ED 329 235 - ERIC · North Central Regional Educational Laboratory 295 Emroy Avenue Elmhurst, IL 60126 (708) 941-7677

ED 329 235

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IR 014,881

Walker, Beverly J.; And OthersTelecommunications: Electronic Tools forSchool Reform.

North Central Regional Educational Lab.,IL.

Office of Educational Research and Improvement (Ep),Washington, DC.90

40-86-000487p.; For the report summary, see ED 327 178.North Central Regional Laboratory, 295 Emroy Avenue,Elmhurst, IL 60126 (Order No. URB-901, $8.00).Reports - Research/Technical (143)

Chicago

Elmhurst,

MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.Access to Information; Decentralization; EducationalResources; Educational Technology; ElementarySecondary Education; Interviews; Legislation; *NeedsAssessment; Questiot .aires; *School CommunityRelationship; *School Restructuring; StaffDevelopment; Surveys; *Telecommunications; UrbanSchools*Chicago Public Schools IL; Local School Councils

This study examined the feasibility and advisabilityof using telecommunications in the Chicago Public School (CPS) systemto support school reform that has been mandated by recentlegislation. Survey research yielded information on the currentstatus of staff development and Local School Council (LSC) training,and provided the basis for analyzing future needs in light of thereform directive--the decentralization of decision making in keyareas to enable individual schools to address unique local needs andconcerns--and determining how the use of telecommunications mightaddress those needs. The report is divided into seven chapters: (1)Introduction to the Study; (2) Study Design and Methodology; (3) The

Potential of Telecommunications for Schools; (4) Local SchoolCouncils and Parent/Community Outreach; (5) Staff Development in theChicago Public Schools; (6) Present Telecommunication Resources inthe Chicago Public Schools; and (7) Recommendations. It was concludedthat telecommunications can and should be used to enhance and extendthe quality and quantity of information and training available toparents and community residents serving on Local School Councils andto CPS teachers and administrators. The stated audience for thisreport is the CPS Board of Education, as well as administrators,teachers, and Local School Council members. (DB)

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

['This document has been ,eproduced asreceived from the person or organizationongmating itMinor changes have been made to improvereproduClion qualify

Points ol view or opinions slated in this documerit do not necessarily represent officialOE RI position ot policy

Telecommunications:Electronic Tools

for Chicago School Reform

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Principal Investigators: Beverly J. WalkerDirector, Urban Education, NCREL

Carole S. FineConsultant, NCREL

William QuinnConsultant, NCREL

Executive Director: Jed Nowakowski"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLYHAS BEEN GRANTED BY

Mv-i drne.Kree.aer

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"

Telecommunications:Electronic Tools

for Chicago School Reform

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory

Principal Investigators: Beverly J. WalkerDirector, Urban Education, NCREL

Carole S. FineConsultant, NCREL

William QuinnConsultant, NCREL

Executive Director: Jeri Nowakowski

Published in 1990 by the:

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory295 Emroy AvenueElmhurst, IL 60126(708) 941-7677

This publication is based on work sponsored wholly or in part by the Office ofEducational Research and Improvement (OERI), Department of Education,under Contract Number 40-86-0004. The content of this publication does notnecessarily reflect the views of OERI, the Department of Education, or anyother agency in the U.S. Government.

NCREL Order Number: URB-901Price: $8.00

Teachers, administrators, and LSC members from the following schools were instrumental in ourwork throughout the course of this study.

Profile Schools

Altgeld Juarez High School

&idler Paderewski

Curie High School Pilsen

Du Sable High School Revere

Dyett Robeson High School

Ebinger Sabin

Fraiier Spry

Guggenheim Stowe

Jefferson Sullivan High School

Johnson Terrell

Advisory Task Force, Chicago Public Schools

Dr. Margaret M. Harrigan

Dr. Jodi Martinez-Martin

Ms. Carole Nolan

Mr. Manual Ortiz

Mr. Leonard Rubin

Dr. Mary Shannon

Mr. Bernard Spillman

Deputy Superintendent

Dircctor, Educational Service Center #6

Dircctor, Bureau of Telecommunications and Broadcasting

Dircctor, Department of Warehousing and Distribution

Dircctor, Bureau of Staff Development

Assistant Superintendent, Department of Curriculum

Assistant Superintendent, Department ofVocational and Technological Education

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT SUMMARY

Introduction to the Study

II Study Design and Methodology

III The Potential of Telecomnunications forSchools

IV Local School Councils andParent/Community Outreach

V Staff Development in the Chicago PublicSchools

VI Present Telecommunication Resources inthe Chicago Public Schools

VII Recommendations

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Advisory Task Force, Chicago Public Schools

Dr. Margaret M. Harrigan Deputy Superintendent

Dr. Jodi Martinez-Martin Director, Educational ServiceCenter #6

Ms. Carole Nolan

Mr. Manual Ortiz

Mr. Leonard Rubin

Dr. Mary Shannon

Mr. Bernard Spillman

Director, Bureau ofTelecommunications and Broadcasting

Director, Department of Warehousingand Distribution

Director, Bureau of StaffDevelopment

Assistant Superintendent,Department of Curriculum

Assistant Superintendent,Department of Vocational AndTechnological Education

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY

The schoolhouse is the center of [the]educational process. Each school is uniqueand functions as an individual entity.

(Board of Education Resolution, 6/14/89)

Telecommunications and School Reform in Chicago

This resolution embodies both the spirit and letter of schoolreform legislation that puts the destiny of Chicago'sschoolchildren in the hands of those who have the most direct andimmediate interest in their success--their parents, theircommunity, and their local school teachers alld administrators.This legislation decentralizes decisionmaking in key areas. As aresult, Local School Council (LSC) members, principals, andteachers are being asked to establish policy and procedures insuch areas as budget, school improvement, personnel, andimplementation of state and federal guidelines -- areas thatwere previously managed by central office staff. Thelegislation's charge to these locally empowered groups isunequivocal: Local School Councils must be aggressive in usingtheir authority to create schools in which all children learn.Thus, the reform legislation has created a critical nexus amongschool-based education professionals, parents, and the communitythat points their collective vision in the same direction. Thisreport identifies and elaborates how telecommunications mightaddress needs and priorities that are emerging for these newlyempowered groups as school reform unfolds.

The law requires that local schools become the new "hubs" of theChicago Public School (CPS) system; therefore, this study looksat telecommunications as one tool of empowerment--a tool thatChicago's LSCs, teachers, principals, and administrators can useto help them make decisions that promote improved studentachievement. Ultimately, all decisions made by local schoolprofessionals and LSC members--even in areas of management andbudget--must use the academic well-being of students as theirfinal yardstick. However, the process of decentralization hasleft some gaping holes--between the goals of reform and thecapabilities of people to reach them. Local schools and LSCs arenot receiving information; nor are they positioned well to obtaintraining in how to use information they do receive. Moreover,schools are isolated from one another, thereby preventing thekind of cross communication and networking that might supportthem in this massive change process.

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gontrol of information. Telecommunications represents efficient,economical, and equitable access to information. It is,therefore, one of the most powerful problem-solving toolsavailable to the Chicago reform movement. Telecommunications canhelp Chicago facilitate communication and access to resources soimperative to making reform under a decentralized structuresuccessful. Technology offers the opportunity to efficientlyprovide each local school with uniform and timely information.With the help of a telecommunication system, councils and schoolstaff would spend less energy searching for accurate andappropriate information and training. This study reveals thatLSC presidents and school principals currently are receivinginformation in a disorganized and Ad hoc fashion. They reportthat they are overwhelmed by the volume of input and do not havethe time to order and digest the information. Telecommunicationsoffers a practical solution to this problem.

Potential for students. While this study does not directly focuson student learning, promoting improved student achievement isits ultimate goal--initially through telecommunications-basedsupport for LSCs and education professionals who are makingdecisions that affect student learning. However, as soon aselectronic networks are established and teachers and LSC membersare trained to use them, it is a natural extension to beginutilizing them for student learning as well. An abundance ofinstructional services can be provided to Chicago'sschoolchildren through telecommunications. Across the country,satellite "classrooms" already are offering curriculum andinstruction via networks such as TI-IN, Oklahoma StateUniversity, and The Learning Channel. Moreover, other providersare rapidly developing new curriculum packages across a number ofother electronic arteries.

These technological options can fundamentally restructureChicago's classrooms and schools. No longer must classrooms bedefined by concrete walls. Instead, new communities of learnersthroughout the school system can be constructed by matchingcommon needs and interests. For instance, talented students at awest side school could participate in the same advanced coursesas those at a magnet school for the gifted. Moreover, "choice"can become a real concept for all of Chicago's students as"satellites put the best teachers and content experts in everyclassroom." (Facilitating Technology Based Restructuring ofSchools: A Regional Lab's Role, David Foster, 1989) In short,telecommunications can provide all students the broad range ofcourse options that are now limited to the schools with thegreatest resources.

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The closer Chicago gets to building a system that comprehensivelyand effectively utilizes telecommunications for the support oflocal school council and staff development activities, the soonerstudents will have access to these kinds of enhancedinstructional services.

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II

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Purpose of the Study

This study looked at the feasibility and advisability of usingtelecommunications to support reform efforts in Chicago.Specifically, investigators examined the current status of staffdevelopment and LSC training, analyzed future needs in light ofthe reform directives, and determined how the use oftelecommunications might address those needs. The focus,throughout the study, was how best to facilitate the legislatedgoal of local control while providing each school with equitableresources and information. This study attempted to identifywhere telecommunications would be the most efficient means ofaddressing challenges under the recently decentralized governancesystem.

Report Audience

The primary audience for this report consists of the Board ofEducation, as well as administrators, teachers, and Local SchoolCouncil members of the Chicago Public School system.Additionally, the results of the study may be important forcommunity members, businesses, foundations, and other groups andindividuals who care about education in Chicago. The report canalso serve as a blueprint for other large urban school systemsfacing challenges similar to those of Chicago. Moreover, many ofthe needs are common, though not identical, to those found inurban, rural, and suburban districts of all sizes andpopulations.

Study Questions

The study was designed to answer the following questions:

1) How might Chicago's telecommunications resources beutilized and enhanced to support Chicago reform underthe new governance structure?

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What telecommunications resources are present inChicago at the central and building levels?

How are other large urban school systems usingtelecommunications?

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How might telecommunications be used to facilitatestaff development activities in Chicago for teachersand principals at the central and building levels?How could telecommunications help schools comply withthe staff development mandates of PA 85-1418?

6) How could telecommunications support Local SchoolCouncil training currently being conducted, andtraining needs that still exist?

7) How might telecommunications extend the role communityorganizations are playing in supporting training of LSCmembers?

Study Methodology

The study methodology was designed to obtain pertinentinformation from a wide range of interested groups, using a rangeof survey research methods. This study sought input fromindividuals and groups at various levels in the schools, system,and community. Research techniques used included personal andgroup interviews, mail and electronic surveys, and documentreview and analysis. Draft findings were reviewed by keystakeholders for accuracy before disseminating the report to allinterested parties.

Groups Sampled

Groups were sampled at the CPS building level, at the CPS systemlevel, and at the community/state/national level. By includinginput obtained from each of these levels and from many interestedparties at each level, the study presents a balanced, richdescription of telecommunications and its uses in supportingChicago reform.

Building level. In this study, information was obtained bysurveying building administrators at all 604 CPS buildings.This process resulted in a broad-based description oftelecommunications resources. Furthermore, detailed informationwas obtained from a sub-sample of 20 Chicago schools. A list ofthe 20 schools is in Appendix 1. The 20 schools were chosen toobtain a cross section of: 1) geographic locations; 2)race/ethnicity; 3) elementary and secondary schools; 4)curricular and instructional programs; and 5) Project CANAL andnon-project schools. The following groups were contacted in the20 schools:

-- Local School Councils-- Principals-- Classroom teachers-- Resource teachers

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CPS system level. Information was also obtained at the ChicagoPublic Schools level from the following individuals:

- - Deputy Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction- - Assistant Superintendent, Department of Curriculum- - Assistant Superintendent, Department of Vocational and

Technical Education- - Director, Bureau of Telecommunications and Broadcasting- - Director, Bureau of Staff Development-- Director, Department of Information Processing- - Director, Bureau of Language Arts-- Director, Bureau of Mathematics-- Director, Bureau of Science-- Director, Bureau of Social Studies-- Director, Special Education Coordination and Assistance- - Director, Early Childhood Programs-- Director, Project CANAL-- Director, Department of Warehousing and Distribution- - Coordinator, Language and Cultural Education-- President, The Chicago Principals' Association- - Assistant to the President for Educational Issues, Chicago

Teachers' Union

Community/state/national level. Input was obtained from thefollowing individuals, groups, and documents in the City ofChicago, the State of Illinois, and in the nation:-- Deputy Mayor for Education

-- Cable Administrator, Office of Cable Communications

-- 65 community organizations (see Alopendix_l for list)

-- Director, Illinois State Educational Service Center #6

- - PA 85-1418 and related documents

- - State universities (see Appendix 1 for list)

-- Telecommunication vendors: Apple Computers, IBM, UNISYS, Ti-In Network, Group W Cable, Chicago Cable TV, PBS, andTransparent Schools program at Vanderbilt University

-- Other urban districts in the nation: National EducationalTechnology Trust (Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago)and the Educational Telecommunication Network (Los AngelesCounty)

Instruments and Procedures

Survey research techniques used included semi-structuredinterviews, structured interviews, mail surveys, andelectronically distributed surveys. Qualitative documentanalysis were performed on legislative documents, business plans

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for various CPS bureaus and departments, vendor information, andresearch reports. In the following paragraphs, instruments usedare identified by level and sample surveyed, sample size, andtype of analysis (qualitative or quantitative) used for findings.

Building level. A systemwide survey was conducted of all schoolsto describe the telecommunications resources in the district.The Survey of School-Based Telecommunications and RelatedHardware was transmitted through the CPS electronic bulletinboard system. Responses were entered at each building bycomputers and sent by modem to the central network. Of the 604schools, 280 schools participated in the survey. A copy of thequestions is included in Amendix 1. A copy of the statisticalanalysis of findings from this survey is in APpendix 2.

In addition to a survey of all schools, an intensive study wasmade of 20 CPS schools. The following methodologies were used tostudy these 20 schools:

- - Principal individual structured interview: 19 of the 20principals (or their designees) participated in a 20question interview. Survey Form is in Amendix 1. Thirteenwere conducted in person and the remaining six were doneover the telephone. The twentieth principal responded tothe majority of the questions over the course of severaltelephone conversations.

-- Classroom teacher structured interview: 50 classroomteachers from the 20 schools participated in a seven-question telephone interview. The interview form is inAPPendix 1. Results from the interviews were tabulated andsummarized in the report.

-- Resource teacher structured interview: 11 building resourceteachers (IRIP, RIP, IMIP, bi-lingualfetc.) and departmentchairs from the 20 schools participated in a 11-questiontelephone interview. The interview form is in Appendix 1.Results from the interviews were tabulated and summarized inthe report.

- - Teacher survey: Principals of the 20 schools were givencopies of a five-question survey to distribute to allfaculty members in their schools. A total of 493 surveyswere returned from teachers in 16 of the schools. A copy ofthe survey form is in Appendixl. The computer analysis ofteacher survey finding's is in Appendix 3.

- - Local School Council mail survey: An eight-item survey wasmailed to the presidents of the 20 Local School Councils. Atotal of 16 forms were returned. The interview form is inAppendix 1. Results from the interviews were tabulated andsummarized in the report.

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-- Local School Council semi-structured interview: A luncheonmeeting was held on January 11, 1990, to which Local SchoolCouncil presidents and building principals from the sampleof 20 schools were invited. Nineteen of the 20 schools wererepresented by the president and principal or theirdesignees. A group interview/discussion was conducted togather information on training needs of the councils. Thecomments were summarized and included in this report.

CPS system level. Semi-structured interviews were conducted witheach of the individuals listed earlier. These interviews wereconducted in person or by telephone when distance or schedulesdid not permit personal meetings. Several interviews wereconducted with key CPS staff, such as the Director of the Bureauof Telecommunications and Broadcasting.

