building a districtwide small schools movement
DESCRIPTION
Building a Districtwide Small Schools Movement. Oakland Community Organizations:. The organizing cycle. * Source : Oakland Community Organizations. 48 New Small Schools in Oakland 2000 - 2007. What the Research Says: Strategic Measurement and Evaluation. New small schools: - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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
