AP HP Evidence • Intermittent use • Focus on state assessment data • Benchmarks, if used, only 1ce or 2ce/year, only in ELA • Diagnostic tests given only to students in need of services • Less frequent sharing of data and less nuanced analysis of data • Central to day-to-day activity • State assessment data part of a larger data portfolio • Frequent use of benchmarks in all core subjects • Diagnostic tests in ELA and math for all to target resources where needed • Use expertise and technology to identify patterns of performance

49. Evidence-Based Decision Making:A Case in Point West Middle School

50. Case in Point:West Middle School Evidence-Based Total Enrollment: 790, gr. 6-8 West state