A schedule of issues was identified by NCREL staff prior to theinterviews. Notes were taken of comments made by the respondent.A qualitative summary was made for each of the survey issues andincluded in this report. Supplementary documents were obtainedfrom those interviewed, such as bureau business plans for 1990and beyond. These documents were reviewed and relevant aspectswere abstracted for the report.

Community/state/national level. The legislative record for PA85-1418 and related documents were reviewed to identify reformactivities that might be aided by telecommunications. Thisinformation guided the formulation of interview or surveyquestions for groups involved in these activities. Thisinformation was also abstracted and included in this report.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the followingindividuals: the Deputy Mayor for Education, representatives fromthe Mayor's Office of Cable Communications, the Director ofEducational Service Center #6, the telecommunications vendorslisted earlier, and representatives from the urbantelecommunications organizations listed earlier. Theseinterviews were conducted in person or by telephone when distanceor schedules did not permit personal meetings.

A schedule of issues was identified by NCREL staff prior to theinterviews. Notes were taken of comments made by the respondent.A qualitative summary was made for each of the survey issues andincluded in this report. Supplementary documents were obtainedfrom those interviewed. These documents were reviewed andrelevant aspects were abstracted for the report.

Because of the number of community organizations surveyed, amulti-wave structured interview and survey strategy was adopted.First, a letter was sent to the heads of each organizationinforming them of the Telecommunications study and asking them to

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participate in an interview. A total of 27 survey responses wereobtained from the 65 organizations. A qualitative summary wasmade for each of the survey responses and included in thisreport. A copy of the survey are in Appendix 1.

A four-item survey was mailed to the Deans of the Schools ofEducation at the Illinois universities sampled. The cover letterfor the survey asked that the survey form be copied anddistributed to all faculty members at the institution who weredirecting programs providing professional development training toCPS teachers. Nineteen surveys were returned representing 8institutions. A copy of the survey is in Amendix_1.

Reporting of Findings

Study findings were summarized by NCREL staff into a draftreport. This draft report was reviewed by key CPS staff.Reviewers were asked to examine the report for accuracy andcompleteness. They were asked to suggest recommendations basedon the findings. They were also asked to identify strategies forimplementing study recommendations. Many helpful suggestionswere made by review groups. However, the NCREL study staffretained final editorial responsibility for the report.

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III

THE POTENTIAL OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR SCHOOLS

In hubs of educational innovation throughout the country,telecommunications has already taken on the challenge ofimproving student achievement, and in some areas, increasing thenumber of staff development options. This section looks at whytelecommunications is becoming such a powerful educational tooland examines common configurations used by school districts.Furthermore, this section identifies relevant criteria to usewhen assessing how well typical telecommunication systems cansupport local Chicago schools' needs for professionaldevelopment, LSC training, and parent/community outreach.

Why Telecommunications?

Telecommunications-supported education has rapidly become animperative for school systems that wish to flourish in aninformation-based society. Once viewed as a luxury for affluentschool districts, talecommunications has become the most prudentand logical solution to many common education problems, includinglack of equity in course offerings, dissatisfaction with presentstaff development activities, and inefficiencies in thegeneration and dissemination of data and knowledge. Increasingly,it is no longer a question of j. school systems will me.keincreased use of telecommunications but when they will begin todo so.

A cost-effective alternative. Technology is one of the fewelements in our economy that becomes less expensive over time.As the cost of food, clothing, and transportation escalate,electronic items, such as personal computers and VCRs, havedecreased in price and yet become more powerful and flexibletools. Pocket calculators, for example, were once a high ticketinstrument sold only in specialty stores, and now they are acommon "impulse item" at discount store check-out counters.Similarly, a fixed-mount satellite dish cost about $33,000 in1980; it is now possible to purchase a monitor driven, polarmount Satellite system with Ku and C band for $3,000 to $5,000.Additionally, satellite dishes can be purchased at such familiarstores as Radio Shack and Sears Roebuck.

Although many educators are put off by the start-up costs ofimplementing electronic communication systems, these costs mustbe balanced against the expenses involved in more traditionalapproaches that include travel, substitutes, duplication ofservices, and lost time due to delays in receiving information.

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Equity. Telecommunications has the potential for facilitatingmore equitable access to educational opportunities and resourcesfor all it serves. That is, telecommunications can empower all,filling in for scarce resources; linking the isolated andimmobile; providing information and expert knowledge to theuninformed; and adjusting materials to the specific interests,learning styles, and/or cultures of each receiver. (FacilitatingTechnology Based Restructuring of Schools: A Regional Lab's Role,David Foster, 1989)

While there are many ways that telecommunications can be used topromote equity in education, three are of particular relevance tothis study:

1) Providing uniform access to information and resourcesacross the district

2) Providing equitable access to training for LSC membersand for education professionals

3) Creating districtwide communications and networkingcapabilities that are accessible to all

Access to information. Schools, to accomplish their goals in aninformation age, must have access to the most up-to-dateinformation, research, and resources. No longer are schoolsoperating in a predominantly industrial time, when informationwas basically procedural, incremental, and slow to change. Thepace is quickening and today's procedures can become obsoletealmost overnight. Schools, like other societal institutions,need frequent updates. More and more, the world is depending onfast-paced technblogies, such as the fax, computers, andsatellites to relay data and other resources quickly andefficiently.

A=ess to trainina. Using telecommunications for dis",ncelearning is a strategy that has been heavily explored andutilized by rural and isolated schools around the country for thepast five years. Distance learning is defined as the linking ofa teacher and students in several geographic locations viatechnology that allows for interaction (Linking for Learning,OTA, 1989). However, only recently have people begun to explorethe use of distance learning strategies and technologies to serveurban audiences consisting not only of schoolchildren, but ofteachers, administrators, parents, and the broader community.

This study underscores the need to look at bridging "distances"both geographic and cultural--that exist between needed trainingresources and the education professionals, parents, and communityresidents who need them in cities. Indeed, getting the sametraining to Spanish-speaking parents in Pilsen and to English-speaking parents in Rogers Park represents the spanning of

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considerable distance. Similarly, teachers in inner-city schoolsand those located on the outskirts of the city may be as farapart in travel time as two rural communities are in actualmiles.

Also, for the large number of professionals who are parents,telecommunications can bridge the gap between their dual roles.Too often they are forced to choose between familyresponsibilities and opportunities for professional'training.While parents may be unable to participate in staff developmentactivities that take them away from home for several hours, manymight be eager to take part if telecommunications could bringthose activities into their own home.

Telecommunications, then, offers the potential to provide alleducators with equal access to good training. This costeffective method can maximize options and choices for all.

Communication and networking. The isolation of teachers is welldocumented. Too often, teachers spend entire days at schoolinteracting only with students. Thus, both time and distance maylimit their opportunities to have professional discourse withcolleagues. Frequently, professionals have little or noopportunity to share problems and solutions with others who workwith similar students. Indeed, many educators have alreadyrecognized that cooperation and collaboration among peers arecritical characteristics of the most effective student learningactivities and staff development programs. Yet, most schooldistricts still rely on information systems that are inefficient,obsolete, and that sometimes even obstruct rather than facilitatedialogue. Telecommunications allows for the breakdown ofgeographic barriers and enables teachers to collaborate withcolleagues around the corner or across the city. Electroniccommunication can take place among individuals, entire schoolfaculties, or interest groups, e.g. math teachers.

In summary, telecommunications has the potential to empowereducators and council members in some significant ways. It canprovide access to information on new instructional ideas andstrategies, and training to implement these techniques. Inaddition, students of all races, classes, and cultures, as wellas those with unique intellectual and physical needs, can begiven equal access to educational opportunities with theassistance of telecommunications. Moreover, opportunities existfor communication that spans cultures, languages, and greatdistances.

Typical Telecommunication Systems

A wide range of school-based telecommunication systems haveevolved in this country. This diversity is the result of anumber of conditiom differences in local and state policies

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for education; variations in funding patterns; divergence ineducational needs and goals; and rapidly advancing options intelecommunication technologies. Almost every possiblecombination of technology has been used somewhere by a schooldistrict. And, as new technologies are developed, additionalconfigurations are tried. In order to make prudent decisionsabout the type of system that could and should be used to supportChicago's reform effort, it is essential to have a basicunderstanding of what is possible. Typically, telecommunicationsystems are distinguished by two principal characteristics: 1)

direction of information flow; and 2) type of informationprovided.

Direction of information now. Systems can be characterized bythe dominant flow of information: one-way that includes radio andbroadcast TV veisus two-way that includes interactive satellitetransmissions, telephones, and computers linked through networks.One-way systems often result in top-down communication styles.In a top-down mode of communication, the concerns and values ofthe central office staff can predominate. As a result there maybe great uniformity in the services and programs offered throughthe system. Thus, in a large district serving diverseneighborhoods and schools, this top-down communication style maybe useful at times and not desirable at others. Fordisseminating information that is consistent, uniformity is animportant characteristic. All people accessing the system needthe same information and the system is usually better served ifthey get it. However, for localized needs that are tied tovariable circumstances, uniformity may be neither necessary nordesirable. In those instances, a top-down communication stylemay limit the local usefulness of a telecommunications system.

In contrast, two-way telecommunication systems tend to encouragemore bottom-up and lateral communication styles. Such systemsencourage sensitivity to a wide diversity of interests and needs.Local schools can more easily request and respond to services andprogramming. They can get personal attention for specificquestions. They can discuss interests and concerns with otherschools having similar interests. And, if a school develops orlocates a service or program that they find interesting andhelpful, they can share this information with other schools.

For the most part, Chicago school reform would seem to be betterserved by two-way communication systems, since they allow forlocal control and direction of programs and services. Yet one-way electronic services can also stay sensitive to the locallevel if they are carefully selected and managed at the locallevel. That is, local users must have a number of programmingoptions available to them over one way systems. They must alsobe able to manage both their use of the system and the programand service choices available to them over that system.

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Type of information provided. Systems can also be characterizedby the type of information they provide--data, sound, or image.Data typically includes written text, perhaps with some graphicsor digitalized still frame information. Sound typically meansspeech. And image usually includes still and motion videoaccompanied by sound. Exhibit 3-1 lists typical, but notexhaustive, school-based telecommunication configurations.

Exhibit 3-1.Typical Telecommunications Configurations

One-way Communication

Data -- stand-alone micro computer or local area networks andelectronic chalkboards

Sound -- radio, cassette tape recordings, one-way use oftelephone for audio lectures

Image -- live or prerecorded programs distributed by broadcast ornarrowcast tv, wire or fiber optic cable, microwave, or satellite(top-down broadcast, centralized communication); prerecordedprograms on tape for local VCR replay (electronic library)

Two-way Communicaticn

Data-Data -- remote access to central computer resources(communication with central system files and programs, but notwith other distal users); computer network directly betweendistal users or communication through a central computer actingas a bulletin board or mailbox (mix of use of central computerresources and access to distributed audience), facsimiletransmission

Sound-Sound -- telephone link for two or more stationcommunication

Image-Sound -- one-way video and audio transmission from acentral instructor with continuous or occasional telephonecommunication two-way between distal students and the teacher forstudent comments and questionsImage-Image--video and audio between two locations (not usuallymulti-locations as is more typical with other models)

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Criteria for Assessing Telecommunication Systems

With guch a wide array of available options, how does thetelecommunications' shopper make a wise choice? One approach isto establish criteria for a system that matches the needs andpriorities of the educational consumer. For this feasibilitystudy, both professional development and Local School Councilconcerns have guided the selection of criteria. Only whensystems meet the needs and concerns of these users can technologysystems be installed and used with positive impact on theschools.

This study, therefore, recommends that five broad criteria beconsidered when evaluating telecommunication systems for theChicago public schools. Telecommunication systems should be:

1. Responsive to local concerns

2. Equitable in providing access to audiences

3. Feasible to install and use

4. Capable of providing image, sound, or datainformation as appropriate

5. Effective in achieving educational outcomes

1. Responsive to Local Concerns

In the Chicago Public Schools, telecommunication systems must bedesigned to support school reform initiatives. The systemsshould strengthen both Local School Councils as well asprincipals and teachers in administering local schools andpromoting greater learning for students in those schools. Thismeans that the selection of content for training programs and thedevelopment of other areas of assistance must be responsive tolocal school needs and priorities. Also, the scheduling andmanagement of the training and services should support andstrengthen local councils and school-based professionals. Localusers should be able to ask questions, make comments, and havethe training or services modified to fit local needs andconditions.

aglection and tailorina of information. Given the diversesettings of schools in CPS, it is impossible for one set ofmaterials to satisfy the professional development and LSC needsand priorities of all, or elien a majority, of its schools.Telecommunication systems should provide users the freedom toselect information to fit their needs and concerns. Furthermore,telecommunication courses and services will be more useful to

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schools to the degree that the information they transmit can bemodified or tailored to address conditions in specific schools.

Location of coptrol. Local school control is strengthened whenschedules and strategies for providing information conform tolocal priorities. When local users have input to systemmanagement, they will probably use and benefit from the system.However, school involvement and system usefulness may be weakenedwhen schedules are rigidly fixed centrally. Central controltypically requires selecting issues of common interest to mostschools; therefore, unique concerns of schools may not beaddressed. Also, central control usually requires long leadtimes to plan events; therefore programs may be less responsiveto acute, emerging needs. Yet, the design of such centralizedplanning and management can be influenced by local users andshould certainly be evaluated for its responsiveness to localconcerns.

Ngree of interactivity. Telecommunication systems are moreresponsive when they enable and encourage users to interact witheach other, for example, to ask questions and make comments aboutthe training or service provided; to select information and tomake requests. Ease of asking questions, time delays betweenasking questions and receiving responses, and one-on-one accessto a teacher or expert are all aspects of interactivity. Systemsare more interactive when user comments and questions aredynarically incorporated into the training or service provided.

2. Equitable Access to Resources

Telecommunication systems should provide groups in all schoolsequitable access to system resources. Resource differencesbetween Chicago city communities should be deemphasized ratherthan accentuated by any telecommunication system. Systems shouldbe equally useful to all schools.

Equal distribution of hardware and access to resources. Allscnools in CPS should have equal access to telecommunicationsresources. Any plan should, therefore, address the issue ofhardware equity. That is, is there a plan for getting a minimumlevel of hardware to all schools?

Training to bring all users to same level of access. All schoolsshould have equal ability to utilize the resources providedthrough the system. This means that training and informationabout the system should be provided to all users. It also meansthat training should be adapted to fit the interests andbackground of different groups of users.

Fit of information and services to diverse schools.Telecommunication systems should support diverse programming anduses so that schools with differing needs can each be well served

16

by the same system. This implies being able to provide a widerange of services and programs through one system.

3. Feasible to Install and Easy to Use

Telecommunication systems are feasible to install and maintain ifthey are eary to use, require commonly available technicalexpertise, and are economical.

Ease of use. To be feasible, telecommunications systems must beeasy to use. Therefore, certain criteria must be attended to iftelecommunications are to become an agent of school reform.First, technology should be user friendly. This applies tohardware and software, as well as products of communications. Ifhardware and software are not easy to use, it simply will not beused by teachers, administrators, students, or community people.It is absolutely imperative that users be involved in planningfor the use of telecommunication technologies because they willhave to operate it on a daily basis. Planning without theirinput is an invitation for passivity and disinterest.

Technical expertise required. Users should be able to access thesystem without substantial instruction in system operation. Thesystem should require only commonly available or easilyattainable skills and knowledge to operate. Sufficient technicalexpertise should already be available within the school and CPSto install and maintain the system. If a relatively complicatedsystem is used, then greater resources need to be devoted to usertraining.

Cost_tDr_creatina and maintainina systems. The costs ofhardware, installation, programming, and maintenance should beincluded as part of budgetary planning. The cost should considerstaff time to operate system, cost of equipment and communicationlines, maintenance, and programs and services delivered on thesystem. The systems should be more cost-effective in achievingprofessional, educational, and community outreach goals thanother means for achieving these same goals.

Security of the system. Provisions should be made to protect thehardware and materials used in the schools. Computer data filesand access to computer resources should also be protected.

