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PreK-3 rd Initiatives in Illinois: The New Schools Project

Explore the New Schools Project in Illinois focusing on PreK-3rd education reform, lessons learned, and key actions for school administrators. Presented by Chris Maxwell, Director at Erikson Institute, Chicago. The initiative aims to bridge early childhood education and K-12, emphasizing high-quality teaching, learning, and assessment practices for better educational outcomes.

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PreK-3 rd Initiatives in Illinois: The New Schools Project

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  1. PreK-3rd Initiatives in Illinois:The New Schools Project Chris Maxwell, Director Erikson Institute Chicago, IL

  2. Presentation Agenda • PreK-3rd as Reform: Why? What? • Erikson Institute’s New Schools Project • Lessons Learned from the Ground Level: What Administrative Actions Matter Most? • Discussion

  3. Mrs. Jones is a new administrator who just took over as principal of Wildwood Academy. Her teaching background is in secondary English. Wildwood serves 420 children, PreK-8th grade. Many of the children entering the early grades are new residents of the city and from low-income family backgrounds. Teachers are stopping by to “bend” Mrs. Jones’ ear: • A 2nd grade teacher complains that all PreK and Kindergarten must do is play - - - “Don’t those teachers know we have standards to meet here?” • The 4th grade teacher requests to have her old PreK job back. As she notes, “The 4th grade teacher was so weak our last principal shifted her to PreK and bumped me up to 4th.” • The kindergarten teachers share the student learning portfolios they keep. “These show how much progress our children really do make even though it doesn’t always show up on the district assessments.” Are these situations that actually arise for school administrators? What questions, or tensions, do they bring up for a principal, like Mrs. Jones, who wants to build a high quality PreK-3rd program?

  4. PreK-3 as Reform: Why? • Educational outcomes and disparities • PreK important, but benefits may fade (Brooks-Gunn, 2003) • Multiple years of quality primary education make a difference, but often lacking: Achievement gaps increase (Reynolds, et al, 2010; Stuhlman & Pianta, 2009) • New knowledge about foundational learning (Dickinson, 2006)

  5. PreK-3 as Reform: What? • High Quality Teaching, Learning, Assessment Aligned from PreK through 3rd Grade • Informed by Knowledge of Early Learning and Development: • Relationships • Active, Interactive • Social, Emotional, Physical, and Intellectual • Flexible • Partnerships with Families • Collaboration and Continuous Learning Among Staff

  6. What Value Does PreK-3 Add? • Respects PreK-3rd as unique segment of the educational continuum • Bridges the Best of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education (K-12) • School administrators as Leaders for Change and Knowledgeable Brokers of Culture

  7. Erikson Institute New Schools Project Healthy Social Development High Quality PreK-3 Classrooms • Family and cultural connections • Caring, inclusive community • Developmentally supportive practices • Intellectually challenging, content – area teaching • Assessments as guides Teacher • Attitudes • Knowledge • Skills and Practices • Motivation, Perceived Competence to Learn • Healthy Social Development • High Academic Achievement Child PreK- 3 Professional Learning Community Professional Development + Collaborative Coaching + Consultation Strong School Leadership for PreK-3

  8. ISAT Scores - Reading Mean ISAT Reading Achievement % Meets or Exceeds On average, 3rd graders in NSP schools gained more than 7 percentage points in reading on the 2010 ISAT compared with a CPS district average of 2 points.

  9. ISAT Scores - Math Mean ISAT Mathematics Achievement % Meets or Exceeds On average, 3rd graders in NSP schools gained 11 percentage points in mathematics on the 2010 ISAT, compared with a CPS district average of 4 points.

  10. Other Erikson PreK-3rd Initiatives • Exploring PreK-3rd Grade: A Dialogue on Educational Reform • AUSL PreK-3rd Task Force • EME Innovations: PreK-3rd Professional Development Initiative Funded by i3

  11. School Leadership For PreK-3rd:WhatPrincipal Actions Matter Most? • A re-imagined vision for PreK-3rd grade: • Internalize the research-based rationale for PreK-3rd • Build up from early childhood rather than push down from the higher grades

  12. PreK – 3rd Leadership • Invest in Resources to Support Active & Interactive Learning and Social Competence • People First • Staff • PreK-3rd Professional Development • Materials and Experiences

  13. PreK – 3rd Leadership • Know developmentally-meaningful curriculum and instruction: Use available tools to support supervision of high quality PreK-3rd practices • Build assessment systems for PreK-3rd that reflect the learning continuum • Recognize and help span the gray areas between “developmentally appropriate practice” and “rigor”

  14. PreK – 3rd Leadership • Establish Time, Structures, Skills, and Expectations for Collaboration • Teacher Teams • Support Team • Family Outreach (e.g., Home Visits) and Collaboration

  15. PreK – 3rd Leadership • Set Policies and Practices that Promote Continuity, Flexibility, and Variability Among Children • Looping • Multi-Age Groupings

  16. PreK – 3rd Leadership Protect the long-term view: And then the kids came - - - then the standards - - then NCLB . . . . ???

  17. Funding for the New Schools Project Provided By: Chicago Public Schools Joyce Foundation McCormick Foundation Perkins Hunter Foundation Fund at The Chicago Community Trust. Polk Bros Foundation W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation PreK-3 Resources: Foundation for Child Development: www.fcd-us.org New America Foundation: http://earlyed.newamerica.net

  18. More Info on NSP andPreK-3rd Forum • NSP Website: http://www.erikson.edu/newschools • PreK-3rd Forum (under ‘Events’): • Watch Video of Presentations • Download White Paper on PreK-3rd Grade Reform • Download Speaker Notes • http://www.erikson.edu/newschools/nspevents/nspprek3.aspx

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