Developing More Effective Teachers Creating More Effective Schools

1. Developing More Effective Teachers Creating More Effective Schools Preparing Students for the 21st Century World Washington State October 22, 2010 Joyce Tapper-Benham

2. Basic Facts • Non-profit organization developed and based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education • Founded in 1999 by HGSE Faculty--David Perkins and Martha Stone Wiske • Served more than 20,000 educators since 2000 • 270+ institutional clients • 100 countries, 6 Continents

3. What Does WIDE World Do? WIDE World builds learning communities of teachers, coaches and school leaders with structured online courses and on-site programs that enable schools to cultivate the critical skills that students need for the 21st century world.

4. States must develop “standards that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test but whether they possess 21st Century skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and creativity.” --President Obama March 2009 speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce A Time for Change

5. What Capacities Do Students Need for the 21st Century World? Problem Solving Creativity Teamwork “Educating for the Unknown” Critical Thinking Innovation Collaboration

6. Teaching for Understanding Generative Topics On-Going Assessment Understanding Goals Performances of Understanding The Teaching for Understanding Framework Generative Topics Build the curriculum around important and accessible topics that interest students Understanding Goals Define explicit goals for student understanding and publicize them Performances of Understanding Offer multiple opportunities for students to perform in ways that develop and demonstrate their understanding On-going Assessment Assess student performance using public criteria tied to learning goals Support reflective, collaborative learning communities of teachers and leaders

7. The TfU Framework Serves as a… • Modelto promote meaningful student understanding; • Structure for designof professional development; • Foundationfor leadership of learning organizations; and • Shared language and coherent visionfor improving communication and collaboration.

8. WIDE World Online Courses Differentiated Instruction MultipleIntelligences Leading for Understanding Data Wise Coach Development (online and face-to-face) Action Research Teaching for Understanding Making Thinking Visible Technology Integration Math, Reading & Writing Focused

9. WIDE World Programs of Study

10. People Learning Through Technology • Instructors design courses, select and supervise Coaches and lead online learning < Instructor St. Louis, MO Coaches> • Coaches support learners, mediate discussions, and provide individualized feedback • Coaches often recruited from among WIDE graduates Washington State Boston,Massachusetts Rochester, New York Bangalore,India < Online Study Group Washington State Birmingham, AL Namibia Singapore Athens,Greece Brockton,MA Hillsborough, FL

11. What Happens in a WIDE World Course? Read about ideas and examples Discuss ideas with team and study group Apply ideas in your classroom/school Discuss that experience and results Share feedback with coach and peers Refine and continue the inquiry = Job-embedded professional development in a professional learning community

12. WIDE World for School Improvement Tailored Program for your District to Ensure Impact and Sustainability Phase 1 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 3 Phase 4 • Needs assessment/ program plan by WIDE World & district leaders • Face to face “kickoff” workshop • Initial group of teachers and leaders enroll in a course(s) • Teachers enroll in second teacher course; leaders enroll in a leadership course • WIDE World nominates Online Coach candidates • Teachers and leaders go through Coach Development process (course and apprenticeship) • District Leadership & WIDE World evaluate progress • The collaboration continues with a new cohort…..

13. Reach and Impact • WIDE World Reach and Impact

14. Key U.S. Clients • Birmingham (AL) City Schools • East St. Louis (IL) School District • Hillsborough County (FL) Public Schools • Kentucky Department of Education (and 70+ districts) • Memphis (TN) City Schools • New York City Public Schools • Orange County (FL) Public Schools • The School District of Philadelphia • Westbrook (ME) Public Schools

15. Evaluating Online Professional Learning Participants’ Reactions 83% course completion rates 92% would recommend the course to a colleague Participants’ Learning 98% say their practice improved EDC independent study showed participants apply theory to practice Teachers’ and Leaders’ Performance teaching with students--focused on understanding distributed leadership promotes learning for adults and students Impact Student Performance: improved interest, understanding of goals, confidence, and test scores School Structure and Culture: shared vision and common language for high quality instruction; from a culture of blame to a culture of shared responsibility

16. Orange County Public Schools, FL • 2007 - Orange County Public Schools in Florida receives five year Teacher Incentive Fund Grant from the U.S. Department of Education • Focus: 10 lowest performing MS and HS • Goal: Student improvement • Results: OCPS reports to U.S. DOE: • 4.9% FCAT increase in Math after Year 1; 8.1% in year 2 • 5.9% FCAT increase in Science after Year 1; 9.3% in year 2 • 16% increase in teacher retention from Year 1 to Year 2 • 86% of teachers see their students more engaged in learning • 93% of Year 2 participants successfully completed their course • 76% of Year 2 course completers receive TIF award

17. State Wide Implementation WIDE World is working with the Kentucky Department of Education to foster systemic, wide scale improvements and realize the state’s goal of: “High Quality Instruction. Every Day. In Every Classroom. For Every Child”

18. Kentucky Department of Education • “It wasn’t just about struggling schools, we were looking for improvement across all grade levels and all content areas. It wasn’t an intervention for a particular group or performance level, it was an intervention strategy for every kid.” • - Debbie Daniels, Director, • Kentucky Cohesive Leadership Systems

19. New York City Public Schools WIDE World is working with a selective group of New York City Public Schools to encourage teachers and leaders to be self-reflective, enrich their understanding of current educational research, and apply this new insight to their daily practice.

20. New York City Public Schools • “I want you to know how important (WIDE World) is to my school and to the kids. It is almost like hitting home runs. It is almost like winning the lottery. I believe right now with the help of Harvard and WIDE World online courses we are hitting home runs … and we are enjoying and loving it!” • - Pat Quigley, Principal, Community School 61

21. Program Summary Mission: To transform school systems by developing communities of teachers and school leaders to cultivate the critical learning students need for the 21st Century WIDE World is: Research Based On-line Job embedded Team based with Coaching Tailored for local impact Global learning

22. For More Information Visit our website:http://wideworld.gse.harvard.eduor call: Patrick Schneiter Client Services Manager 617-496-9965

23. Course Platform

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31. New Session Begins Participants work on and submit the first set of assignments Week 1 Week 2 Participants work on and submit the second set of assignments

32. A Typical Session Includes… Reflection on the Previous Session New Content for the Current Session Assignments Reading and Reflection Project Development Classroom/Practical Applications The Learning Process * Read about ideas and examples * Discuss and reflect on ideas * Develop projects that apply ideas * Apply ideas * Share application experiences and results with and receive feedback from coach and peers * Refine work and continue the inquiry