4. Provide Image, Sound, or Data Information as Appropriate

A fourth area for evaluating telecommunication systems is howwell they provide the type of information needed to meet thecommunication need. For some uses, full image and soundinformation is necessary to meet the needs of the situation. Forexample, if principals were being trained on how to conduct aperformance evaluation interview with teachers, it would be morehelpful to show a principal and teacher modeling the principles

17

F.

being taught. That is, live or video modeling would be moreeffective than just reading about how these skills might beapplied. Furthermore, it may be more helpful still if principalscould then ask experts specific questions about the appliedtechniques.

5. Effective in Achieving Outcomes

Experience and research have shown that appropriately usedtelecommunication systems can be very effective and economical.However, the question must be asked: Is this implementation 1

effective and economical for these needs in this situation? Thefact that telecommunications has been very effective in somesituations does not guarantee that a specific telecommunicationsystem will be effective in educational situations in general, orin the Chicago Public Schools in particular. Therefore, theoverriding question for this study is: Can the use oftelecommunications ultimately lead to improved staff development,LSC training, and student achievement in Chicago's schools?

outcomes ssumes s s e -uent .2. A system mustbe operating for a reasonable length of time before its outcomescan be measured. Most benefits from telecommunication systemsbecome evident only after the system is operational for a year orlonger at a school. Premature attempts at assessment may,therefore, underestimate or entirely miss important outcomes.More importantly, a premature preoccupation with evaluation maydivert attention from information that is essential in guidingthe system to achieving substantial outcomes.

Formative information is very important during the early stagesof system design and implementation. Monitoring how wellactivities and events are being carried out will help guidesystems to eventually produce satisfactory outcomes. Thus,before any hardware is installed, the system must be matched tostakeholder needs. In designing the system, one should seek useradvice to improve the usefulness of services already provided andservices planned for the future. When this is done, thefoundation is laid for having program outcomes worth measuring.

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Potential professional development outcomes. Telecommunicationsystems can, in principle, achieve all of the professionaleducation outcomes'that might be achieved through any otherinstructional system. Depending on the specific course ofinstruction and the particular use of telecommunicationtechnology, it may be appropriate to expect outcomes such as:

Greater understanding of effective educatioLal practices tosolve specific problems

Stronger sense of professionalism and increased commitmentto improvementBetter use of classroom time

New methods for promoting student learning

Sharing of innovative curriculum materials and practiceswith educators at other schools

Observation of innovative practices in settings similar tothe educator's own school

Networking with other educators who have similar concerns

Easier access to educational materials and resources

Potential Local School Council and community outreach outcomes.Just as a wide range of professional development outcomes can beaddressed through telecommunication systems, a wide range ofcommunity outreach outcomes can also be achieved through suchsystems. Depending on the specific applications, outcomes mightinclude:

Improved communication with neighborhood constituenciesabout school programs and accomplishments

Better use of CPS resources to administer local schools

Access to expert advice on a wide range of issues

Access to data about a local school's students, budgets,etc.

Observation of effective administrative practices insettings similar to the local school

Communication and networking with other schools to sharecommon concerns, information about effective solutions,plans for future actions, etc.

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Communication with resources and groups outside of CPS, suchas at community groups, universities, etc.

Easier parent access to teachers and information about localschool activities

Egtglitiais. Students can also be served in manyways by telecommunications. Included in the new vision oflearning that telecommunications can create are thesepossibilities:

Access to a broader range of course offerings for allstudents, not just those in magnet programsLocal access to university level coursesParticipation in reality-based learning experiences, forexample, practicing a foreign language via hook-ups withresidents of another country, or participating in realscientific experiments through hook-ups witli scientistsworking at laboratories such as Fermi or Argonne

Participation in educational demonstrations that could noteconomicalJy be duplicated at the school site

Participation in time-lapse simulations

Participation in projects with students who live in othercities and states

In conclusion, this section of the report has outlined thepotential that telecommunications s for use in school settings.Although the report has described . detail the numerousconfigurations that such systems c. assume and examined criteriathat should be applied to the use of telecommunications, theultimate test for any use of telecommunication systems in schooldistricts has to be whether the technology promotes greaterlearning opportunities for students, teachers, administrators,and the overall community. That is, are professional developmentactivities for teachers and administrators going to be supportedand sustained better by the use of telecommunications? Willparents and the community become empowered by the increasedavailability of educational information and training that ispossible through telecommunication networks? And, are studentsgoing to have more curricular options as well as greateropportunities for instruction that is geared to their individualneeds?

In schools, the use of telecommunication technologies should bepredicated on whether such applications will promote andfacilitate problem solving, communication, collaborativelearning, thinking and reflection, and application of what islearned to real life tasks. This means selectingtelecommunications systems for their ability to customize

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learning in these areas and for their ability to expose users toexpertise both inside and outside the school system. It alsomeans training users to operate the technologies in an active,not passive way.

Increasingly, school reform around the nation is moving towardorganizational models that are based on site-based management andlocal empowerment. As school districts try to "unpackage" thepresent schooling process and pass responsibility for learning tolocal stakeholders, uses of technology must support this process.Yet we know that the greatest impediment to this localizeddecisionmaking is inaccessibility to essential information andlack of knowledge about how to use the tools oftelecommunication.

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1

IV

LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCILS AND PARENT/COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The passing of PA 85-1418 has transformed Chicago iato a cityabuzz with school reform activities. This legislation resultedfrom the work of a coalition of Chicago's politicians, businessleaders, teachers and administrators, parents, and communitygroups, who worked together over several years. The outcome oftheir work is a school reform package that is built on thepremise that parents and communities, working with schoolbuilding professionals, are essential to making schools work.

Under the legislation, elected Local School Councils at each ofthe city's schools are to become decisionmakers and planners forschool improvement. Standing in support of these councils arecommunity-based groups, many of which have a long history ofworking to create and sustain viable neighborhoods across thecity. Together, these two groups--LSCs and community groups--represent both an important resource for school reform as well asa critical area of need for information and training. Some ofthe community groups are well prepared to deal with educationalisslaes and to support their constituencies in participating inschool reform. Others are not. Similarly, many of the electedLSCs are finding themselves adequately prepared to assumeleadership roles in school change and others are not. Helping tosupport these groups (who are so central to the success ofreform) makes parent and community outreach important areas toserve with telecommunications. Moreover, the fact that there areover 540 LSCs and over 65 major community groups that couldaccess cervices, resources, information, and training makestelecommunications a logical strategy to explore.

This section of the report describes the activities of communityorganizations and Local School Councils. For this study, asample of 27 community organizers and a purposive sample of LSCpresidents from 20 schools were asked about activities theyengaged in both before and after the LSC elections in October.(See Appendix_l for survey and interview questions.) The overallpurpose of these surveys and interviews was to assess the kind ofsupport these groups are receiving and to identify priority areasof need--in information, in training, and in communication. Thissection begins with a description of the community organizationsbecause they represent a broad community framework within whichthe LSCs are operating. A description of the Local SchoolCouncils follows, and the section concludes with a discussion ofhow telecommunications might help support the LSCs and increaseoutreach to parents and community residents.

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Overview of Findings

o The massive participation of community organizations inChicago's school reform movement has created 540 LocalSchool Councils and a new, expanded, and more powerful rolefor principals as leaders at the local school level. Thissection of the study surveys how these two changes arehaving important implications for information dissemination,for training of parents and community residents who areserving on LSCs, and for communication and networking of LSCmembers with one another and with the people who electedthem.

o This study found that, in a sample of 20 schools across thecity, most LSCs were turning to Chicago Public Schoolsprincipals and teachers and to the central office atPershing Road for support to perform the tasks outlined inPA 45-1418. They are looking to education professionals tohelp them understand and construct a budget; make decisionsabout curriculum and instruction; interpret the reformlegislation; construct school improvement plans; andunderstand and implement federal and state guidelines.

o The Chicago Public Schools, in mobilizing to hold theelections and in conducting the regular business ofschooling, has not been able to develop an infrastructurenor a set of procedures for helping its professional staffto support the needs of Local School Councils. There arefew mechanisms for supplying LSCs with information; foranswering questions and making clarifications; forconducting the 30 hours of training mandated by thelegislation; for making announcements; and for advertisingmeetings and other events. In short, these areas allrepresent shortfalls in a rapidly changing public schoolenvironment that has had to gear up for change rapidly.

Commmunity Organizations and School Reform

More than 65 organizations have been involved with lobbying forthe reform legislation and with supporting local communities torespond to that legislation. During this study, NCREL collectedinterview data from 27 of these groups, about 42% of the total.On initial analysis, these organizations serve a range ofconstituencies and offer an even wider range of services andresources. However, some general patterns emerge upon closerscrutiny, especially when the groups are examined through thelens of school reform.

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Organizational Goals

Of the 27 community organizations interviewed, all had beeninvolved in the recent spate of school reform activities thatresulted in'PA 45-1418 and the election of Local School Councils.Yet, the primary purposes of most of the groups were not orientedtoward educational reform. Rather, they were more broadly basedand focused on supplying information and technical assistance inbasic needs areas, such as social services to the poor, tamilysupport, neighborhood'renewal and development, culturalactivities, language support to recent immigrants, employmentassistance, and health. A major purpose of many of these groupswas building local leadership so that neighborhoods couldorganize and make changes for themselves. Howeve, in responseto the teacher strike of 1987, most of these essentially sociP1service groups found themselves in a political situation thatrequired developing and expanding the educational services theywere providing to their communities.

A small number of the groups interviewed had goals and objectivesthat were narrowly focused on schools and the reform ofeducation. Of these groups, some were organized in directresponse to the 1987 teacher strike. Most were small cadres ofparents and community members who had been working in localschools (or outside of them; to bring about improvements. Theteacher strike gave these groups a renewed focus and strongerlocal support to do something about the schools.

An even smaller set of groups were citywide organizations thathad a long history of dealing with the reform of Chicago'sschools. One of the oldest was an organization that had been aresource provider Lnd activist-oriented group since the late1930$. Two others were groups that had emerged to supply parentsand children with knowledge and advocacy services, helpingparents and children secure their rights when they dealt with theChicago school system. These two groups have emerged as schoolreform centers for the city, assisting community organizations,local schools, and parents with information and training. Forthe most part, these two groups focus on high level research,policy, advocacy, and training services that people all over thecity might need.

School reform -- a citywide goal. Indeed, it is not anexaggeration to say that school reform represents the mostsignificant activity that Chicago's neighborhood and communitygroups have been involved in for the past two years. It is theone issue that has created a cross-city coalition for groups thathad previously been narrowly focused on working within geographicboundaries for basically local outcomes.

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A focus on neighborhoods. Yet it is important to note that thecoalition is a tentative and fragile one. Although it is broadlyfocused on education and the school system, most organizationsand their members continue to think in terms of individualschools within their neighborhoods. Indeed this emphasis isprobably one of the reasons why the reform legislation itselfenjoyed such widespread support from such disparate groups around

the city. The legislation puts the locus of change on the localschool and, in the process, dismantles the previous locus ofpower--the bureaucracy associated with the overall school system,

Targeted Constituents

The predominant pattern of membership in these organizations isfocused on the local neighborhood or community, with communityresidents and institutions belonging to and/or being served byone or more organizations. A second pattern of membershiptargets cultural and language groups. A third pattern tends tobe larger and better funded citywide organizations, serving abroad constituency all over the city, usually parents andschoolchildren.

LSCs - A new constituency. A general characteristic of almostall the community organizations is service to the newly electedLocal School Councils. The LSCs represent perhaps the narrowesttarget audience for any of these community organizations, and howthey serve the LSCs varies greatly. A few act only as advisors,providing very little technical assistance; others offer moreextensive support and assistance. Only a few of these groupsseem to have considered the local school as a direct constituentbefore the reform legislation.

However, school reform has made reaching the LSC as a targetaudience a major goal of many community organizations. Many feelresponsible for the parent and community members of thesecouncils. Indeed, many staff and members from these groups wereelected to the LSCs. A member of one group even sits on theInterim Board of Education. Also, many of the groups see the LSCas a conduit into an educational system that previously seemedimpenetrable--even at the local school level.

Capacity to Effect Change

How are these community organizations continuing to support thenewly elected LSCs? To what extent do community-basedorganizations have the resources to implement and support schoolreform? And what resources do they have to communicate anddisseminate school reform information?

2 5

Funding. The fact that community organizations were able tomobilize Chicago residents to support the passing of the schoolreform legislation and that over 1/3 of the city's residentsvoted in the school elections makes a strong case for the impactthese groups can and do have on local communities. However,funding and staffing are rapidly becoming problems for thesegroups. Initially, grants from the business community throughthe Leadership for Quality Education (LQE) gave many of thesegroups the resources they needed to assist with school reform.Using newly hired staff members and printed material financed byLQE, many community organizations gained access to informationabout how schools are organized and what people who run them needto know and do. This information had previously been difficultto obtain by people in the community, and now it was readilyavailable. However, many groups say that their LQE monies haverun out and that they need additional funding and staff both tocontinue and to broaden their work with school reform in thecommunity.

Space for meetinas. It seems that the easiest resource that mostcommunity organizations can provide to the LSCs is meeting space,both for LSC meetings and for training and workshops. Severalgroups mentioned that they are providing a forum for LSC membersto come and discuss issues, receive training, and to network withother LSC members in the community. Community organizations--asneighborhoods hubs--appear to be an especially gcod resource forthis kind of networking. They have the kind of broad connectionswithin and across communities to break down the barriers thatmight prevent such linkages.

Communication and dissemination. Neighborhood communication anddisseminaticn are common activities for many of the community-based organizations interviewed for this study. However, becausethey typically serve nearby residents, most use word-of-mouth, orprint strategies, such as newsletters and flyers, to getinformation around the community. As a result, most were notaccustomed to thinking of communication and dissemination interms of telecommunications. Indeed, for most, telecommunicationresources are sparse, and knowledge of their use is scanty. Inthe neighborhoods, only about half of the organizations hadcomputers, and these are mainly used for word processing. Inother hardware categories, most had very little, including accessto TVs and VCRs at the office location. When asked abouttelecommunications, most tended to say they had nothing.

However, a number of community organizers were aware of thepotential uses of telecommunications technologies. A couple ofgroups had experimented with cable TV shows but none had reallyfollowed through with them. The group with the most success inTV was a language-oriented citywide group that had the volunteerservices of a ma.,or TV news anchor and reporter to support theirefforts. Apparently, however, some of the citywide educational

2 6

research and advocacy groups are beginning to think about usingvideos to disseminate training, but they have not developed thisstrategy yet. Most groups cited lack of resources--both humanand hardwara--as the primary reason they had not been usingtelecommun4 ations for communication and dissemination.

School Reform Activities

When community organizations were asked to describe theireducational activities and strategies, the most often-cited itemwas the support of Local School Councils. Serving on an LSC hascome to represent a high priority task for community people. Itis an opportunity to directly influence and change schools, oneof the most important neighborhood institutions. If schools haveproblems, communities--through their local councils--now have anofficial structure and the designated authority to work outsolutions. It is a job not taken lightly. In fact, when oneorganization was asked how it served the LSCs, it said that itsjob was to "inform, instruct, and support" the councils.

To address this task, community organizations are trying toextend and expand the usual services they have been offering totheir local communities. In general, they seem to want to offerinformation, instruction, and support for LSCs.

ocal School Councils

PA 45-1418 designated the election of LSCs as the first majorstep of a restructuring plan for the Chicago Public Schools.These councils have been given broad policymaking power andduties in specific areas, such as appointment and evaluation ofprincipals; development and monitoring of school improvementplans; oversight of school budgets; and evaluation of personneluse and other school policies and procedures.

On October 11 and 12, more than 300,000 parents, scho staff,and community residents selected over 6,000 LSC membet,. TheseLSCs are now functioning as local boards of education for each ofthe city's schools. Not only have their general goals beenoutlined for them in the legislation, many are now beginning tomap out their own specific goals. Twenty LSC presidents (at thesample schools) were surveyed and interviewed for this part ofthe study. The survey results indicate that while all accept thebasic tenets of the legislation, many are moving beyond those"basics", adding their own local concerns and needs to thelegislative agenda.

