1 Turning Around Low-Performing Schools REL Appalachia Charleston, West Virginia, September 2011 Sam Redding Center on Innovation & Improvement.

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Turning Around Low-Performing Schools

REL AppalachiaCharleston, West Virginia, September 2011

Sam ReddingCenter on Innovation & Improvement

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The Turnaround EraThe Turnaround Era

Before the IES Practice Guide

The IES Practice Guide

Context for the Practices

Leadership for Change

The Things You Already Know

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Before the Practice GuideBefore the Practice Guide

RestructuringRestructuring

Business Concept – in business turnarounds and bankruptcy

NCLB Restructuring (change in governance)1. State Take-Over2. Turnaround – usually change in

leadership and other change3. Reopen as Charter School4. Contract to an Education Management

Organization (EMO)5. Other (96% of restructuring -- CEP)

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The IES Practice GuideThe IES Practice Guide

Four Recommended PracticesFour Recommended Practices

Signal the need for dramatic change with strong leadership.

Maintain a consistent focus on improving instruction.

Make visible improvements early in the school turnaround process. (quick wins)

Build a committed staff.

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InterrelationshipInterrelationship

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Recommended Practice #1Recommended Practice #1: :

Signal the need for dramatic change with

strong leadership.

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Recommended Practice #1: Recommended Practice #1:

Signal the need for dramatic change with strong Signal the need for dramatic change with strong leadershipleadership..

Schools should make a clear commitment to dramatic changes from the status quo, and the leader should signal the magnitude and urgency of that change.

A low-performing school that fails to make adequate yearly progress must improve student achievement within a short timeframe—it does not have the luxury of years to implement incremental reforms.

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New vs. Continuing PrincipalNew vs. Continuing Principal

Credibility as change agent

No existing relationships to dismantle

ID principal with “change leader” skills ______________________________

No learning curve

Existing relationships to build on

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NEW

CONTINUING

Leadership PracticesLeadership Practices Sharing responsibility (leadership team, lead

teachers) Principal as instructional leader Strong leadership

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PrincipalTeachers

Principal

Teacher

Signaling ChangeSignaling Change

Communicate clear purpose to staff and community

Monitor teacher and student performance

Become more accessible to staff and students

Deal directly and immediately with problems

Campaign in the community/district

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Communicating About Dramatic Communicating About Dramatic ChangeChange

1. Brutal Facts—life prospects for students2. Vision of What Could Be—results in

similar schools3. Pathway to Achieve Vision—- plan- procedures- practices- expectations-metrics4. Culture of Candor

Recommended Practice #2Recommended Practice #2

Maintain a consistent focus on improving

instruction.

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Recommended Practice #2:Recommended Practice #2:

Maintain a consistent focus on improving instruction.Maintain a consistent focus on improving instruction.

Chronically low-performing schools need to maintain a sharp focus on improving instruction at every step of the reform process.

To improve instruction, schools should use data to set goals for instructional improvement, make changes to immediately and directly affect instruction, and continually reassess student learning and instructional practices to refocus the goals and refine the practices.

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Using Data to Improve Using Data to Improve InstructionInstruction

School level: identify instructional focus — target subjects, subgroups

Class level: identify teachers’ professional development needs; topics for re-teaching

Student level: identify skills and knowledge each student needs to master

Continually assess progress towards goals.

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Changing InstructionChanging Instruction

Teacher collaboration: common planning time, disciplined instructional planning

Targeted professional development: embedded professional development, targeted to need based on classroom observations and student outcomes

Curriculum review and alignment

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Instructional CoreInstructional Core Maintain a sharp focus on improving instruction

at every step of the reform process Expect universal application of effective practice Expect disciplined, collaborative planning and

data analysis Provide aligned and differentiated instruction in

multiple modes Use data to:- set goals for instructional improvement - make changes to immediately and directly affect instruction- continually reassess student learning and instructional

practices to refocus the goals and refine the practices

Recommended Practice #3Recommended Practice #3

Make visible improvements early in the school

turnaround process.

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Recommended Practice #3Recommended Practice #3

Make visible improvements early in the school Make visible improvements early in the school turnaround process.turnaround process.

Quick wins can rally staff around the effort and overcome resistance and inertia.

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StrategiesStrategiesGoals

One or two, narrow goals, can be achieved quickly Must be important to stakeholders and make visible

improvement Must be do-able without additional resources or authority Should contribute to long-term goals

Implementation Do it quick Plow through protests Follow up

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ExamplesExamples Use of time: more planning, more

uninterrupted instructional time

Resources: dedicated teacher work space, texts and materials available on time

Physical plant: clean, paint school; displays

Discipline: teachers, administrators visible; reduce transitions between classes; hands-down rules

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Recommended Practice #4Recommended Practice #4

Build a committed staff.

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Recommended Practice #4 Recommended Practice #4

Build a committed staff.Build a committed staff.

The school leader must build a staff that is committed to the school’s improvement goals and qualified to carry out school improvement.

This goal may require changes in staff, such as releasing, replacing, or redeploying staff who are not fully committed to turning around student performance and bringing in new staff who are committed.

