building a districtwide small schools movement

Building a Districtwide Small Schools Movement Building a Districtwide Small Schools Movement

Oakland Community

Organizations:

Oakland Community

Organizations:

The organizing cycleThe organizing cycle

* Source: Oakland Community Organizations

48 New Small Schools in Oakland48 New Small Schools in Oakland 2000 - 20072000 - 2007

What the Research Says: What the Research Says: Strategic Measurement and EvaluationStrategic Measurement and Evaluation

New small schools: higher percentage of Latino, ELL, and FLP students than

district; higher percentage of low-performing students

accelerated achievement on CST ELA and math tests at higher rate than comparison schools

higher rates of students meeting proficiency, compared to traditional large schools from which they emerged

higher graduation rates, relative to comparison schools, district, county & state

higher student, parent, and teacher satisfaction ratings than comparison schools

What the Research Says:What the Research Says:Stanford University StudyStanford University Study

New schools are better able to accelerate achievement as they mature

Design features of small schools increase school success

District-level supports for small schools are effective (e.g. incubator)

Need to focus on supports to improve teacher retention

Need to pursue school closures & re-organization thoughtfully, with attention to return-on-investment, school culture, design, etc.

Annenberg Study:Annenberg Study: Core QuestionsCore Questions

To what degree has OCO’s organizing influenced:

1) district policy

2) school capacity

3) student outcomes

Study overviewStudy overview

Six year study of 8 experienced organizing groups

Multi-case study design using qualitative and quantitative research methods

Data analyzed for Oakland 40 interviews (district officials, principals, teachers, organizers,

parents & teachers) 130 teacher surveys - large schools and new small schools Use Your Voice parent and teacher surveys Publicly available data (API scores, dropout rates, etc.)

In what ways has OCO’s organizing In what ways has OCO’s organizing influenced school district policy?influenced school district policy?

Influencing school district policyInfluencing school district policy

Within a tumultuous district context, OCO’sorganizing generated:

political will at the grassroots level to support and sustain the reform

strategic partnerships with BayCES & OUSD to ensure the necessary supports for new small schools

deeper and more effective district parent & community engagement practices

parents and community leadership across the district to take key roles within the new small schools

Influencing district policyInfluencing district policy

They understand how to stay in a relationship, and keepit constructive so that you can live to fight anotherbattle. They don’t break it down in the process of thetension; you’re always kind of pulled right to the edge,but it doesn’t actually snap. So we feel like we have a conflict that’s irreconcilable but then we come together again as allies when the next threat shows up. And so they keep coming back and we keep coming back…”

– District administrator

They’re kind of in it for the long haul, so you never feel like they’re just going to come in at the initialstage when you’re designing [schools] and then…you’re on your own when you open the school.

– District administrator

To what degree has OCO’s To what degree has OCO’s organizing influenced the capacity organizing influenced the capacity

of schools to educate students of schools to educate students successfully? successfully?

Building Blocks of School CapacityBuilding Blocks of School Capacity

School Climate

Professional Culture

Instructional Core

Schools strong in these supports were ten times more likely than schools weak in these supports to show extensive gains in both reading and math (Sebring et al.,2006).

These supports are more likely to develop in communities with strong social capital. Community organizing is one way to build such social capital.

School Capacity in New Small School Capacity in New Small SchoolsSchools

•Sense of school community & safety•Parent influence in school-decision making•Teacher outreach to parents•Achievement-oriented culture•Knowledge of student culture•Student influence in school decision-making

•Parental involvement in student learning

•Sense of school community & safety•Parent influence in school-decision making•Teacher outreach to parents•Achievement-oriented culture•Knowledge of student culture•Student influence in school decision-making

•Parental involvement in student learning

School Climate

•Teacher influence in school decision-making•Collective responsibility•Peer collaboration•Joint problem-solving•Teacher-principal trust•Teacher-teacher trust•School commitment•Principal instructional leadership

•Quality professional development

•Teacher influence in school decision-making•Collective responsibility•Peer collaboration•Joint problem-solving•Teacher-principal trust•Teacher-teacher trust•School commitment•Principal instructional leadership

•Quality professional development

School Capacity in New Small School Capacity in New Small SchoolsSchools

School Climate

Professional Culture

•Teacher influence in classroom decision-making

•Educational practices and beliefs•Instructional focus•Educational goals (high school)

•(Coherent curriculum & instruction)

•Teacher influence in classroom decision-making

•Educational practices and beliefs•Instructional focus•Educational goals (high school)

•(Coherent curriculum & instruction)

School Capacity:School Capacity: in New Small Schools in New Small Schools

School Climate

Professional Culture

Instructional Core

Has OCO’s organizing to create and Has OCO’s organizing to create and support the small schools policy support the small schools policy produced measurable gains in produced measurable gains in

student outcomes?student outcomes?

Produced measurable gains in Produced measurable gains in student outcomesstudent outcomes

Middle Schools’ Base API Scores:Large schools versus small middle schools (1999-2007)

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07

Academic Year

Avera

ge A

PI

Score

Large middle schools

Small middle schools

API PERFORMANCE

TARGET

SummarySummary

In Oakland, and nationally, our study found consistent evidence of a positive relationship between organizing and improved school capacity and student outcomes

Findings from Oakland suggest that organizing helped to build and sustain reform, amid a tumultuous district context

Across the three studies, evidence for improved student outcomes

Small schools in Oakland rate highly on school climate & professional culture, compared to traditional large schools

Opportunity to make strides in instructional core

What’s next?What’s next?

Engaging new district leadership in continuing the small schools reform

Keeping parent and community voices front & center – grassroots ownership of the reform is critical

Deepening the reform with an intensive focus on instructional rigor – necessary to continue closing the achievement gap

Seizing opportunities in new national environment to sustain & deepen reform

www.annenberginstitute.org

For additional information, contact:s_shah@brown.edu

kavitha_mediratta@brown.edu