2 7

Goals of the Councils

One measure of the Local School Councils' goals is what trainingtopics they consider most important. In general, most pointed tothe legislation's directives. Accordingly, the budget and theschool improvement plan were mentioned most often by the LSCpresidents. Over one half of the survey respondents mentionedone or both of these as most important topics for training,

School reform -- a local lens. At a meeting of the same LSCpresidents on January 11, NCREL asked: "What goals has your LSCidentified as most important?" Answers were seldom directed tospecific mandates from the legislation and seldom usedlegislative language. For example, instead of discussing schoolimprovement plans, most LSC chairs talked about increasingstudent performance or achievement; about improving scores,attendance, and dropout rates; about improving instruction.Indeed, most of the discussion focused on school improvementgoals that were very specific to specific school sites. One highschool LSC president said that the LSC's first goal was to makethe school the first choice of district students. Another feltthat it needed a clear mission statement before it could moveforward. Another wanted to develop a black history curriculum.Mostly, the answers defined school improvement through a locallens.

Within the larger framework of the legislation, the most oftenmentioned goal by LSC members was the need for LSCs to definetheir roles more clearly--in relationship to the school and tothe principal. Many agreed with comments from some presidentsthat they did not want to do the principal's job. Several seemedto agree with one LSC's comment that the legislation had"promised much and given little," in terms of defining andsupporting LSCs to understand and assume their appropriateposition. In the open discussion on January 11, most seemedcomfortable with defining their role as advisors andpolicymakers, and they seemed to want help with learning how toserve those functions.

However, and in spite of some degree of ambiguity, the LSCmembers seem to be taking their jobs very seriously. (Severalnoted that it takes a lot of time and energy, and that meetingstend to go on for a long time.) Many presidents expressedconcern that roles and responsibilities be worked out carefully,because the most important outcome of this process is bettereducational opportunities for the children.

The legislation created Local School Councils with more than4,000 parent and community members who need information,training, and communication to do their jobs effectively.

28

Unfortunately, according to many of these newly electedofficials, the mechanisms to supply these needs are eitherlacking or difficult to access. Thus, whatever the broad goalsof the legislation or the individual goals of the councils, anunderlying and critical goal of these councils is to become aswell prepared as possible to do their jobs. Both in writtensurveys and oral interviews, LSC chairs note that they are notadequately prepared to reach their goals for school improvement.Most cite incorrect, inconsistent, or unavailable inflormation;little or no training; and lack of knowledge of what other LSCs

are doing and how they are solving similar problems. These arenot goals that have been addressed by the legislation nor bysupport mechanisms implemented by the CPS central office tosupport legislation.

Targeted Constituents

The LSCs represent a very large audience for school relatedinformation, an audience that has been created by a legislativeact. In the past, parents and the community had alwaysrepresented a potential audience for such information, but theyhad never been empowered in specific ways to use the information.

What kind of audience are they? Two characteristics dominatethis group. One, they are diverse. The people serving on thecouncils range from professionals, who possess excellent skillsin budget processes, strategic planning, and personnelevaluation, to people who have limited basic educational skillsor who may have limited use of the English language, or evenlimited literacy in their own language when printed materials aretranslated. Second, the LSC members have varying amounts of timeto devote to school reform. They often have full-time jobs,either at home or in the business world. They may not have thefreedom or resources to spend a great deal of their time beinginvolved with schools--learning how to write budgets; how tointerpret federal and state guidelines; how to negotiate andexecute a performance contract.

Choices. These characteristics mean that the LSCs are not amonolithic audience for training and outreach. Some probablyneed a great deal of information and training on a variety oftopics. Others may need very little. It would not be logical orefficient, therefore, to subject all LSC members to the sameamount and type of training and information. Yet all of themshould have access to the same information and the same qualityof training. In short, they need consistent, equitable choicesabout what training to use and when to use it. The when isparticularly important because all of the LSC members are fittingthis job into their lives. They need to have choices about howto do that.

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In addition, LSCs are responsible to a broader set ofconstituencies, the people who elected them and charged them withthe responsibility for improving their local schools. LSCs mustthen devise ways to reach this audience, an audience that is asdiverse as themselves. When the next elections come up, the LSCswill want voters to know what they have accomplished and whatproblems they have encountered. Indeed, one way to interpret thelegislation is that a broader spectrum of the community has beenmade responsible for what happens in schools. Only a wellinformed voter constituency can make wise choices in subsequentelections.

Diversity demands that a wide range of strategies be developed toget both educational information and training to LSCs and to thebroader parent and community audience. Moreover, thesestrategies must be more than one-way strategies; the strategiesmust be interactive and responsive. Reaching the neededaudiences must include the following:

=M.N.

,MNP,MNP

,MNP,MNP

Canvassing LSCs, parents, and community residentsfor needs and concernsDeveloping their capacity to deal with educationalproblemsAnswering questions and dealing with problemsPutting people in touch with one another to shareinformation and resourcesReaching people when it is convenient for them

Capacity to Effect Change

Do the LSCs have the information and training they need to reachtheir goals -- that is, make decisions about school policies andpractices in the areas of budget; curriculum and instruction;school improvement; principal selection and evaluation; andpersonnel selection? When the LSC presidents were asked: "Whatdoes your LSC feel least qualified to do?," one woman answered:"Everything...we don't know anything..." Her cohorts quicklynodded agreement. From both survey responses and oral comments,it appears that LSCs have some strong feelings about what theydon't know and how that lack of knowledge affects their abilitiesto perform. Several commented that they do not feel "trained"and one person made a clear distinction between "gatheringinformation" and training.

Access_to information. When LSCs were asked to identify sourcesof information, most identified the principal as their primarysource, except for information about Princiol Selection. (SeeExhibit 4-1.) Of the surveyed LSCs, 77% to 92% relied upc.:n theprincipal for all categories, with Budget being cited the most.In fact, there was a significant difference between the number oftimes LSCs relied on the principal for information and when they

3 0

relied on other sources, namely the Board of Education centraloffice, teachers, community groups, training, printed material,and other LSC members. (See Exhibit 4-1.) Although the Board ofEducation central office was the next most frequently citedsource, several respondents noted that the central office wasconsidered to be "obstructionist" or "negative." At the Januarymeeting, many presidents commented on how slow the central officehad been in responding to questions and providing neededdocunents and guidelines. Still, LSCs feel that they need accessto information and resources housed at Pershing Road. For most,however, principals seem to represent a closer and, perhaps: morecooperative source of this same information. Several alsocommented that it is the principal who helps them decipherguidelines, follow correct procedures, and, in short, keep theschool working as they learn.

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Exhibit 4-1.Where Local Schoul +:.)uncils Go for Information*

Type of Information Wanted

Source(total) Budget

Legisla-tion

Curr & SchoolInstruct Imp Plan

Guide-lines

PrincipalSelection

Principal 15 13 14 14 13 7

(76)

Board ofEducation 11 11 8 7 9 10Central Office

(56)

Teachers 4 3 10 9 4 5

(35)

PrintedMaterial 9 8 5 4 6 5

(37)

Training 5 6 3 6 4 4

(28)

Other LSCMembers 7 4 3 4 4 5

(27)

CommunityGroup 2 5 1 2 3 3

(16)

TOTAL 53 50 44 46 43 39

from study sample of 20 schools with 16 responding to thissurvey

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3!)

For all categories of information, LSCs are most dependent onprincipals for their information. So far, this reliance does notappear to be problematic. Indeed, it is not unlike any expectedrelationship between a Board of Directors and an ExecutiveDirector. Accordingly, many LSC presidents commented that theyexpect to depend on education professionals for importantinformation and interpretation of Board policies. However,assur:ing consistent and timely access to this information doesseem to need further structure and support.

Reliance on community oraanizations. Surprisingly, answers fromthe survey suggested that many LSCs do not have many connectionswith community organizations. When asked: "Which communityorganization (if any) is working with your LSC for training?,"most answered "none." Also, community organizations received thelowest number of responses as information providers. This lowresponse pattern implies that most LSCs are not depending upon oreven seeing community organizations as major sources ofinformation to help them reach their goals.

However, at the January meeting, a majority of LSC presidentsraised their hands affirmatively in response to the question:"How many of you are working with community organizations?"Apparently, community organizations are seen in their moretraditional community service functions and not as officialrepresentatives of school reform. Yet, several organizationswere listed as training groups on the written survey. Almostwithout exception, however, they tended to be the largerorganizations that either had well-developed strategies fordisseminating information, such as the Urban League or OperationPUSH's Rainbow Coalition, or they were connected to citywideeducation agencies, such as Designs for Change or The ChicagoPanel on Public School Policy and Finance. So, while mostcommunity groups are not providing as much service as they wouldlike or is needed, several of the city's larger groups are tryingto maintain a close relationship with some LSCs.

Access to training. In the weeks and days leading up to the LSCelections, many parents and community residents received trainingfrom community groups. The Chicago Panel reported that it alonehad trained about 1465 of these people. Indeed, when LSCpresidents were asked if they had participated in this p're-election training, almost all indicated that they had. However,it appears that community groups are providing very little post-election training, except in a few areas of the city. Severalgroups are offering this training, but only to selected LSCs orgroups of LSCs. In addition, schools that had ongoingrelationships with highly structured programs such as CANAL andNortheastern's Project Co-Lead are receiving very comprehensivepost-election training.

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Beyond these, a number of LSCs are still not receiving training.In fact, only in January did the Board of Education officiallyrelease funding to pay for training, and some LSCs are thereforestill exploring their choices for training. In general, thisprocess is not proving to be a systematic one. Most who arestill investigating indicated that they are using a number ofdifferent strategies to identify training. Once they identifyit, however, the problems of finding a time and a place tocomplete the 30 hours stipulated by the legislation remain.Clearly, the capacity of LSCs to do their job is dependent onresolving these issues.

In addition to needing information and training, a number of LSCpresidents indicated that they feel a need to communicate withother LSCs because they are all experiencing similar problems andcould possibly learn problem-solving strategies, neededinformation, and sources of training from one another. Oursurvey of community organizations revealed one or two attempts tonetwork LSCs by arranging neighborhood meetings. And, at theJanuary meeting held for this study, a number of pens came outwhen one LSC president offered information about an upcomingmeeting to establish an LSC Presidents Organization. Establishingsuch links among the LSCs would probably support consistency forthe course of reform around the city as well as promote thespread of LSC strategies that work.

Access to resources. Concrete resources to assist LSCs withtheir needs appear to be extremely variable. Survey responsesindicate that LSCs are heavily dependent on schools for meetingspace and therefore restricted in the times they can meet fortraining. Many LSC presidents at the January meeting complainedthat important Board of Education meetings on state and federalguidelines, such as Chapter 1, are being held at morning andafternoon times that are inconvenient for working LSC members.

When LSCs were asked about use of telecommunications, most hadnot considered how this resource could be used to benefitthemselves. Instead, most of their ideas were related tosupporting student learning and instructional goals. Some feltthat telecommunications could probably help with the exchange ofinformation, but they were unsure. In answer to the question,"How might telecommunications help you achieve your goals?," oneparticipant at the January meeting noted that the question wasdirected at issues that were greatly beyond the presentconsideration of LSCs. That is, the LSCs are working at a levelof basic survival--meeting and solving immediate problems--andusing telecommunications seems a more long range concern.

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Activities of the Councils

The major activities and strategils of LSCs are focused onbuilding their capacity to run their schools. For the most part,the activities of the councils seem very similar. Most aremeeting once or twice a month. At their meetings, typicalactivities include forming sub-committees, identifying theschool's most pressing problems, and beginning to devise plansfor how to address them. Some express a great deal of concernabout staying out of day-to-day operations and, instead, aredefining their functions in the following terms: oversight;policymaking; participatory decisionmaking; and monitoring.

Trainina. In general, they express the desire for training inareas tied very closely to their roles as defined in thelegislation--with budaets, school improvement plans, andprincipal selection cited as the most important topics fortraining. Although there are quite a few groups offeringtraining programs in these areas, it is not clear that most LSCseither know of them or plan to use them. Moreover, it is alsonot clear how consistent the quality of these options are. Mostimportantly, a large number of LSCs are already working andmaking decisions without benefit of training--quality orotherwise. For some LSCs, who have strong ties to aknowledgeable community group or who are being supported by CANALor Project Co-Lead, good training is available and is being usedon a regular basis. For others, it is not.

Communication channels. Similar patterns of inconsistencycharacterize communication and networking among LSCs. As notedearlier, many want or see the need for developing communicationchannels among them, but no systematic plans exist to facilitateand coordinate LSC networking, except in limited situations.Even contact with nearby schools appears to be limited, except ina few instances. However, at the January meeting, several peoplementioned that their LSCs are beginning to establish suchcontacts, especially in their neighborhoods.

Prospects for the Future

Both the spirit and letter of PA 45-1418 imparts some neweducational goals and responsibilities to parents and localcommunities. On both the goals and the responsibilities, thelegislation is quite specific:

11.11 Empower both the principal and the Local SchoolCouncil, thereby creating a Board of Directors/CEO-type relationship.

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41111 Reassign financial resources so that local schoolscan make budgetary decisions that affect them.

Shift responsibility for school improvement andstudent learning to a locally empowered governancestructure that is based heavily on parents andcommunity residents.

Assisting LSCs, parents, and citizens with assuming these newgoals and responsibilities will remain a continuing task in theweeks, months, and years ahead. In this study of communityorganizations and Local School Councils, it is clear that anumber of problems and needs are emerging immediately during theimplementation of the legislation. The following sectionevaluates how these problems and needs are being addressed bycurrent practice and suggests ways they could be better supportedthrough the use of telecommunications.

New Priorities

NCREL's interviews with both community organizers and LocalSchool Council presidents reveal three areas of priority forthese groups. These areas are: 1) information; 2) training; and3) communication and networking. Some of these priorities arethe results of the legislation; for example, requiring that LSCsdevelop and approve school improvement plans, and that theynegotiate a performance contract with the principal and evaluatehis/her performance under that contract. These responsibilitiesall require that LSC members have accurate and useful informationabout tasks with which they may be unfamiliar. Thus, they mayneed training to learn how these activities are best done.However, some of the priorities are emerging as more parents andlocal community residents become more involved in the educationalprocess at their local schools and citywide. For example,networking with other LSCs is emerging as an important, but non-mandated, need from the council members themselves. Also, ourinterviews suggest that many LSCs have a number of localizedconcerns that are not mentioned in PA 45-1418.

Supportina Local School Councils. LSC members have foundthemselves confronted with tasks that require knowledge they maynot have and skills they have not had to develop. Combined, thesesets of circumstances are creating some critical school reformneeds for the LSCs.

1. Gaining access to consistent, timely, and easily understoodinformation

Information is an important area of need for LSC members.Ironically, LSC presidents noted that, at times, they are facedwith a glut of information, while at other times, they are facedwith a dearth of information. This discrepancy between need and

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supply means that LSCs can never predict If they will have wIlatthey need to do their job. Often, the glut is so ssrious thatthey need help determiniraj what is really important. However,getting prompt Arywers to questions And requests forclarification are often and unsatisfactory. During oralinterviews witt, 1,Lesidents, a large number complainedabout how W.tft-t it is to get immediate responses to suchneeds.

koreover, according to several LSC members, some of the'information they receive is incorrect, inconsistent, or hard tounderstand. One president commented that information oftenchanges day by day. In addition, interpretation and translationof complex data and guidelines are accomplished on a case by casebasis, with no guarantee of consistency. The LSCs and theirmembers are a very diverse group and the information theytypically receive is often couched in language and presented in

formats that are unfamiliar and inaccessible. At a Januaryinterview of LSC presidents, several mentioned that criticalinformation should be offered to LSCs in more than one medium.For the most part, it appears that LSCs do not now have controlover the flow of information coming to them nor over the qualityand presentation of that information. Yet this information iscritical to the tasks that have been outlined for them

Even the principals who are experienced in working withinformation networks within the Chicago Public Schools find thatthey are impeded in many of their attempts both to get correctinformation as well as to identify proper procedures. Oneprincipal noted that he is not even receiving the sameinformation as his LSC chair. That situation, he notes, preventshim from being able to respond constructively to LSC requests.Supporting the capacity of principals to provide accurateinformation to LSCs would represent an important resource andsupport to the councils.

