Statewide Systems of Support: Tools and Resources

1. Statewide Systems of Support: Tools and Resources Lauren Morando Rhim Public Impact For Center on Innovation and Improvement

2. Session Overview • Introduce Statewide Systems of Support • Key Element 1: Center on Innovation and Improvement Tools and Resources • Key Element 2: School Restructuring Under No Child Left Behind-What Works When? A Guide for Educational Leaders Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

3. Statewide Systems of Support • NCLB dictates that SEAs are required to provide technical assistance to schools identified as in need of improvement • Reserve and allocate Title 1, Part A funds (4% in 2007) for school improvement activities • Create and sustain a statewide system of support that provides technical assistance to schools (Source: LEA and School Improvement: Non-Regulatory Guidance, Revised 7/21/06) Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

4. Statewide Systems of Support • Establishing Statewide System of Support • 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 Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

5. Statewide Systems of Support • Research in 16 states found: • Systems of Support vary notably depending on state capacity, district need, and state models for support • Examples of systems: • Multi-level approaches that provide strategic support based on district need • Regional networks of support • Individualized support for districts • School-level focused systems • Due in part to practical reality that few schools or districts have reached corrective action stage, most states have developed systems that focus on school improvement rather than corrective action Source: AIR for the California Comprehensive Center, July 2006 Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

6. Statewide Systems of Support • Most Common Types of Support and Technical Assistance • Needs assessment and planning • Data analysis • Capacity building • Resource allocation • Progress monitoring • Some states “frontload” assistance in an effort to pre-empt need for improvement by providing TA to all districts Source: AIR for the California Comprehensive Center • Critical goal is to implement systems that move beyond existing SEA/LEA improvement efforts and serve as a catalyst for change • Efforts should foster improved instruction, use of data, test practice, and supplemental tutoring Source: Center for Educational Policy, 2006 Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

7. Statewide Systems of Support • Statute requires SEAs to prioritize support and first priority is school support teams: • Definition:A school support team is a group of skillful and experienced individuals that provides struggling schools with “practical, applicable, and helpful assistance in order to increase the opportunity for all students to meet the State’s academic content and student academic achievement standards.” • Teams should be knowledgeable about a variety of reform initiatives • Examples of support team members are:highly qualified principals and teachers, pupil services personnel, parents, college/university personnel, education lab personnel, outside consultants, and others selected by SEAs or LEAs with documented expertise and credibility Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

8. School Support Teams • Responsibilities: • Review and analyze school operations and use data to develop plan for school improvement • Collaborate with school and district staff and parents to design, implement, and monitor school improvement plan • Monitor plan and request additional assistance from SEA and LEA as needed • Provide feedback (twice a year) to LEA and SEA and identify outstanding teachers and principals • Timeframe: • One year working with school and then review progress and develop plan for “next-steps.” Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

9. Tools and Material Resources Key Question • What tools and material resources are available for school support teams charged with working with local districts? • Center on Innovation and Improvement • School Restructuring Handbook (2007) • Database of state policies and practices • School Restructuring Under No Child Left Behind:, What Works When? A Guide for Educational Leaders (2006) Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

10. Key Element 1: Center for Innovation and Improvement • Center on Innovation and Improvement: http://www.centerii.org • Helps regional comprehensive centers support states to assist districts, schools, and families build capacity to develop innovative public schools and improve public schools through state technical assistance retreats • Provides resources related to supplemental educational services (SES), state systems of support, restructuring, and district improvement • Maintains state policies, programs, and progress database Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

11. CII Tools and Material Resources • Restructuring Handbook • Summarizes current research and outlining recommendations for restructuring • Provides checklists to assist SEAs and LEAs implement restructuring • Database of school improvement efforts • Users can designate one state, a group of states, or all states and generate a printable or downloadable report on the policies, programs, and progress regarding School Improvement, Restructuring, and Supplemental Educational Services for each state selected. Reports include links to state websites and contact information://www.centerii.org/centerIIPublic/ Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

12. Handbook on School Restructuring and Substantial School Improvement (2007) • The purpose of the Handbook is to provide principles for restructuring and substantially improving schools. • Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, the Center on Innovation & Improvement (CII) engaged leading experts on restructuring to prepare chapters for this handbook for Regional Comprehensive Centers’ staff to assist states, districts, and schools in establishing policies, procedures, and support to guide districts in their restructuring of schools. Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

13. Module 1: District-Wide Framework for Improvement • Discusses the importance of district-wide improvement to supporting the effective implementation of school level best practices • Module complements the lessons culled from cross-industry literature regarding the central importance of governance changes by a whole district to implement, replicate, and sustain the right restructuring environment. Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

