COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM PROGRAM (Obey-Porter)

1. COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL REFORM PROGRAM (Obey-Porter) CSR Program Overview January 2002

2. CSR Purpose • To help schools undertake comprehensive reforms - grounded in scientifically based research and effective practices, including an emphasis on basic academics and parental involvement . . . so that all children can meet challenging State academic content and achievement standards. • To leverage systemic improvements in student achievement throughout the Title I program

3. CSR Program Overview • Established in FY 1998 Appropriations Act • Authorized in No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 • $308 million program in FY2003 ($310 million in FY2002; $260 million in FY2001; $220 million in FY2000; $145 million in FY 1998) • About 75% of funds are limited to Title I-eligible schools • Minimum $50,000 per school each year for three years awarded through state competitions

4. The Process of Comprehensive School Reform • Identify needs through a rigorous needs assessment • Investigate research-based solutions • Gain support from everyone involved • Develop a comprehensive program that integrates the eleven components • Commit the time and resources necessary • Plan to evaluateand strengthen the school’s efforts regularly

5. The Eleven Components • Employs proven methods and strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research • Integrates a comprehensive design with aligned components • Provides ongoing, high-quality professional development for teachers and staff • Includes measurable goals and benchmarks for student achievement • Is supported within the school by teachers, administrators and staff • Provides support for teachers, administrators and staff • Provides for meaningful parent and community involvement in planning, implementing and evaluating school improvement activities • Uses high-quality external technical support and assistance from an external partner with experience and expertise in school-wide reform and improvement • Annually evaluates strategies for the implementation of school reforms and for student results achievement • Identifies resources to support and sustain the school's comprehensive reform effort • Has been found to result in or has demonstrated strong evidence that it significantly improves the academic achievement of students

6. More About the Eleven Components 1. Employs proven methods and strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research • Uses proven methods and proven strategies for student learning, teaching and school management • Is based on scientifically based research and effective practices • Has been replicated successfully in schools

7. More About the Eleven Components (cont’d) 2. Integrates a comprehensive design with aligned components • Provides a comprehensive design for effective school functioning, including instruction, assessment, classroom management, professional development, parental involvement and school management • Aligns curriculum, technology and professional development into a comprehensive school reform plan for schoolwide change • Addresses identified school needs • Enables all students - including children from low-income families, children with limited English proficiency and children with disabilities - to meet challenging state standards

8. More About the Eleven Components (cont’d) 3. Provides ongoing, high-quality professional development for teachers and staff 4. Includes measurable goals and benchmarks for student achievement 5. Is supported within the school by teachers, administrators and staff 6. Provides support for teachers, administrators and staff 7. Provides for meaningful parent and community involvement in planning, implementing and evaluating school improvement activities

9. More About the Eleven Components (cont’d) 8. Uses high-quality external technical support and assistance from an external partner with experience and expertise in school-wide reform and improvement 9. Annually evaluates strategies for the implementation of school reforms and for student results achievement 10. Identifies resources to support and sustain the school's comprehensive reform effort 11. Has been found to result in or has demonstrated strong evidence that it significantly improves the academic achievement of students

10. Scientifically Based Research • Research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs

11. Characteristics of Scientifically Based Research • Employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation and experiment • Involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn • Relies on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same or different investigators

12. Characteristics of Scientifically Based Research (cont’d) • Be evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs in which individuals, entities, programs or activities are assigned to different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls • Ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the opportunity to build systematically on their findings • Has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective and scientific review

13. What’s truly comprehensive? • Addressing all students in the school • Affecting all core subjects at all grade levels, with particular emphasis on reading and math • Improving professional development for every teacher in the school, which includes meaningful, ongoing activity • Establishing specific benchmarks and a credible plan for evaluation

14. Key Issues in Comprehensive School Reform • Models, if used, should be integrated into the school’s comprehensive program. • Reform efforts must be connected, not layered on top of everything else. • Faithful implementation is critical. • Strong support from district is crucial.

15. District Support forComprehensive School Reform • Build infrastructure to support reform • Assist in reallocation of resources • Help schools implement district curriculum aligned with State content standards • Provide flexibility in professional development • Help schools to evaluate programs

16. How CSR Builds on Title I Schoolwide Programs • Clear focus on the use of effective methods and strategies that are grounded in scientifically based research to strengthen core academic program • Emphasizes ongoing professional development and full buy-in by school staff • Requires ongoing assistance from an external partner • Stresses evaluation as a tool for continuous improvement

17. CSR Schools • Over 1,800 schools in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico & BIA received CSR grants as part of the original FY1998 cohort. • An additional 1,000 schools were funded through the FY2000 increase. • About 3,000 schools are expected to receive grants through the FY2001 and FY 2002 funds.

18. About CSR Schools • Over 60% are Title I Schoolwide Programs. • Over one-third identified for improvement under Title I. • About two-thirds are elementary schools; the other third are middle and high schools. • CSR schools are using both nationally available and locally developed models. • Southwest Lab (SEDL) National Database of CSR schools: http://www.sedl.org/csrd/awards.html

19. National Evaluation of CSR National Evaluations of CSR • Completed Studies • Field Focused Study • Provided an in-depth examination of implementation of CSRD funded reforms • Sample included 18 schools randomly drawn from the first two annual rounds of CSRD awards • Field data were collected through four site visits to each school, conducted during 2000-02 • National Longitudinal Survey of Schools • Provided documentation of the initial implementation of the CSRD program • Sample included a nationally representative sample of schools receiving CSRD funds • Methodology included telephone surveys and a document review from small sub-sample schools A large scale sample survey of CSR schools over three years

20. National Evaluations of CSR • New/Ongoing Studies • Longitudinal Assessment of Implementation and Outcomes • Will examine program implementation and student achievement trends in schools receiving federal CSR grants authorized under the NCLB Act of 2001 • Sample includes a nationally representative sample of new CSR grantees with comparison group • Methodology includes surveys, interviews, and case studies over a 3-year period: the 2002-03 through 2004-05 school years • Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) Database • Collects descriptive information on all CSRD grantees • All grantees are included in this database • Data collection has been ongoing since 1998

21. Reports from the Field –Emerging Challenges • Effective evaluation and using data to continuously improve reform programs • Finding adequate time for professional development • Strengthening alignment between school reforms and state and district standards and assessments • New kind of leadership required • Integrating efforts & activities into a coherent program

22. More Emerging Challenges • Meeting the needs of all students, including special education and English language learners • Using all of the school’s resources • Developing benchmarks for measuring progress in implementing reform efforts and achievement • Involving parents meaningfully in the development and implementation of school reform plans • Incorporating new teachers into the reform effort

23. CSR Early Implementation ReportFine Tuning for the Future • There is a need for more rigorous research and evaluation of models and effective comprehensive school reform strategies • States and districts need to play an active role in assessing the alignment of reform programs with State and district standards and priorities

24. CSR Early Implementation ReportFine Tuning for the Future (cont’d) • Many schools still need reinforcement in understanding that CSR is not an “add-on” program • Schools need adequate time to prepare for whole school change • It is imperative for all school staff to participate in ongoing, high-quality professional development activities

25. Comprehensive School ReformProgram Web Site Address: www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/compreform e-mail Address: compreform@ed.gov