2. Identifying and receiving comprehensive training thatempowers LSCs to perform the tasks mandated to them by PA45-1418 and by their communities

Training is the most often mentioned need among the LSCpresidents -- both in the surveys and at the January meeting.Before the LSC elections, potential LSC members had been trainedunder a systematic training program, with pre-packaged topics andfunded delivery systems. Training packages were designed anddisseminated with consistent messages that were heavily tied tothe legislation and to the election procedures. In short,training was a planned activity tied very closely to a specificset of outcomes. Since the LSC elections, training is beingoffered in more of a marketplace arena. There are many potential

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providers, who are offering varying messages with numerouschoices. In this context, there is less funding and the newlyelected LSCs are operating as inexperienced consumers.

As a result, community organizations with few resources(especially staff and access to information) are not wellpositioned to provide training to their neighborhood LSCs. Thismeans that no consistent, dependable structure exists, across allcommunities, to "inform, instruct, and support" LSCs. These areroles that community organizations are historically accustomed toplaying but now say they cannot because of inadequate funds andstaff. Moreover, they are competing with other providers ofthese services who have greater resources, such as colleges anduniversities, and other private agencies.

Learning how. Both in written surveys and in oral interviews,LSC presidents expressed strong preferences for training that isless focused on information gathering and more centered onteaching them how to accomplish specific tasks outlined in thelegislation. That is, they want fewer facts and more trainingthat helps them develop the skills needed to do the work. A fewrespondents evaluated their present training as "boring" becauseit was heavily concerned with ideas and theories and not withprocess. When asked what they liked most about their training,some noted the question and answer sessions, a-id trainers whoadjusted their presentations to the needs of the group. Over andover, at the January meeting, LSC presidents stressed theirdesire to learn how to be policymakers and how to carry out theirroles in relationship to the principal.

Identifying the best training. Many of the LSCs feel a sense ofurgency about what they are being asked to do. This sense ofurgency makes them anxious about receiving good training. As aresult, there appears to be a great deal of concern aboutidentifying the best training. For those with connections toeither Designs for Change, Chicago Panel, CANAL, or universityprograms, this seem less of a problem. But for those withoutsuch connections, finding out what training is available and itsquality has become an acute need.

Meeting diverse needs. The diverse characteristics of the LSCaudience present another set of challenges for training. First,all LSC members are not consistently available at the same timefor comprehensive training to take place. Of the 16 LSCs thatanswered this study's survey, more than 70% are meeting only onceor, at most, twice a month. Many mentioned that it has takensome time to settle on a designated number of meetings per monthand to set a time. Obviously, training will soon have to be fitinto this schedule, because LSCs must make some importantdecisions over the next few months. They will want and needtraining to support their abilities to make these decisions.Second, space must be arranged for training. Schools are

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available only on a limited basis after school and many LSCmembers work during the day. Time and space, therefore, are twoimportant considerations as LSCs try to plan for training.Third, training must be offered in a number of different ways toreach LSC members who have varying skills and experiences. Oneapproach will not be effective for all people, nor will allpeople have the same level of need and support.

3. Being able to communicate and network with other LSCs aswell as with constituencies in their communities

When 20 LSC presidents were brought together in January, one ofthe most strongly articulated needs was for greater communicationand networking among them. Except for strong ties to theirprincipals and to their fellow LSC members, most seemed to feelvery isolated and insulated from the flow of school reform. Theycomplained that they have very little knowledge of what otherLSCs are doing and how they are solving similar problems.

Moreover, most do not seem to have thought about how they willdisseminate information beyond themselves to their broaderconstituencies, that is, the parents and community residents whoelected them. Indeed, increasing the accountability of LSCs isan area that has not been well explored with the passing of thelegislation or since.

In addition, LSCs do not have mechanisms for linking to a broadrange of individuals and groups that might have resources forassisting them with information or training. For example, theyhave no way to find out about model programs in special areas,nor can they access and evaluate the best in areas that they mayknow least about, such as curriculum. In fact, a school on oneside of the city would probably find it difficult to identify anexemplary program on another side of the city. Clearly, the LSCsneed a wider support system than they presently have, a supportsystem that includes the Central Office, Chicago educationprofessionals, colleges and universities, national researchcenters and laboratories, and others.

Implications for TelecommLaications

It is clear that telecommunications cannot solve all of theproblems and needs related to LSC support and parent/communityoutreach. Yet, this resource can be useful in supporting thereform legislation. School reform has created new priorities forparents and citizens that can be served through communityorganizations and the Local School Councils. For both of thesegroups, telecommunications allows for the offering of morechoices and options; it provides for greater equity in the

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dissemination of information and strategies; and it offers usersgreater capacity to use resources and to gain control over howthey use those resources.

However, users must be trained in what telecommunications has tooffer and how to use the related technological hardware andsoftware. In an already vast and disorganized marketplare ofinformation providers and trainers, telecommunications may atfirst seem to glut the market even more. Users, therefore, mustbe well positioned to evaluate what the technology is offeringthem.

Consequently, this study is recommending that the Chicago PublicSchools look very carefully at concrete ways to usetelecommunication technologies to support Local School Councils,groups that are new to the business of schooling. Like any newbusiness, these councils need access to information, training andsupport services to perform their designated tasks, and they needdistribution systems to communicate with their constituencies.Electronic avenues are an efficient, consistent, and equitableresource for offering support to more than 540 geographicallydispersed and dissimilar councils and for linking these councilsto community resources. Moreover, telecommunications can beconfigured in ways that take advantage of the assets of a largedistrict, while maintaining the autonomy of local schools.

Local School Council Recommendations

One of the more exciting prospects of this study is identifyingthe vast number of possibilities that telecommunications offersto the Chicago school community. This report therefore recommendsthat the following types of telecommunications-based activitiesbe explored:

Develon and sunnort the capability of nrincipals to useelectronic avenues (computer and telephone )to access Board ofEducation information and data for the LSC. This activity willfurther enhance the level of information support that LSCs arereceiving to perform the tasks mandated by the school reformlegislation. One possibility might be the establishment of afully computerized LSC Information Center (perhaps one in eachdistrict) that is staffed from 6:30 am to noon and from 4:00 pmto 8:00 pm. Such a center would be hooked into the Board'smainframe computer as well as other databases that would allowschool staff and LSC members to gain immediate access toinformation.

Use nretaped videos and cable television broadcasts to showexamples of how LSCs are discharging particular responsibilities.These shows would model appropriate decision-making processes and

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procedures. Videos could also be used to provide training inareas that have consistent content, such as how to read a lumpsum budget; how to conduct a needs assessment, and how to designa school imprnvement plan. Pre-packaged videos could also bedubbed in other languages so that they can be used with non-English speaking or LEP communities.

lze_-_,. a . u 2 offered by communityorganizations and colleges and universities for both LSCs andschool professionals-. The cataloguing process would allowpotential users to call for references on the listed resources.

Extend the use of the present EIES system to encourage two-wayinteractive communications between and among schools and LSCs.As part of this expanded use, users will need assistance andtraining, particularly in the strategic use of telecommunicationresources as a tool of restructuring. In particular, LSCs andlocal schools will need assistance with using these systems forlocal community outreach.

These recommendations represent the minimum set of stepsnecessary to adequately address needs and problems related to thesuppert of LSCs and to increased parent and community outreach.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT IN THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Chicago Public Schools are in a state of flux in the area ofstaff development. While a primary goal of the reform is tocreate a system that allows for grass-roots control of theschools, the actual implementation of this process has challengedadministrators, teachers, and school council members alike, andthis year has been a period of transition.

One sees evidence of this transition everywhere. Last year, forexample, the Bureau of Staff Development published its regularcourse catalogues, but this fall it was unclear whether theBureau would continue to play that role. Early last fall theadministrative staff at Pershing Road was reduced by severalhundred people. Many of those remaining find themselves workingin a new department with a drastically reduced staff. All aretrying to establish and articulate their post-reformresponsibilities.

The law assigned individual schools a number of major tasks totackle within a brief period of time: electing and trainingmembers for the new school councils, writing and implementing aschool improvement plan, and developing teacher and principaltraining activities that are tied to these plans. Thistransition provides Chicago with a unique opportunity. Whilelncal school faculties and councils work to change the locus ofcontrol for staff development, they can also consider ways tomaximize the effectiveness of staff development programs.

In the past, professional development models in school systemsthroughout the country typically employed a central cadre oftrainers, who imparted their knowledge to teachers,administrators, and others in much the same way that teachershave traditionally imparted knowledge to students. Moreover,professional development was largely limited to one-shotsessions, the subjects of which were selected by others andprovided with little opportunity for immediate applications,practice with feedback and coaching, or opportunity forsubsequent research or work with the trainer. In the context ofreform, Chicago schools can now ask: What are the characteristicsof the best staff development? There is no one answer to thisquestion, but there is increasing consensus that effective staffdevelopment programs have many of the same characteristics foundin effective instructional programs for students:

-- They allow and encourage the learner to link new informationwith prior knowledge.

They maximize student control of the learning process.

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They are collaborative in nature. This means that they aredesigned, implemented, and assessed with collaboration amongthe designers, trainers, and participants. That is, thelearning process is collaborative, with teachers andadministrators engaged in peer coaching ard assesstlent of3earning.

They are sustained and iterative.

-- They are driven by the best of educational research andpractice.

In interviews conducted during this study, administrators andteachers characterized staff development as it has been in thepast, voiced their present concerns, and identified future needsto make the reform work. These individuals are attempting tocomply with the intent of the law, but the process is still inits infancy.

Central Office staff notified principals last fall that theywould be receiving staff development monies, but when NCREL beganits interviews in October the building administrators did not yetknow when or how much they would receive. The funds did arriveduring the course of the study, but principals could notinitially articulate the formula that had been used fordistribution. Obviously $650,000 is less substantial when brokeninto 604 pieces and principals and councils are searching foreffective uses for their share at the same time as they arelearning Dow to budget and what their training priorities are.

Overview of Findings

o PA 45-1418 transfers primary responsibility for staffdevelopment from the central office to the localschool. This section of the study surveys theimplications of this change. Central administrators,building principals, teachers, and other stakeholderswere interviewed to learn how the system currentlyfunctions. Additionally, principals of 20 schoolsrevealed their concerns and described their needs asthey take charge of inservice training. Their mostbasic requirement is current, concise, pragmaticinformation to facilitate the design of programs thatare responsive to their school improvement plan.

o This study found that there also are longstandingobstacles to effective staff development. Therelevance and scheduling of training and sustainedsupport for professional educa',.ion both are key issues.

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Inservice topics frequently are not responsive to theeducational needs and realities of teachers andadministrators, and when professionals do participatein pertinent training, there is rarely school andclassroom-level assistance to implement these effectivepractices. Furthermore, it is exceedingly difficult tofind adequate time for teachers to participate in theinitial training as well as in follow-up activities.

Common Patterns of Staff Development across the System

Currently staff development activities are initiated by theCentral Office, individual schools, and Project CANAL. Becauseall programs are regulated by Board, State, and Union policies,there is considerable overlap both in their structure and theconstraints that guide their operation. The following sectiondescribes common characteristics across the three models

Requirements and Restrictions

Board policy states that novice teachers and those new to thesystem may be required to participate in professional educationactivities without compensation (a maximum of 30 course hours),although there is no articulated focus for these hours. TheNegotiated Agreement between the Board and the Chicago TeachersUnion stipulates that all other teachers are not required toparticipate in activities that occur after the student day unlesscompensated at their regular salary rate; compulsory activitiesrequiring this regular salary are the exception. Principals canrequire elementary teachers to attend meetings or trainingsessions between 8:30 and 9:00 two mornings per week but theother three mornings are left for individual preparation.

Compensation and Fees

When teachers voluntarily attend inservice activities theyreceive Lane 3 promotional credit, $8 per hour, their regularsalary rate, or no compensation.

A master's degree is necessary before teachers are eligible forLane 3 credits. After they complete 36 additional hours of studythey receive a salary increase of approximately 4-8 percentdepending on their length of service in Chicago. One mustparticipate in a minimum of 15 classroom hours and completeoutside assignments for each semester hour of credit; you cannotreceive any additional compensation. These classes have aparticipation fee of at least $5 plus the cost of texts and othermaterials with many courses falling in the $25-30 range.

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Teachers surveyed about participation in Lane 3 courses fell into

two main categories. Half of the teachers had accumulated lessthan ten credit hours with 38 percent of this group listing nohours at all. (However, the survey did not discriminate betweenthose who are ineligible to receive the credit and those who areuninterested.) In a second group were 31 percent of the teacherswho had already accumulated all 36 hours required.

While many courses offer Lane 3 promotional credit, teachersreceive an hourly stipend for participating in other activities.CPS pays teachers $8 per hour for voluntary participation inextended day training, and schools that have corporate,foundation, or CANAL monies usually compensate teachers at a rateclose or equal to their regular salary.

There are also a number of professional development activitiessponsored by instructional bureaus and individual schools whichoffer neither credit nor monetary compensation but have beensuccessful in attracting participants. One of the bureaudirectors reported that there is a waiting list for most of theweekend conferences that she offers. Another remarked that morethan 200 teachers had attended an after-school round-tablesession that month in order to share teaching strategies.

Trainers

Outside consultants, curriculum specialists and coordinators, andteachers provide training. Teacher trainers must have a master'sdegree and are compensated at the rate of $20 per course hour.Since they have a great deal of credibility with their colleaguesthey are used frequently either as the sole presenter or inconjunction with an outside consultant. Publishing companiesregularly provide consultants to do instructional presentations,and industries often provide training for Vocational Educationteachers, e.g. how to fix a new type of motor. Universityconsultants are another source. The Department of Human Servicesprovides some of the training for Head Start teachers.

Scheduling

Finding time for group activities presents one of the greatestchallenges to staff development efforts. This problem existedprior tc the reform and has not been addressed by the law.Elementary principals are allotted two, 30-minute periods perweek to meet with their staff for organizational and staffdevelopment purposes. If meetings do not start punctually andstaff members must leave early to attend to arriving students thelength of the session is further reduced.

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Most principals feel that this arrangement does not allowsufficient time for any real exchange of ideas and often the timeis merely spent making announcements and addressing logisticalconcerns. High school principals and department chairs do noteven have the guarantee of this minimal time. They generallyarrange to meet with groups by shortening the student day;schools do this on a weekly, monthly, or occasional basis. Bothelementary and secondary faculties are allocated several half-daytraining sessions but this year all but one has been used forreport card or school council activities.

Programs do take place after school, on weekends, and during thesummer, but teachers are not compelled to attend and manyprincipals report that the extended day salary rate is notsufficient to motivate attendance.

It is also difficult for individuals to make plans to participatein school day professional activities. Because substitutes aregenerally unavailable, attendance at weekday conferences orclassroom visitations is almost impossible.

Central Office

Bureau of Staff Development and Instructional Bureaus

Goals. Bureau directors have attempted to design activities thatbenefit and appeal to teachers from throughout the system. Intrying to meet the needs of such a diverse population, it appearsthat there has been no specific goal, other than the general oneof improving instructional practices. Top.1cs for these coursesare determined in several ways. The Director of the Bureau ofStaff Development follows national trends and educationalresearch, reviews Board and state priorities and mandates, anduses teacher suggestions gleaned from evaluation forms fromearlier courses. Occasionally a principal will contact theDirector and request a specific type of training.

Program topics for training in other bureaus are determined byconducting needs assessments, seeking teacher feedback, andfollowing state and local mandates. The federal governmentmandates specific training topics for programs like Head Start.Principals and curriculum specialists at individual schools alsomake requests for training, primarily for the preschool slot atelementary buildings. Future requests will likely come fromprincipals and LSCs as they seek help in implementing theirbuilding improvement plans.

Target audience. In its effort to respond to the needs of morethan 24,000 teachers, the Bureau of Staff Development, arranges a

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wide range of courses which meet after school and during thesummer. Classes are located at the Administration and ServiceCenter, District offices, elementary and high schools, localcolleges and universities, and cultural centers. A number oftraining vehicles are used by the individual instructionalbureaus in their attempt to reach all teachers responsible forspecific content areas. Credit courses must be listed throughthe Bureau of Staff Development, and other non-credit courses areheld after school, during the summer, and on weekends.Additionally, the Bureaus of Language Arts and Mathematicsprovide monthly release time sessions for their resourceteachers, who do not require substitutes.