14. Module 2: The School Board and Central Office in District Improvement • Focuses on the role of the local school board and the central office in school restructuring • The principles are based on cross-industry research on how system-level governance and the broader environment can influence the success of restructuring • Module outlines a set of district practices recommended to help failing schools turn the corner Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

15. Module 3: Restructuring Options and Change Processes • Examines the various restructuring options articulated in NCLB, charts the change process, and recommends key resources for practitioners • The module uses cross-industry literature which says that developing an intentional and strategic approach as well as governance, planning, and committing to continuous improvement are critical to success Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

16. Module 4: Restructuring Through Learning-Focused Leadership • Focuses on research related to school leadership issues • Module identifies key attributes of leaders who concentrate on instruction in order to ensure that all aspects of schooling support student learning Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

17. Module 5: Changing and Monitoring Instruction • Uses cross-industry research to describe instruction and assessment principles that serve as the core of school restructuring plans • Module is guided by three core principles: • means must be aligned with end goals • resources must be allocated to monitor and focus practice toward the goal of proficiency for all students • parents are critical partners to success and schools should support and improve the “curriculum of the home.” Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

18. Module 6: Systems for Improved Teaching and Learning • Describes the process of continuous improvement in the restructuring school • For entire schools to be successful, they must embrace the notion of regular and continual monitoring of progress by teams that are empowered to act • Module emphasizes the importance of engaging teachers Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

19. Module 7: Indicators of Successful Restructuring • Integrates the information from the other modules and outlines “Principles and Checklists of Success Indicators” • Provides 12 detailed checklists related to issues such as: establishing district conditions for school improvement, using data to develop an improvement model, articulating roles and responsibilities of personnel, engaging teachers, and monitoring performance Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

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21. CII Database Reports Generate reports regarding schooland district improvement: 1. State Progress • Table of data on schools and districts in improvement and schools in restructuring for years in which data are available • Bar graph representing the data in the table • State assessment data since 2001-2002 in reading and mathematics 2. State Policies on School and District Improvement • School and District Planning Models or Rubrics • State Reporting of Test Performance to Districts, Schools, Public • State System of Support for Low-Performing Districts and Schools 3. Links to State Websites and Documents on System of Support for Low-Performing Districts & Schools 4. Westat School Improvement Profiles Reports provide a synthesized summary of a key issues relevant to school and district improvement Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

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23. Element 1: Discussion Questions • Have you used any resources developed by CII? • If yes, were the resources helpful? • Can you think of ways you could use these tools and resources to strengthen your state’s statewide system of support? Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

24. Key Element #2: School Restructuring Guide for Educational Leaders • Based on four in-depth reviews of literature regarding school restructuring, Public Impact created a Guide to help Educational Leaders chose the best restructuring options for schools identified as in need of improvement. • Purpose of guide is to assist Education Leaders progress from understanding how successful schools operate to having the decision-making tools to implement required changes that facilitate success Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

25. Public Impact Project for CCSRI “What We Know” papers on four of the restructuring options: All available at: http://www.centerforcsri.org/ Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

26. Our Methodology • Research about actual experience with the options in schools • Research about analogous change approaches across organization types • Interviews with educators and researchers • More weight to actual empirical studies of change efforts vs. theory/conjecture • Focus on true chronic low-performers Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

27. Restructuring Guide for Educational Leaders Culmination and extension of data collected for the four papers on restructuring • Detailed checklists for process organizers • Tools to help assemble district restructuring team • Tools to help work with stakeholders • Analytic checklists to determine district capacity to undertake options • http://www.centerforcsri.org/files/RestructuringGuide.pdf Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

28. Restructuring Roadmap Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

29. Additional Examples of Tools • “What Works When Restructuring Decision Tree” • “Restructuring Team Checklist” • “Assessing Your District’s Capacity To Lead Change--A Guided SWOT Analysis” • “Restructuring Stakeholder Planner” • “Meeting Action Planner” • “Whole School Or Focuses Restructuring?” • “Restructuring Checklist: Turnarounds With New Leaders And Staff” • “Does Your State Have A Good Charter Law?” Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

30. Element 2: Discussion Questions • Have you used any of the What Works When resources or tools? • If yes, were the resources helpful? • Can you think of ways you could use these tools and resources to strengthen your state’s statewide system of support? • Recommendations for additional types of tools or resources to support development of statewide systems of support? Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support

31. Additional questions: Lauren Morando Rhim Senior Consulant Public Impact Lauren_Rhim@publicimpact.com (301)655-1992 Public Impact -Statewide Systems of Support