Transforming Schools: Leading and Learning,

One Step at a TimeCharles Wilson

Deputy Network Superintendent for Middle SchoolsOakland Unified School District

Today’s Goals

• Learn from a case study: Understand the path that one school took to dramatically improve teaching and learning;

• Reflect on key practices that any school can take to begin / continue its on transformation;

• Identify one or two key practices that each participant can take back to her/his own school or district.

Roles for Today

• Mine: • Present information on our work• Facilitate discussions

• Yours: • Stay engaged in the discussion• Participate fully• Ask questions

Today’s Agenda

• Data on the Fred T. Korematsu Discovery Academy (KDA)

• What Were our Key Steps in Transforming KDA?

• Brainstorming / Selecting Ideas to Continue or Start Your Own Transformation

• Let’s Talk it Out!

• Wrap Up / Appreciations / Exit Ticket

Today’s Norms

• Assume Positive Intent• Share the Air• Stay Engaged / Limit Electronics to session-

related business• •

Who are the Students of KDA?2011/ 2012 = 381 Students, K-5

Asian; 1.0%Pacific Islander;

1.3% Filipino; 0.3%

Latino; 76.6%

African Ameri-

can; 17.0%

White; 2.1% Other; 1.5%

AsianPacific IslanderFilipinoLatinoAfrican AmericanWhiteOther

Who are the Students of KDA?2011/ 2012 = 381 Students, K-5

98.2%

0.8%

Family Income

Qualify for Free Lunch ProgramDo Not Qualify for Free Lunch Program

59.8%

13.6%

26.5%

Language Status

English Language Learners (ELL)Fluent Eng-lish Profi-cient (FEP)English Only (EO)

KDA’s Academic Performance

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

568 592641

685

788735

API Scores

KDA Performance on ELA CST

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 201210%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

15% 13%17%

26%

41% 41%

61% 60%

49%45%

23%35%

ELA Pro. / Adv. ELA FBB / BB

KDA Performance on Math CST

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 201210%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

15%20%

39%

48%

67%

53%57%

46%

32% 23%

12%

25%

Math Pro. / Adv. Math FBB / BB

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Respond to the Social and Emotional Needs of the Community

• Increase Counseling Services Through Partnerships With Community Organizations;• Look At All Work Of The School Through The Lenses

Of Social And Emotional Learning Competencies (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL);• Establish A Common Approach And Language For

Building A Supportive, Rigorous Academic Environment ( “Caring School Community”: Developmental Studies Center”).

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Social And Emotional Learning Competencies from CASEL

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Establish a Unity of Focus and Unity of Student Experience• Applying Research-driven Behavioral and Pedagogical Models• Classroom Behavior Management: Universal Use of Assertive

Discipline (Noah Salzman’s “I Understand” / “No Nonsense Nurturer”: Center for Transformational Teacher Training)

• Pedagogical Model for Content Delivery: “The KDA Direct Instruction Model” (based on our collective reading of Better Learning Through Structured Teaching; (Fisher and Frey, 2008)

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Break Boundaries to Provide Acceleration• When Is A Grade Level An Important Category For A Student

And When Is It A Boundary?• Targeted Reading and ELD Interventions across grade levels:

• Language for Learning / Language for Writing• Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, & Sight

Words (SIPPS)• Leveled Guided Reading• Reciprocal Teaching• Literature Studies Circles

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Break Boundaries to Provide Acceleration• When Is Traditional Teacher-driven Instruction A Vital

Resource And When Is It A Boundary?• Collaborative Learning Structures to Promote Academic

Discussion and Critical Thinking• Blended Learning in Classes and As Part of an Extended Day :

• Achieve 3000• Fast ForWord and Reading Assistant

from Scientific Learning• Khan Academy Math• SD Math

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and Learning

Data, Data, Data (and more Data)• Precise cycles of formative data collection and analysis

throughout the year (DIBELS / IDEL, SRI, Fountas & Pinnell Reading Levels, Math Benchmarks, Language Arts Benchmarks, Process Writing Tests, etc.)

• Tracking data for each student, not just by groups• Teacher-selected data (work samples, videos, exit tickets)• Weekly grade-level PLC meetings with

Principal and every teacher• Frequent school-wide sharing and

celebrations of student academic performance.

KDA’s Key Steps in Transforming Teaching and LearningSet Goals With Students and Families

• Every child, no matter how young, can understand how to set a goal

• Every family wants to support their child’s growth; they want honest answers and direct solutions

• Teachers, students, and parents must always see themselves as a team

• Frequent check-ins to monitor progress are essential

• Take time from the school’s busy schedule to allow for robuststudent / parent / teacher conferences

September November January March April Juan's Goal for June

400

420

440

460

480

500

520

540

420

520

Juan's SRI Lexile Reading Scores3rd Grade Reading Level

??

A Sample of Goal-Setting with Students and Families

YOUR TURN!• Break into groups of 10 people (if you’re with a group of

colleagues from the same site or team, all the better!).• Think back over the categories I used to describe the work at

KDA (or come up with some of your own): • Respond to the Social and Emotional Needs of the Community• Establish a Unity of Focus and Unity of Student Experience• Break Boundaries to Provide Acceleration• Data, Data, Data (and more Data)• Set Goals With Students and Families

• Write down ideas to support school transformation on cards (Try to be general enough to serve the group’s purposes but specific enough to serve your own purposes: e.g. “Get Mary to talk to Paul about PLCs” is TOO specific, so “Focus Leadership Teams on PLCs” is probably better for this context.)

YOUR TURN!• Once everyone has generated 2 or 3 (or more) ideas, use the tape

to gather all ideas on the wall (or large flat surface) nearest you.• Now, you’re going to silently read all of the ideas from your group.

Take several minutes to really read them through. • Here’s the tricky part: We’re going to engage in dot-voting,

thinking about whether each idea is a feasible and will accelerate student learning:1. Count the number of ideas in your group. Example: Our group has

23 ideas.2. Divide the number of ideas by 3 and round up. This is the number

of dot-votes each person in your group is allotted. Example: 23÷3=7.6 rounds up to 8. Each person in this group would get 8 dot-votes.

3. Use your markers to “spend” your dot-votes. Spend no more than 3 dots per idea, and spend all of your dot-votes.

YOUR TURN!• As a group identify, organize, and discuss the 4 ideas that

received the greatest number of dot-votes. Why did these receive the greatest number of dot-votes?

• Assign a spokesperson for your group to share out which ideas received the greatest number of dot-votes. Explain your group’s thinking in selecting these ideas.

• If your idea received few or no votes, don’t despair! Stick with it, polish it, share it, and think about how to “sell” it. Remember: “Vox clamantis in deserto” (“The voice of one crying out in the desert”). It worked for John the Baptist!

Let’s Talk it Out!

Let’s Stay in Touch

Please feel free to email or call me if you have questions or would like to talk more:

Charles WilsonDeputy Network Superintendent for Middle Schools

Oakland Unified School District1000 Broadway, Suite 680

Oakland, CA 94607charles.wilson@ousd.k12.ca.us

(cell) 415-794-3837