When institute days were citywide the instructional bureaus wereresponsible for the programs. This provided an opportunity tofurnish all Chicago teachers with uniform training on curricularissues. However, when the institutes were moved to the districtlevel the bureaus' roles became less direct. Individualdistricts often called their offices to request training programsfor these sessions, but the bureaus were no longer auaranteedaccess and they no longer controlled the content.

Various methods are used to communicate with this large audience.Typically, a course catalogue is published by the Bureau of StaffDevelopment and sent to all schools three times per year. TheInstructional Bureaus send out newsletters, bulletins, andcalendars to notify school faculties of their trainingactivities. They also contact principals and selected teachersthrough letters and personal contact.

Present strategies and activities. Those on all levels readilyacknowledge that there has been limited support followinginservice presentations. For the most part teachers attend asingle session workshop or series of classes and have only theirhandouts to guide them when they attempt to implement the programin their own classroom. Sustained personal support is theexception and that is usually provided only when activities havebeen funded by an external sponsor. There is generally notstaff, funding, or release time available for such activities inconjunction with regular CPS programs.

One of the few internal support systems has been developed withthe use of federal and state Chapter I funds. Ninety-sevenelementary schools have Intensive Reading Improvement Program(IRIP) teachers assigned to them and an additional 137 haveReading Improvement (RIP) teachers. There are 30 Elementa-ylevel Intensive Math Improvement Program (IMIP) teachers. JZIP,RIP, and IMIP teachers as well as other building resourceteachers play a role in staff development. This, however, isusually just one of their many responsibilities. Other dutiesmay include: ordering and distributing instructional materials,organizing student grouping, providing direct instruction,

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writing proposals, coordinating IGAP goals, and/or arrangingafter-school reading programs. Many of the resource teachers andprincipals interviewed voiced regret that the resource teachersare unable to spend more time in classrooms both to observe andprovide feedback and to model effective practices.

At the secondary level department chairs are the primary trainingresource, but they, too, have a limited amount of time for it.In addition to teaching four classes, they are also responsiblefor ordering instr,...:Itional materials and serving as a liaisonbetween the admini .ration and the teachers in their department.

Educational Service Center

Goals. Educational Service Center Six is one of 18 centerscreated by the Educational Reform Act of 1985 to develop anddeliver services designed to meet the needs of the schools in itsservice area. Educational Service Center Six provides service toChicago Public Schools, District 299, exclusively.

All Centers are required to offer a common core of services:

1. Develop, schedule, and provide inservice training foradministrators.

2. Establish prograri and provide training designed to achievecomputer literacy and high-tech competency.

3. Provide technical assistance to local schools to comply withprovisions pertaining to the State Goals for Learning,coordinate citywide workshops generated by Illinois StateBoard of Education staff, and assist in the development oflocal school improvement plans.

4. Provide training and staff development workshops in giftededucation, mathematics, science, reading, foreign language,computer training and fine arts.

5. Participate in the development and operation of a statewidenetwork designed to facilitate data reporting requirementsfrom local programs and services to the State Board ofEducation.

6. Serve as a citywide clearinghouse for educationalinformation and research.

7. Serve as the primary regional delivery system for federaland state supported programs in education.

Target audience. The ESC has a broad spectrum of clients.Included in its population are teachers, principals, assistant

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principals, administrators, Board members, and council members.

Present strategies/activities. A program of particular interestto this study is the information clearinghouse. Working with theBureau of Libraries, the Center can search more than 300 nationaldatabases. An average of 150 requests are sent to the ESC eachmonth. Teachers, principals, Central office administrators,Local School Council chairs, and Board members utilize theservice. ESC #6 sends out a monthly newsletter that includes adescription of the service and they mail all librarians andprincipals a research request form three times per year. The ESCcan respond to most requests within a day.

Another important function of the ESC is its training foradministrators. There are four instructional strands: required,designated, selective, and clinical. The required strandprovides mandated training for principals and assistantprincipals, while the other three types are voluntary. Recently,these strands have focused on issues related to educationalreform. Principals and LSC members are interested in upgradingtheir skills for working with the Councils and implementing otheraspects of the reform and have been anxious to attend the courseswhich are offered throughout the year.

The ESC funds staff development for teachers both directly andindirectly. The State sends funds to the Center, which serves amonitoring role, and the Center funnels them to the Bureau ofStaff Development and individual instructional bureaus. Thereare limited resources available for individual schools withrequests to fund specific programs.

School-Initiated Programs

Goals. Until recently many schools formulated training effortsin response to a variety of needs rather than as part of acohesive plan. The building training focus has been determinedin a number of ways including formal or informal teacher needsassessments, principal observations, and Board goals anddirectives. Now the Reform Law dictates the focus of much of thetraining efforts; the Law and individual school improvement planswill be used to guide future training. Training topics used atindividual schools duplicate some of those presented at CentralOffice and Project CANAL during the past year. They are outlinedin Exhibit 5-1.

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Exhibit 5-1.Staff development themes for the past year cited by teachers andprincipals in the 20 profile schools

Pedagogy

Effective Teaching TechniquesAssertive DisciplineAccelerated LearningIntegrated LearningCooperative LearningPaideia ApproachAssessment

Curriculum

Reading StrategiesHands-on ScienceMath Make-n-Take WorkshopsThe Writing ProcessWhole LanguageCivic EducationChicago HistoryBlack GenealogySpecial Education Strategies and Issues

Social Issues

Pregnancy Prevention ProgramsAIDs AwarenessGang AwarenessDrug Abuse Prevention/Awareness

Reform Issues

Writing School Improvement PlansThe Implications of the Reform LawTeam BuildingGrant Writing SkillsProblem-Solving Skills

Miscellaneous

Computer LiteracyTeacher Stress/BurnoutSpanish for Teachers

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r 7t )

Target audience. While much of the elementary-level traininginvolves the entire faculty, some inservice is directed atspecific segments of the staff, e.g., grade level groups orspecial educators. At the secondary level most training is aimedat the members of specific departments.

Present strategies. Schools take a variety of approaches tostaff development. Whereas many faculties concentrate on two orthree major concerns during the year, others examine numeroustopics. If the staff limits their meetings to those providedcontractually, trainers can provide awareness but not in-depthtraining. As one elementary principal pointed out, there is notime to do real staff development. Faculties in these schoolsoften end up using a large portion of their limited meeting timejust discussing things happening in the building and makingannouncements.

Although training in some elementary buildings is limited to thetwo, 30-minute periods per week other faculties agree to meetadditional mornings before school, after school, and on weekends.Some teaching staffs arrive at 8:00 AM on meeting days so thatthere is a full hour before students arrive. One principal saidthat some weeks his faculty meets three or four mornings andother weeks they don't meet at all. Since he convenes meetingsonly when there is a legitimate need, his teachers are veryaccommodating. Some high school principals arrange commonpreparation periods for teachers in the same department tofacilitate collaboration. Some departmental groups meet almostdaily and others rarely work together.

Prior to the reorganization and reduction of staff at thedistrict offices, district trainers frequently presentedinservice programs and support to individual buildings and thebuilding specialist could also provide follow-up support.Several principals as well as the Director of Staff Developmentemphasized the important role these people had played. Now thatthese positions have been eliminated, the building specialist isfrequently responsible for providing both the initial trainingand the follow-up support along with all of their other duties.

A number of schools have formed partnerships with corporationsand foundations that provide financial support for meetings thatoccur outside of the school day, but in some buildings withoutsuch support a large percent of the teachers participatevoluntarily. An elementary principal mentioned that 65 of his 71teachers attended a recent Saturday session without receiving anycompensation.

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CANAL: An alternative model of staff development

Goals. The CPS Department of Equal Educational OpportunityPrograms (EEOP) developed Project CANAL in response to theSettlement Agreement between the Federal Government and theChicago Board of Education. Eighty three million dollars will bespent over the five-year life of the project to relieve theeffects of segregation in racially identifiable Black andHispanic schools.

The EEOP staff designed a training program to lead and supportschool-based improvement plans in order to raise studentachievement. Although many of the goals and activities of CANALparallel PA 85-14181 this project was approved in April, 1988eight months prior to the passage of the school reform bill.

Target_audience. Each of the participating schools selected acore planning team composed of teachers, the principal, ancillarystaff, parents, community representatives, and high schoolstudents, where feasible. The team receives training at theProject Center at least one day a month, and the entirefaculty/staff, including aides, clerks, lunchroOm personnel, andthe school engineer participate in training activities at leastone day per year. CANAL staff and consultants provide inserviceon school-based management, communication strategies, andinstructional and behavioral management strategies.

Erlaant_atrattakELL=LLLItial. A cadre of substitute teacherstravels from school to school to provide release time forteachers and ensure minimal disruption to the instructionalprogram. The cadre is supervised by a certified principal andincludes teachers, aides, clerks, and an engineer. They areaware of and committed to the goals of CANAL and are familiarwith the schools and classes they serve.

CANAL Coordinators help to facilitate the project in theindividual sites. They serve as a liaison between the projectoffice and the school staffs. The coordinators meet with thecore planning teams to provide resources and technicalassistance.

In addition to the sessions at CANAL headquarters there areregular whole-faculty training activities tbat take place at theindividual sites. CANAL funds allow for the provision of regularsalaries to participating teachers as opposed to the $8/hour rategenerally used. Some CANAL schools have used project funds tohold training sessions prior to the start of the school year.

5 2

Prospects for the Future

Now that responsibility for teacher training is moving to localschool staffs and communities, staff development efforts must bereformulated. It is up to each faculty to directly tie itstraining activities to its school improvement plan and anyCentral Office support must have this same objective. No longeris it acceptable to offer a myriad of inservice programs thathave no particular end goal.

Problems and Needs

In an effort to get a clear picture of staff development from theperspective of teachers and principals, NCREL spoke to principalsand a sample of the teachers in 20 schools and interviewedofficers of the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago PrincipalsAssociation.

From the Perspective of teachers. Although a number of teachersmentioned the value of workshops that are intellectuallychallenging, though not necessarily practical, more typical isthe teacher who seeks information that can have an immediateimpact on his/her students. Teachers want to learn new conceptsand teaching strategies as well as to be reminded of techniquesthey may have forgotten or be shown a new way to apply previouslylearned techniques.

When teachers were asked what made a professional educationactivity valuable for them a large percent responded withcomments such as, "something practical" or "something I canrelate to my classes." They also approach staff development asconsumers ar. 'ant to make sure that what they are learning "canshow results, 'can be implemented with meager resources," and isnot just "directed at the ideal situation."

Teachers have a clear vision of what makes for a good inserviceprogram. Presenters should be both enthusiastic and sincere. Itis important for them to have a good command of the content andto present it in a well-organized fashion. Participants alsoappreciate the use of demonstration films so that they can seehow a concept will be applied in the classroom.

Most teachers indicated a preference for training sessions wherethey were active participants. Those interviewed mentioned thevalue of role play with immediate feedback, small groupdiscussions that allow for sharing of ideas and experiences, andquestion-and-answer sessions.

53

People like to leave an inservice session with something in theirhands. They want to concentrate on the speaker during thesession and refer to handouts, bibliographies, and source listsafterwards.

As part of the study NCREL surveyed all teachers in the 20schools to determine what the best time was for trainingactivities. Responses were received from 493 teachers from 16 ofthe 20 schools. NCREL found that current scheduling practicesare at odds with teacher preferences. Those completing thesurvey indicated that they would most interested in participatingin staff development activities that take place:

Exhibit 5-2.Teacher preferences for inservice scheduling.

Time *Percent

Release Time 45%

Summer 36%

After School 31%

Saturdays 17%

Before School 14%

Evenings 13%

Responses sum to over 100% because of multiple answers fromindividuals. 493 teachers completed the survey.

Professionals realize that workshop attendance alone will notguarantee the successful implementation of new instructionalbehaviors in their classroom. They are very sensitive to theuniqueness of the Chicago system in general and their individualschool populations in particular. The principal of apredominately Hispanic school on the west side emphasized thatissues on his side of the city are different from those on theother side of the city. Therefore teachers need assistance inorder to implement new approaches with their specific group ofstudents and in the unique environment of their school. Oneteacher, committed to professional growth, remarked that withoutsupport afterwards "it's easy to just give up".Valued support activities include having conversations with other

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f:1

teachers to share experiences, getting the chance to ask follow-up questions of the presenter in the weeks following aninservice, observing other teachers, peer coaching, andnewsletters directed at those working to implement a specificapproach.

From the perspective of the Chicago Teachers Union. Whilequestioning individual teachers provided insight into theirparticular problems and needs, an interview with an officer ofthe Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) furnished a global perspectiveand a synthesis of the input the Union receives from its members.The CTU is working on a proposal to restructure staff developmentbased on teacher input and current research on effective staffdevelopment. It will focus on collegial skill building, shareddecision making and a link with parents. In the opinion of theCTU executive, all staff development programs should bevoluntary. If programs are worthwhile people will want toparticipate. He feels that in the past teachers have not beeninvolved enough in the planning. Because of that, many teacherstake a very passive approach to staff development. They mayattend sessions to collect the stipend but go expecting andgaining little from them. Participants will demand more of staffdevelopment if they are voluntary participants and qualityprograms will only be designed when they depend on volunteers fortheir success.

From the Perspective of Principals. Principals voiced concernsabout their ability to assume responsibility for staffdevelopment activities. They repeatedly mentioned a lack ofimmediate access to Central Office information about resourcesfor staff development. This problem existed prior to the ReformAct, but is particularly significant in light of the law'sstipulations that local schools be responsible fa,: staff trainingneeded to carry out the actions in the School Improvement Plan.Additionally, in an attempt to redlce bureaucracy, curriculumstaff has been eliminated at the district level, a source thatmany principals had come to depend on. Complicating mattersfurther is the fact that recent training information hasfrequently been sent to the LSC chairs but not the buildingprincipal.

Principals need to know what training programs are available forspecific purposes, who provides training, what conferences willbe taking place, and what printed and vidno matter is available.Since they will be looking for funds to supplement those providedby the central office, they also need information on potentialcorporate sponsors and grants.

55

From the perspective of the Chicago Principals Association. Aswith teachers, a conversati,m with the president of thePrincipals Association provided a broad view of principals'perspective on staff development. The Association did not focuson staff development until recently. However as principalsbecome instrumental in managing staff development programs andresources it is becoming a higher priority for the group.

The CPA has procured a grant to fund seminars for its members onworking with Local School Councils and they are writing otherproposals to provide for training on team building and conflictmanagement. In the opinion of an Association officer, the Boardneeds to provide principals with more training for their newroles.

Staff Development Needs

This study revealed several consistent problems in the currenttraining system. They are in the areas of:

1. Sustained Support2. Time3. Relevance of Training4. Communication of Information

Although the need for accurate information has escalated as aresult of the reform legislation, the majority of these concernsare long standing.

Provide_sustained support to teachers. Teachers typically attendisolated inservice sessions but receive no assistance after theyleave. Because there is no help for those trying to implementstrategies with their specific population of students even anexceptional presentation may have no impact on current practice.

Find ways to provide training and support at convenient times. Alack of quality substitutes makes it almost impossible to userelease time for professional development activities yet the timepresently allocated to training is inadequate. Principalsfrequently have to rely on volunteer participation but theminimal compensation and the lack of relevance of some programsdiscourage such attendance.

Design training that is relevant to local concerns. Systemwidecourses have attempted to meet the professional needs of teachersand administrators from schools across the city. The problemsand needs in these schools vary greatly and can rarely beaddressed through a common core of training, especially if it isnot personalized for specific student populations. Yet,promotional credit, which has be used to encourage participation,encourages indiscriminate attendance by those in need of course

56

hours. Some of those attending Lane 3 courses may be moreinterested in acquiring credit than knowledge. Thus, they havethe potential for being a passive and non-discriminating group.In contrast, those who have met the 36-hour requirement no longerhave any extrinsic incentive to participate in a major portion ofthe training activities being offered. The topic for central-level programs must be compelling, and the prestige of thistraining must be high or they will have no reason to take part.Those who have already accumulated the 36 hours tend to be moreexperienced teachers. If that group no longer "needs" toparticipate in training activities, other motivation must befound to encourage them to upgrade their knowledge and skills.The greatest inducement to active participation in central orlocal school district activities, therefore, is to involveteachers and administrators in the planning of programs thatfocus on problems and needs in their daily professional life.

get training information to principals and LSCs. Problemsaggravated by the reform include a lack of information aboutstaff development resources at the local level and the deluge ofdisorganized, unevaluated training data flowing in to principalsand school councils.

