Restructuring Sustaining the Change

1. RestructuringSustaining the Change Sam Redding Center on Innovation & Improvement www.centerii.org

2. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill

3. Statewide System of Support While restructuring is primarily the responsibility of the district, focused on a single school, the success of the restructured school will depend upon the strength of the system within which it operates and which ultimately affects each student’s learning.

4. State Education Agency The SEA’s role is to: • Provide information • Set standards (credentialing, learning, etc.) • Distribute resources • Monitor compliance • Assist with district and school improvement • Intervene to correct deficiencies

5. SEA’s Functions, Processes, and Levels of Support

6. Focus of the SEA’s System of Support

7. Points of Influence

8. Metrics to Determine Need The Statewide System of Support needs metrics to: • Assess the status of each level of the system • Analyze the gap between a standard and the status of each level of the system • Align gaps with remedies • Provide services to close gaps • Monitor effectiveness of services • Monitor results of interventions

9. Targeting Support to Needfor each level in the system

10. Other ConsiderationsIn Targeting Support to Need • Resources available to System of Support • Most efficacious delivery mode • Most efficacious partner in System of Support • Likelihood of making impact • Immediacy of impact • Sustainability of impact

11. Sustaining Change in theRestructured School • Depends upon the strength of the entire system • Must be built into the plan • Requires multiple levels of monitoring • Requires leadership with a “systems” orientation • Must engage teachers and parents in structured work • Must anticipate changes in leadership

16. Monitoring Progress: What Data? • Student learning data • Documents aligning standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment • Periodic assessments of student learning • Operational data • Program descriptions, evaluations, schedules • Classroom observations • Proceedings and work products of teams • Personnel evaluations • Perceptions data from surveys of teachers, students, parents

17. Embedding Improvement Processes Sustaining change requires: • A systems view of operations • Teams with clear responsibilities and time to complete work • Procedures, schedules, benchmarks • Regular reporting of student learning data and operational data • Monitoring of progress • Quick response to indications of difficulty • Quick support to build specific capabilities

18. Looking for Alaina

19. This is Alaina

20. Alaina . . . Has brown hair and brown eyes A big brother, big sister, and little brother A dog named Junebug And a kitty named Abby Alaina loves her new doll; she named her Alexis Alaina is in first grade

21. Alaina . . . Is my granddaughter She calls me “Papa Sam”

22. Alaina has a system of her own. Where is Alaina in her system?

23. Looking for Alaina From the Top Down

24. Finding Alaina

25. Metrics for Monitoring Success • In the Restructuring School, what would we look for at each level of Alaina’s system? • What metrics would we apply? • What data would we track? • What matters most?

26. Alaina’s Parents Alaina’s parents’ role is to: • Love her and talk with her every day • Read to her and listen to her read • Teach her to be kind and to behave in school • Aspire for her to succeed • Expect her to do her best • Build her habit of studying at home • Stay in touch with her teacher • Know her friends and their parents

27. Alaina’s Teacher Alaina’s teacher’s role is to: • Know Alaina well and care about her • Know the subjects well and how to teach them • Meticulously plan every detail of every day • Set and reinforce clear expectations for students • Know what Alaina already knows and what she needs to learn • Adapt instruction for Alaina and for each student • Inspire Alaina to love learning and do her best • Stay in touch with Alaina’s parents and support them in their role

28. Alaina’s Teacher’s Team Alaina’s teacher’s team’s role is to: • Add flesh to the bones of the aligned curriculum • Develop and share instructional plans, strategies, and activities • Monitor the progress of their students • Adapt their plans, strategies in response to assessments • Mentor new teachers • Observe each other’s teaching and make suggestions • Contribute to each other’s professional growth

29. Alaina’s Principal Alaina’s principal’s role is to: • See that Alaina has the best teachers possible by: • Hiring good teachers • Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for teachers • Monitoring teachers’ performance • Evaluating teacher’ performance, especially through classroom observations and student achievement • Providing teachers with opportunities for growth aligned with their evaluated performance • Removing inadequate teachers • Monitor student and school progress and make adjustments • Coordinate the work of teams • Manage the “business” of the school’s operation • Set the tone of attitude toward students and their families

30. Alaina’s District’s Support for Her School The role of Alaina’s district’s support to her school is to: • Provide a rich, aligned, articulated curriculum • Provide periodic assessment with timely and meaningful reporting to teachers • Maintain regular two-way communication with Alaina’s principal • Monitor the school’s operations and performance • Provide mentoring and professional development for the principal aligned with the principal’s needs • Provide professional development for teachers aligned with their collective and individual needs

31. Alaina’s District’s Superintendent Alaina’s superintendent’s role is to: • See that Alaina’s school has the best principal possible by: • Hiring good principals • Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for principals • Monitoring principals’ performance • Evaluating principals’ performance, especially through school operations and student achievement • Providing principals with opportunities for growth aligned with their evaluated performance • Removing inadequate principals • Organize and monitor the delivery of district support for Alaina’s school • Serve as channel of informed communication among district constituencies • Manage the “business” of the district

32. Alaina’s District’s Board Alaina’s district board’s role is to: • Establish policies with Alaina in mind • Negotiate contracts with Alaina in mind • Provide the resources necessary for Alaina’s success • Provide the best superintendent possible by: • Hiring a good superintendent • Clearly communicating and reinforcing expectations for the superintendent • Monitoring the superintendent’s performance • Evaluating the superintendent’s performance, especially in district operations and student achievement • Providing the superintendent with opportunities for growth aligned with their evaluated performance • Removing inadequate superintendents

33. Changing and Sustaining • What are the obstacles to change in a school? • Why do positive changes sometimes not sustain themselves? • How do we sustain positive change?