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Assess, Redeploy, Replace, Recruit Assess, Redeploy, Replace, Recruit StaffStaff

Assess skills, knowledge, and will

Redeploy if staff fit another necessary role

Replace if necessary

Recruit to fit needs

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Competence Fit Willingness

CONTEXT CONTEXT

FOR FOR

THE PRACTICESTHE PRACTICES

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Why These Practices?Why These Practices?

How are turnaround practices different from other school reform practices?

What is the evidence that these practices contribute to school turnaround?

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Turnaround and School ReformTurnaround and School Reform

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District Support

CSR, effective instruction, etc.

Turnaround

Evidence BaseEvidence Base

10 case studies; 35 schools◦ 21 elementary schools◦ 8 middle schools◦ 6 high schools

Turnarounds with new leaders and staff

Business turnaround literature

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Levels of EvidenceLevels of EvidenceStrong Requires

(1) studies whose designs can support causal conclusions (internal validity) and (2) studies that in total include enough of the range of participants and settings on which the recommendation is focused to support the conclusion that the results can be generalized to those participants and settings (external validity).

Moderate Requires (1) studies that support strong causal conclusions but where generalization is uncertain or (2) studies that support the generality of a relationship but where the causality is uncertain.

Low Based on expert opinion derived from strong findings or theories in related areas and/or expert opinion buttressed by direct evidence that does not rise to the moderate or strong level. Low evidence is operationalized as evidence not meeting the standards for the moderate or high level.

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Panel Members and StaffPanel Members and Staff

Panel Rebecca Herman (Chair), American Institutes for Research Priscilla Dawson, Philadelphia and Trenton Public Schools

(retired) Thomas Dee, Swarthmore College Jay Greene, University of Arkansas Rebecca Maynard, University of Pennsylvania Sam Redding, National Center on Innovation & Improvement

Staff Marlene Darwin, American Institutes for Research

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Leadership for ChangeLeadership for Change

Leader ActionsLeader Actions

School Turnarounds: Actions and Results, 2008, Center on Innovation & Improvement

Dana Brinson, Julie Kowal and Bryan C. Hassel of Public Impact for the Center on Innovation & Improvement. Lauren Morando Rhim and Eli Valsing also contributed.

Leader Actions: Leader Actions: Initial Analysis and Problem SolvingInitial Analysis and Problem Solving

Collect & Analyze DataMake Action Plan Based on Data

Leader Actions:Leader Actions:Driving for ResultsDriving for Results

Concentrate on Big, Fast Payoffs in Year One

Implement Practices Even if Require Deviation

Require All Staff to ChangeMake Necessary Staff ReplacementsFocus on Successful Tactics; Halt OthersDo Not Tout Progress as Ultimate

Success

Leader Actions:Leader Actions:Influencing Inside and OutsideInfluencing Inside and Outside

Communicate a Positive VisionHelp Staff Personally Feel Problems

(of students)Gain Support of Key InfluencersSilence Critics with Speedy Success

Leader Actions:Leader Actions:Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)Measuring, Reporting (and Improving)

Measure and Report Progress Frequently

Require all Decision Makers to Share Data and Problem Solve

What Data? Who Solves Problems?

The Things You Already KnowThe Things You Already Know

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What Happened About Year What Happened About Year 7?7?

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Millard Fillmore SchoolScores on State Assessment

Year 1 Year 7 Year 9Year 4 Year 12

What happened about Year 7?

List 3 actions that most contributed to Millard Fillmore’s improvement.

Change of principals, students, teachers doesn’t count.

Proximal Variables for Student Proximal Variables for Student LearningLearningThe student’s – prior learning, which teachers have provided; metacognitive skills, which can be taught; motivation to learn and sense of self-efficacy, which a teacher

nurtures; effort and time on task, which a teacher expects; interaction—academic and social—with teachers and other students; family’s engagement and support for learning, which a teacher

curries.

The teacher’s - instructional planning and classroom management; instructional delivery through a variety of modes; personalization (individualization) of instruction for each

student; taught and aligned curriculum, designed by teacher teams.

You have been the principal in a You have been the principal in a successful turnaround. In 3 years successful turnaround. In 3 years

your school has been your school has been transformed! Of course, you transformed! Of course, you

followed the 4 IES followed the 4 IES recommendations, and you also recommendations, and you also

applied the 14 leader actions. But applied the 14 leader actions. But then, it really isn’t all about you.then, it really isn’t all about you.

So . . . So . . .

1. What changed in your school that really mattered for a student? What directly contributed most to improved student learning?

2. You are leaving the school after this year. What must you do, internally, to ensure that the school’s gains will not be lost? Specifically, how will the school sustain whatever you identified in #1 as the key contributor to improved student learning?

3. What can your district do to ensure that your school’s gains are not lost when you leave?

4. What can the state do to ensure that your school’s gains are not lost when you leave?

How would your answers above change if your school is a high school, elementary school, middle school?

ResourcesResourcesThe free practice guide is available from IES at

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/practiceguides

Support materials available atdww.ed.gov

Other turnaround resources at: www.centerii.org

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Sam ReddingCenter on Innovation & Improvement

[email protected]

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