Implications for Telecommunications

Administrators, principals, and teachers interviewed as part ofthe study have had limited experience with telecommunications.Although there are pockets of innovation taking place at alllevels, e.g., training modules designed by an InstructionalBureau and disseminated through the computer bulletin boardsystem, school faculty participation in teleconferences, for mostthe use of technology means an occasional videotaped trainingprogram. It is difficult for many people to even imagine thecapacity for problem solving that telecommunication holds.

Although telecommunications cannot address all staff developmentneeds, it does have the potential to make a significant impact.If individual schools are to become responsible for staffdevelopment they must have ready access to essential informationthat will allow them to design programs relevant to localconcerns. When school staffs recognize the impact newinstructional strategies can have with their own students theywill be motivated to actively participate in the trainingactivities. The strength of telecommunications is in its abilityto deliver uniform information instantly to people throughout anetwork, e.g., Chicago Public Schools.

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r),1

Yet meaningful teacher change is unlikely to occur unlesssustained support is provided. Because of problems withscheduling and release time, little support has existed. Again,telecommunications can be one avenue to pursue in solving thisproblem. With this in mind, the recommendations which followaddress crucial problems that are amenable to telecommunicationssolutions.

Staff Development Recommendations

Resources for principals1 teachers. and LSCs. Principals,teachers, and council members responsible for staff developmentneed immediate access to a wide range of information. In thecourse of the i,pterviews with principals, the followinginformation needs were conveyed:

=1, IMO

1111111

A catalogue of instructional materials and availableequipment in different curricular areas

A catalogue of staff development resources in differentinstructional areas to include available consultants,speakers, programs available on videotape or satellitetransmission, professional organizations and communitygroups, conferences, books, journal articles, andreferrals to other sources

A catalogue of financial resources to include RFPs,funding sources, corporate sponsors, partnerships, etc

Currently principals and Local School Councils are receiving anoverwhelming volume of mail and telephone calls from groupsinterested in providing these resources. At present there is noorganized way of reviewing the information and principals are noteven receiving all of the materials sent to LSC chairs. It isnot conveyed in any common format z.nd it is difficult to keep upwith, let alone evaluate all of these vendors.

A more feasible approach would be to set up a database for thistype of information. Schools would have a printed catalogue andonline access to the material. Principals, teachers, and schoolcouncil members would be trained to use the system so that theycould all operate from a common information base. Highereducation, community groups, and corporations would be informedof this database and encouraged to use it in place of themailings and telephone calls that are currently swampingprincipals and council members. Schools would only have to callup information that was immediately relevant and couldconfidently ignore the rest. An interactive system could bedeveloped so that a school could enter evaluations into thedatabase, so that other schools would have some means of

58

selecting among the many options. It would also be possible forthem to add new information that had not gone through the centralsource.

Sustained Sumort for New Teachina Practices. In a writtensurvey 37 percent of teachers indicated an interest in observinganother teacher when they were attempting to implement a newinstructional behavior. They want to see what instructionaltechniques look like when used with urban students like their ownin settings that approximate theirs. Although individual schoolshave developed unique improvement plans, there are frequentlyclusters of schools working to implement some of the sametechniques, e.g., Assertive Discipline. It is conceivable thenthat a fourth grade teacher might be interested in viewing otherteachers in his/her own school using Assertive Discipline as wellas observing 4th grade teachers in several other Chicago schools.

The lack of qualified substitutes combined with the size of theschool district make it almost impossibla and highly impracticalto release teachers to do observations. The cluster of schoolsworking to implement a particular program is frequently notcontiguous and therefore, even if a substitute were available, ateacher might be required to spend an inordinate amount of timetravelling from one building to another in order to observe allof the desired classrooms.

A more pragmatic approach would be to videotape exemplary modelsand establish a videotape library in each school. Unlike thecommonly used "canned" training programs, these tapes would beunrehearsed demonstration lessons prepared by and for actualChicago teachers.

Tapes could be catalogued by topic, grade level, studentpopulation, etc. The teacher interested in assertive disciplinecan now have ready access to a variety of examples that meethis/her particular needs. The tapes can be viewed duringpreparation periods or at home. On the teacher survey 86 percentof teachers indicated ttat they had a VCR in their home and morethan 80 percent of those interviewed reacted favorably when askedif they would be interested in watching inservice programming ontheir home TV. Typical comments were, "I'd like to be able toreplay it," "it might be easier to watch at my own convenience,""it would be nice to take home and view at home in quiet," and"it would give me more time to react and evaluate."

This approach provides for the site-based control and focus onthe school improvement plan mandated by PA 85-1418 while alsoproviding one type of sustained support that was lacking prior toand following passage of the act. Individual schools would havecontrol over the focus of their staff development activities, butwould be abla to take advantage of goals and interests they sharewith other Chicago schools.

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An alternative to videotape libraries would be to air the tapeson a cable channel dedicated to staff development. On the surveyof telecommunications almost half of the teachers indicated thatthey had service from a Chicago area cable company. Building A-Vcoordinators could tape them so that individual teachers couldview them at a convenient time.

The impact of videotaped training would be even greater if two-way, rather than one-way communication was provided. Coachingcan occur over the telephone, through video teleconferencing, orby utilizing the computer bulletin board or electronic mail.After viewing a demonstration tape, a teacher could directquestions and comments to the demonstration teacher, otherviewers, and/or the presenter of the initial inservice. Theteacher could also make video and audio tapes of his/her owninstruction for self analysis and to share with the demonstrationteacher/coach.

This system, like the resource database, allows school staffs topursue their individual goals while sharing their instructionalexperiences with schools in any area of the city. Faculties facea great challenge in assuming the responsibility for their owntraining needs. It is important that they are not restricted bya lack of information and isolated from others pursuing commongoals.

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VI

PRESENT TELECOMMUNICATION RESOURCESIN THE CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

This section of the report describes telecommunications resourcesin the Chicago Public Schools. Using data collected from asample of 283 schools, from interviews conducted with keyadministrative staff in the bureaus of telecommunications andinformation processing, from reports previously published bythese same bureaus, and from interviews and surveys withpotential telecommunications professional and LSC users at thesample of 20 schools, this study explores how telecommunicationsystems might be used to provide professional education to CPSeducators and administrators, as well as to support LSCs andother groups involved in the implementation of school reform.

While advice on how to improve the Chicago Public Schools isplentiful, timely and practical advice from credible sources thathave taken the time to study and understand the system thoroughlyis scarce. This study revealed that teachers and administratorswant help from other successful educators who are also workingwith the problems of inner city schools. They also wantprofessional education that addresses specific needs they see intheir schools and classrooms. Parents and community memberssimilarly want information that is relevant and of high quality,and they want answers to their queries that are sensible andtimely.

Matching Technology and Needs

Given the size of CPS, the diversity of its schools, and the vastnew pool of elected LSC officials, it will be difficult to matchtraining and information providers with local schools and theprofessionals and LSC members there. It will be even harder toschedule and obtain this information and training within theconstraints of the system. Some important new priorities areemerging. The system needs a way to communicate what localschool needs are to providers of professional development and LSCtraining. The system also needs a system for cataloguing andaccessing opportunities for training "4conomically andconveniently. As traditional assumptions about central planningand support for local schools are being questioned, the entireschool system needs to investigate how to use its presenttelecommunications resources to their fullest advantage and alsohow to -dentify and develop addition,l sources of support.

The report suggests that telecommunications can be used to fillthe gap created by changing expectations and decentralizedadministration of the schools. Telecommunication systems can beused to provide local schools a dynamic index of resources and

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providers. Educators can use telecommunications to locate andschedule courses for their schools. They can also usetelecommunications to identify other schools with simiaar needsacross the city. Telecommunications may make it easier foreducators in one school to become providers of professionaleducation to those in other schools.

Telecommunication systems can also be used to distt.I.Jouteprofessional education courses to educators in diverse sites inthe city. Research shows that telecommunications provides a moreeconomical means to distribute information between and amongeducators citywide. Telecommunications makes it more feasible todeliver needed services to dozens or even hundreds of schools inall areas of the city. Moreover, it has tremendous versatilityand can deliver a message to only selected individuals or to allschools in CPS.

Local School Councils have many needs for information,assistance, and training. Just as profesedonal education needscan be met through an appropriately designed and implementedtelecommunication system, LSC needs can be effectively metthrough telecommunication systems. LSC members can receiveinstruction in how to fulfill their roles by live or taped videoinstruction. It is possible to establish telephone or computernetworks to answer LSC members' questions about specific issuesin their schools. Telecommunications can also help LSCs reachout to their community to inform them of school activities.

In this report, tclecommunication systems are defined as anysystem using electronic technology to distribute information toseveral locations or to communicate among several locations.Telecommunication systems include one-way communication, Such asbroadcast radio, and multi-way communication, such as electronicbulletin boards. They may involve live, real-time interactionbetween individuals at two or more sites, or they may allow forinteraction whenever it is convenient for the different partiesto participate.

Overview of Findings

o This study surveyed the telecommunications resources andequipment at the Chicago Public Schools using the ElectronicInformation Exchange System (EIES). Two hundred eighty-threeschools responded electronically to this survey and theresults are reviewed in the following section. The data isanalyzed by the individual telecommunication technologies,specifically television, computers, and radio, telephones,and other resources.

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C,(1

o NCREL found that Chicago schools commonly have access tobroadcast, cable and videotaped television programming.These systems are being used almost exclusively for one-waytransmission of information. The schools usually have onlyone VCR in a school, and one school in three has a videocamera.

o The survey also established that schools have general accessto computers, which are primarily kept in small to medium-sized labs for student use. Usually, only one modem isavailable in a building.

o The survey findings show that schools have several radiosand telephones, but they are primarily located in theadministrative office. Schools are likely to have anintercom, but one intercom in seven is not working. Mostbuildings have a coordinator for equipment.

o Interviews and surveys with administrators, teachers,community organizations, and LSC presidents reveal widedivergence in opinions about and knowledge of the potentialuses of telecommunications.

Television

In past years, Chicago Public Schools pioneered in the field ofinstructional television, beginning with closed circuittelevision at the Byrd School in 1961. At the height of its use,The Rand Corporation described this program as one of the mostsignificant television projects located in an inner-city school.The Byrd Closed Circuit Television Cluster was made up of fiveneighboring schools linked together into one system. One schoolin the cluster, the Byrd, was designed as the studio school andequipped with a complete television control room and studio.Programs originated from the studio school. The other schools ina cluster were connected to the studio school by Illinois BellTelephone cable.

In addition to the Byrd School setup, the Chicago Public Schoolshave 16 high schools with complete production facilities andpersonnel to provide a telecommunications service. The use ofthese facilities varies from school to school.

The Chicago Public Schools have access to all tapes in theIllinois ITV library free of charge. Teacher guidebooks aresupplied by the state free of charge. They have access to alltapes from the above libraries through the State of Illinois freeof charge. There are other sources of programming available fromPTV stations and video production units, Local TV stationsprovide assistance in the form of print material and seminars.

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10

Many of the schools in the system are connected to the cabletelevision system and receive educational programming on Channel21. The Bureau of Telecommunications and Broadcasting hasprepared a weekly program schedule, listing the programs thatwill air each week. Currently, the Bureau is negotiating with acable company for a dedicated channel and a direct hookup betweenCPS's production studios and the cable company.

Television and Related Hardware

Televisions are accessible to most teachers in CPS. Most of theschools (94%) indicate they have at least one television. Overhalf of the schools (57%) have from two to five sets in thebuildings. An "average school" has three television sets. Abouttwo-thirds of these sets are color. Most of these sets are onmobile stands, and are therefore movable to individualclassrooms.

VCRs are not as common as television sets in the schools. Whilemost of the schools (86 percent) have at least one VCR, few ofthem have more than one. Usually recorders are kept on mobilestands, together with a TV set. The next most common locationfor the VCR/TV stand is the library/learning resource center.Almost all of these VCRs are VHS format recorders.

Video cameras are much less common than VCRs. About one-third ofthe schools have one or more video cameras. The majority ofthese cameras (92 percent) are VHS format.

Almost one-third of the schools (30 percent) reported having aninternal video distribution system. A somewhat larger proportionof the schools (38 percent) report having a video library, makingtapes available. Tapes are used for several purposes includingthe following:

student instruction 92 %

general education 90 %

faculty resource 78 %

enjoyment 66 %

Cable and Telecommunications Access

Most of the schools are wired for cable (82 percent), meaningthat the cable has been brought physically to the building.However, only two-thirds of these cable systems are in workingorder. Most of the schools with non-working cable systems

reported they needed technical assistance to make the system

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71

1

1

1

operational. The two most common locations for cable connectionsare (1) the library/learning resource center or (2) theauditorium or lunchroom.

One school indicated it had an out-dated, fixed satellite dishlocated at the school. one other school reported using a privatesatellite dish off-site in the last two years.

Video Staff Developmat

Nineteen principals were asked to suggest ways in whichtelecommunications could support staff development. Half of theadministrators said that training courses could be offered byvideo. Two of the principals wanted to use recording equipmentto give teachers feedback on their teaching style and techniques.Other suggestions included: targeting new teachers for specialsupport activities; providing live interaction after as a followup to training programs; and asking teachers to view videos inpreparation for faculty meetings or short inservices. Principalsalso pointed out that telecommunications is valuable becausetraining can be offered without travel, and that video trainingis an efficient use of trainer time and training expense.

Exhibit 6-1.Principal Interviews--Suggested Uses of Telecommunications toSupport Staff Development (N=19)

Comment PercentAnswering*

Video training sources, including broadcast, 58%cable, and videotape

Computer network between schools and to access 47%database of information about funding, trainingmaterials and other resources

Recording/playback of teacher performance 11%

Computer literacy training needed 11%

More equipment needed 11%

* Responses sum to over 100% because of multiple answers fromsome principals

Of the 19 principals interviewed, six were definitely interested

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7 2

in participating in a teleconference proflssional developmentprogram. Another nine principals were uncertain regarding theproposed program. -For them, the content of the presentationswould be a deciding factor. Generally, the principals seemed towant content relevant to the daily activities of their teachingstaffs. Two specifically said that the presentations would needto be participatory in nature to make the sessions moreinteresting and useful. Time is a concern for four of them,especially in regard to finding and funding substitute teachersso teachers can receive training during school hours.

Exhibit 6-2.Principal and Teacher Interest in Teleconference ProfessionalDevelopment Program

Comment PercentAnswering*

Yes, my teachers and I would be interested in ateleconference program in my school.

32%

Maybe 47%

Depends on content 32%

No Response 21%

Should be participatory 11%

Depends on substitutes 21%

* Responses sum to over 100% because of multiple answers fromsome individuals.

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Teachers' Home Access to Cable and VCRs

Schools were asked to report the number of teachers residing inChicago who have cable television in their homes. The sample 280schools noted that about half of the teachers have cabletelevision. Most Chicago teachers have VCRs in their homes. Ofthe teachers responding to the written teacher survey, 85 percenthave VCRs. This finding indicates that CPS could extend thecable-disseminated programming by using videotapes for teachersnot served by cable.

Schools were also asked to estimate the number of teachers intheir schools who are willing to watch informational orprofessional development television programming at home. Theschools estimate that about three-fourths of their teachers arewilling to watch some professional development programming athome.

The majority of the IRIP/IMIP teachers interviewed are positiveabout the possibility of watching training on'their televisionsat home. The majority say they would like tapes, with theopportunity to replay something and to watch at their ownconvenience. Another 20 percent say that either tape or livebroadcast would be adequate. A minority say that they do nothave the time, motivation, or structure to view the tapes ontheir own.

Computers

Two computer configurations exist in CPS that do or could serveprofessional education and community outreach needs: theElectronic Information Exchange System (EIES) and stand-alonepersonal computers in the schools.

The Electronic Information Exchange System makes many resovA.lesavailable to teachers in Chicago schools. The user sits dowL toa computer with a modem which is connected to a phone. The modemmakes it possible for the local computer to connect with a large,centrally located UNISYS 6000/50 computer over the telephone.The user logs on by using a name and a password. From this pointthe user may request any item from of a large menu of options.

Users of EIES who are just beginning or trying something new maychoose a tutorial on how the system works. They may also use theelectronic mail or the bulletin board feature to communicate withother users of EIES. This allows for public discussion amongmany schools on topics of common interest.

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Teachers may use the system to ask for one of several libraryfiles of resources. They may consult Grolier's Academic AmericanEncyclopedia, examine any of the CPS Curriculum Guides, or checkon the availability of titles in the Chicago Public SchoolsTechnical Library.

Parents may use the system to check the Employment Network or theCrisis Line. They may ask for early childhood ideas throughBringing Up Baby. There are many service possibilities forparents through the Consumer Fight Back discussion center.

Students may also use the EIES for help in school. They can usethe Homework Help Line, a creative writing center, or an ongoingstoryboard. Electronic Penpals allows entire classrooms tocommunicate with other classrooms. There are also severalscience question-and-answer centers that specialize in criticalthinking for students and adults.

Software provided by the Information Processing ServicesDepartment of the Chicago Public Schools can be used on stand-alone computers by the Local School Councils, principals, andothers in implementing school reform in the areas of schoolfinancial information, etc.

Computer Resources

All Chicago schools surveyed have at least one computer. Thetypical (median) school has 19 computers. The middle half of theschools have between nine and 33 computers.

The types of computer most frequently used in the schools areApple II's and their clones. Not only do more schools haveApples, but also each school has more of them. Eighty-fivepercent of the schools reported having at least one Applecomputer, and the median school has 12 Apple computers.

The next most frequent type of computer in the schools isIBM/UNISYS or a compatible computer. About half of the schoolsreported having one or more IBM/UNISYS computers; the medianschool has only one of this type, compared to 12 Apples.

Thirteen percent of the schools have one or more Tandy/RadioShack computers. Thirteen percent also reported having at leastone Macintosh computer, with half (53 percent) of these schoolshaving more than one.

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75

Exhibit 6-3.Percent of Schools With One or More Computers

Type ofComputer 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Apple IIs

Macintosh

IBM/UNISYS

Tandy/RadioShack

Other

. . .

85%.

13% . .

. .

53% . .

. .

. .

. .

.

13%

Most of the computers are located in computer labs. The mediannumber of computers in school labs is 13. The typical school hasone computer in the administrative office, although 24 percent donot report having a computer in the office.

According to survey responses, modems are not as available as thecomputers in the schools. Respondents report that about half ofthe schools (49 percent) have computers with no modems. About 40percent of the schools have one computer with a modem. Abcut tenpercent of the schools have more than one computer with a modem.

This low reporting of modems is particularly surprising sincealmost all of the surveys were responded to over a computernetwork using modems. Taken on its face, this answer cannot beaccurate. It may be possible that respondents at some of theschools do not know what a modem is, and therefore could notanswer the question accurately. It may also be that somerespondents thought this question asked about other modems in theschool since they obviously had one modem already. In eithercase, this illustrates the need to cross check information beforemaking generalizations from any one data source.

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Computers for Staff Development

Nineteen principals were asked to suggest ways in whichtelecommunications could support staff development. Almost one-half of the principals (47 percent) say that a computer networkwould allow staffs to access databases of information and tocommunicate with other schools. They are interested ininformation regarding funding, training materials, and otherresources such as university libraries. Two principalsinterviewed want computer training in order to make better use ofthe equipment they already have.

Radio, Telephone. and Other

The following extract from the 1990 business plan for WBEZ radiodescribes the history and current status of the station. "Bornin 1937 as a means of providing lessons for Chicago students keptat home by a polio epidemic, WBEZ today is one of the mostsuccessful stations in America's public radio system. Servingthe nation's third largest market, WBEZ is the number one mostlistened-to public station in the United States.

"Licensed to the Chicago Public Schools, WBEZ is a member of theNational Public Radio Network and an affiliate of theAmerican Public Radio Network... It is one of 17 stations in thecountry with the technical resources to both send and receivesatellite-distributed programming.

"WBEZ's mission is to educate, inform and entertain in order toprovide for the cultural interests of the community, especiallydiverse underserved listeners seeking to know more about theworld... WBEZ plans on decreasing its (present 20 percent ofbudget] dependence on institutional funding by increasing revenuefrom other sources."

Radios

The typical school has a median of four radios. The middle halfof schools report having two to six radios. Only 9 percent ofthe schools do not have a radio. The administrative office wasthe most common location for a radio in the schools. About halfof the schools report one or more radios in both a classroom andin the library/resource room.

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Telephones

Telephones are most commonly found in administrative offices, notin libraries or classrooms. The typical school reports having amedian of eight telephones. The middle half of schools have 4 to11 telephones. Push button phones outnumber rotary phones morethan two to one in the schools.

IntercomsWhen asked if the school had an operating intercom, 86 percentanswer "yes." However, this means that one school in seven doesnot have a working intercom.

Equipment Coordinators

The schools were asked if there were a person to coordinate andmaintain equipment. Seven out of ten schools answer "yes." Theremainder answer "no."

Community Groups and Telecommunications

One-third of those surveyed from community groups suggested usingvideotape for distributing LSC training. Topics for trainingincluded such issues as budgeting, problem solving, and how torun effective meetings. Exhibit 6-4 lists the uses oftelecommunications given by community group members.

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Exhibit 6-4.How Telecommunications Might Help Community Groups (N=24)

Comment PercentAnswering*

Computer networking of LSCs, community groups, CPSBoard and staff to coordinate activities, shareinformation and access databases and referenceinformation

TV or radio broadcast, cable TV, as outreach toparents and constituents to inform them of school,LSC, or community group actions

46%

42%

Videotape training for LSCs (also included general 33%use of media for LSC training)

Other telecommunications use (FAX, telephoneconferences)

Non-telecommunications (xerographic copier, soundtrucks)

Do NOT use paisive TV viewing for training

8%

8%

4%

* Responses sum to over 100% because of multiple answers fromsome individuals.

Community groups typically have limited telecommunicationsresources. All of them have access to telephones. Just overhalf have personal computers which are primarily used for wordprocessing. About one-fourth of them have pre-recorded videotraining materials or VCR/monitor playback units. Exhibit 4-5lists the telecommunications facilities, equipment, and s*?rvicesidentified by community groups that were surveyed.

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Exhibit 6-5.Community Group Telecommunications Facilities (N=24)

Comment PercentAnswering*

Telephone 100%

PC computer (word processing mostly) 54%

Video recording of training (recorded, beingrecorded for them, video recording equipment)

25%

TV monitors and VCRs for playback 13%

Some TV or radio access for messages or programs 13%

Computer modem or computer 4%

Telephone answering machine 4%

Conference telephone 4%

None, or almost none, excluding telephone 38%

* Responses sum over 100% because of multiple answers from someindividuals.

Community groups feel that three major telecommunication systemswould help them better serve school needs: computer networks,broadcast mass media, and videotape. Nearly half of thosesurveyed want to use a computer/modem network for communicatingbetween LSC's and CPS's Board and staff. A computer networkwould also give them and the LSCs access to CPS's databases andcomputerized reference information.

About two-fifths of the community group respondents want to usebroadcast TV and radio to communicate with parents and otherconstituencies in the community. The broadcast messages wouldinclude information about the school system activities.Broadcasts would also be used to build awareness and involvementin the school reform movement.

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Implications for Telecommunications

Most schools have enough hardware to operate one or moretelecommunication systems in the schools. In many schools cabletelevision could be combined with telephones to providedistributed conferences or instruction. A computer networkalready exists and is accessible to all schools. Videotapeplayers are available in most schools and production facilitiesare available in CPS. Many teachers are able and willing to viewgood professional educational programs at home.

Access. What seems to be lacking in the schools is access to theexisting facilities. There is limited access to the buildingafter school hours or on weekends. Teachers and administratorshave heavy time demands during the school day. Many LSC memberscannot leave work to come to the schools during the day.Existing systems are difficult for many educators and LSC membersto access.

Training. From the interviews it appears that many educatorshave not been adequately trained to use the computer andtelecommunication resources currently available. LSC members areoften unaware of the CPS telecommunication resources.Furthermore, most LSC members are unaware of howtelecommunication resources might be used to help them.

Maintenance. Inoperable intercoms and cable television hookupspoint out the need for increased maintenance of electronichardware. No doubt similar problems exist with computer andtelevision systems.

Material and services. Given the diverse needs of schools, it isclear that obtaining and creating appropriate materials for thesystem will be a much larger task than just installing hardwarein the schools. With school reform, there is a need to examinehow programming will be selected for future availability ontelecommunication systems. There is also a need to creatematerials to support the reform initiative.

Telecommunications Recommendations

Establish a commission. This commission's role would be toevaluate how well alternative applications of existing andproposed telecommunication systems support school reform goals.The five criteria identified earlier in this report may serve asdimensions on which to examine alternative systems and their

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uses. This committee would represent the interests of localschools, community groups, outside supporters of reform, and theCPS board.

Strengthen and_support existina telecommunication networks.Substantial resources are in place now that can be used togreatly aid reform. The EIES computer network, cable television,video tape production and distribution capabilities, and personalcomputers are all available now to carry services and trainingthat can serve reform.

These systems are in need of maintenance to bring them toreliable working order. The users of these systems also need tobe trained in how to effectively use these resources and providedadequate access to them.

Enhance existing telecommunication systems. Existingtelecommunication systems can be enhanced in their effectivenessby a number of additions. CPS should finish connecting allschools to the cable television network. The CPS videoproduction studio should be connected to the cable provider sothat programs can be fed directly into the cable system. CPScould be allocated dedicated channels on the cable network sothat programming could be under direct control of the schools.

A telephone bank could be established to answer questions aboutprograms and resources provided by video or computer. This bankwould allow for more interaction in the telecommunicationnetwork. It would also provide support about system use. Formany LSC users, the telephone bank may be the only accessibleinteractive telecommunication resource.

Additional programming should be created to meet the specificneeds of reform. Lucal educators and LSC members need additionaltraining in how to implement reform policy and programs.Educators will need help with improving student accomplishment.LSC members and local administrators will need information aboutwhat resources they can use to improve local education.

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VII

RECOMMENDATIONS

This study explored the feasibility of using talecommunicationsto support school reform in Chicago as outlined in PA 45-1418.Results from the study strongly suggest that telecommunicationscan and should be used to enhance and extend the quality andquantity of information and training available to parents andcommunity residents serving on Local School Councils and toteachers and administrators working for the Chicago PublicSchools.

In formulating a set of recommendations from this study it iscritical to articulate a vision that is sensitive to Chicagopublic schools realities. On the one hand is the possibilitythat proposed recommendations may be so general or so tied toroutine, everyday problems that they lack imagination or fervor.On the other hand, however, is the possibility that proposedideas may not mesh with practical realities faced by a large andfinancially strapped system. Chicago schools are in a state oftransition now. This situation demands that any and allproposals walk a fine line between the visionary and thepractical. Each of the following recommendations, therefore,tries to outline innovative and yet realistic possibilities forusing telecommunication systems to support school reform.

In formulating a plan, it seems clear that the Chicago PublicSchools should not operate in a communications vacuum. While itis crucial that individual schools have access to the informationand training that allows them to address unique local needs andconcerns, there is much to be gained by establishing atelecommunications infrastructure that puts CPS in touch with therest of the city, the state, and the region. In fact, isolatingthe Chicago schools from the resources of other school andgovernment units would be contrary to the basic notion oftelecommunicatJ.ons.

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WHAT CAN AND SHOULD BE DONE IMMEDIATELY?

Recommendation 1

Recommendation 2

Recommendation 3

Recommendation 4

Create a telecommunications-based policyinitiative for the Chicago Public Schools,recommending that individual schools utilizetelecommunications as the avenue of greatesteconomy and efficiency to support the tenetsof the reform legislation in Chicago.

Begin a public information campaign about howtelecommunications can support and enhanceChicago's school reform efforts, beginningwith a Telecommunications Fair at which majortechnology suppliers demonstrate how existingand enhanced technology systems can beconfigured to offer information and trainingto LSCs and to sustain local school staffdevelopment activities. This Fair wouldfurnish displays and examples of what othersare doing and provide workshops with hands-oninstruction in the use of telecommunications.

Establish a Telecommunications Council oflocal leaders who are knowledgeable abouttelecommunications and can influence policyand policymakers at both the city and statelevel; who can develop strategies foracquiring funding and other necessarysystemwide support; and who can build andnurture connections between Chicago'stelecommunications activities and similaractivities in other cities.

Work with the Office of Cable Communicationsto secure the dedication of one or more cablechannels to the Chicago Public Schools.These channels could offer: 1) LSC training;2) professional development; 3) communityoutreach; 3) student instruction; and4)broadcasts of selected national educationalprogramming from services such as PBS, TI-IN,and NETT (National Educational TechnologyTrust).

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Recommendation 5 Develop a plan for sustained training on therole of and strategic use oftelecommunication technologies for therethinking and restructuring of Chicago's.schools. Administrators, LSC members, andteachers will learn how these resources canbe used to accomplish changing goals in everyaspect of schooling.

Recommendation 6 Seek corporate support to actually create"schools of tomorrow today," schools thatdemonstrate and model what technology can doto help network and support educationalsettings The funding would establish pilotsites across the city to participate indesigning, implementing, and evaluatingtelecommunications systems.

Recommendation 7 Work with local educational agencies todevelop corporate and federal fundingproposals that would begin to optimize thesepilot systems.

Recommendation 8

Recommendation 9

Extend the two-way use of the Chicago PublicSchools' EIES system so that it isinteractive, providing for meaningful centraloffice-to-school and school-to-schoolcommunication via electronic mail andcomputer bulletin board. The tremendouspotential of EIES should be used so thatschools can make requests for specificinformation from central offic6 staff as wellas "talk" to other schools across the city.

Create and operate a computer database, fromwhich users can access items, such as,1) information about state and federalguidelines, 2)catalogues of national andlocal staff development resources, and3)authorized lists of LSC trainers. Adatabase gives users a measure of controlover information and resources that they maynot have or cannot acquire with present, non-telecommunications strategies.

Recommendation 10 Procure a Ku-C band satellite dish that wouldfeed directly into the city's cable systemand onto channels dedicated to the ChicagoPublic Schools. This dish would allow theschools to receive national, regional, andlocal educational programs for studentinstruction and staff development.

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WHAT CAN AND SHOULD BE DONE OVER THE LONG TERM?

Recommendation 11 Develop full studio production capabilitiesat the Chicago Public Schools so thatteachers can begin to use this technology toproduce videotapes for use in local staffdevelopment activities, so that LSCs canbegin to have access to tapes that are gearedto the tasks they must accomplish, and sothat the system might begin to developinformational programs highlighting importantBoard of Education news and announcements.

Recommendation 12 Begin strategic planning for the use oftelecommunications across the state ofIllinois. This strategy would connectChicago with smaller urban centers such asRockford, Joliet, and Peoria. For everydollar spent on telecommunications inChicago, smaller urban districts with limitedresources would save money and gain access toinformation and services. Conversely, anyefforts made in Peoria or East St. Louiswould enhance Chicago's knowledge base andaccess to resources. Pooling local,regional, and national resources would extendthe feasibility of building and maintaining astatewide telecommunications infrastructurethat had numerous applications across allareas of schooling.

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Recommendation 13 Develop the capacity to offer enhancedstudent instruction via telecommunications toChicago's schoolchildren. This capacityshould build on the strengths of presentteaching staff as well as tap theinstructional resources of outsidetelQcommunications-based systems. The "best"teachers and the most effective programscould be offered to students all across thecity. This system would represent one of themost equitable "choice" programs in thecountry.

Recommendation 14 Establish a library of resources andmaterials for all categories oftelecommunications programming--i.e., supportof LSCs; staff development; studentinstruction. This library would provide ahub within each school where students canreceive video instruction, teachers andadministrators can receive professionaldevelopment, citizens and educators canreceive standardized information updates.

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