Monitoring Implementation of District Priorities
A
process utilizing research-based
protocols designed to assist central
office and school leaders in
assessing the school-level
implementation of district-wide
priorities.
Links
to Content:
Demonstration Site:
The
Education Alliance at Brown University and Woonsocket
Public Schools (NOTE:
Central
Falls Public Schools participated in a similar project.)
Target Population:
Three elementary schools and their respective principals
and staff
Background:
The
Education Alliance “promotes educational change
to provide all students equitable opportunities to succeed.
[They] advocate for populations whose access to excellent education
has been limited or denied. Since 1975, The Education Alliance,
a department at Brown University, has been working to effect
real change in education… [They] assess needs, offer options,
and respond with comprehensive, innovative programs and services.”
The Woonsocket School District is implementing three priority
strategies to improve student achievement in its elementary
schools:
- Improving instruction through training and implementation
of the Principles
of Learning with support from the Institute
for Learning. (The Principles of Learning describe instructional
environments and practices that enable all students to achieve
high academic standards through sustained and targeted effort.)
- Improving literacy instruction by effectively using literacy
coaches at the schools.
- Creating consistent curriculum through the uniform adoption
and implementation of Assertive Discipline. (The use of assertive
discipline is intended to bring consistency and stability
to a school environment. There are clear expectations that
are widely posted and known to all; students are held accountable
for their choices; and teachers are accountable for the fair
and equitable handling of all students’ behaviors.)
Need and Intent:
The
Education Alliance was brought into the district to determine
the degree of implementation of the priorities and how effective
the level of implementation was at the student level. The researchers
from the Alliance were looking at whether the teachers were
using the Principles
of Learning, how the school was using the literacy coaches,
and the consistency of implementation of Assertive Discipline.
The second year’s research allowed the district to see
how and where implementation was deepened by the feedback, strategies
and support provided by the Alliance in response to the first
year’s research.
The principals in the district had received professional development
relative to the three district priorities, however, there was
concern that the teachers had not participated in an appropriate
level of professional development and, therefore, were unclear
on how to implement the priorities at the classroom level. It
was felt that it is critical to look at implementation, and
to go beyond determining whether things are being taught and
look at whether students are learning them. The feedback loop
created by the researchers was used to provide relevant information
with respect to the relationship of the district priorities
vs. actual practices and to give support to the school and district
leadership who are ultimately responsible for implementation
at all levels.
Synopsis:
In 2005, the Deputy Superintendent (now the superintendent)
identified three elementary schools as sites to be examined
to determine the degree of implementation of the three district
priorities. Staff of the Alliance conducted district and school
level interviews, convened focus groups, observed classrooms,
attended grade level meetings, and reviewed pertinent documents
to compile a report and recommendations.
Building on the findings and recommendations from the 2005
report, in 2006 the Education Alliance prepared updated and
follow-up questions to re-interview central office staff, conducted
two-day visits at each school for observations, reviewed documents
to determine the degree of implementation and institutionalization
of the three priority strategies, looked for changes resulting
from the recommendations in the 2005 report, and sought evidence
of improvement. At the completion of the 2006 data gathering
activities, the Education Alliance produced a second report
for the Woonsocket School District that documents the progress
of the three elementary schools over the past year in working
to use the district priorities to improve student achievement.
One particular focus was the principal’s role in implementing
the three district priorities; especially what he or she had
done to promote them among their faculty. The Alliance’s
visitation team looked for “evidence of support”
by the school leadership staff with respect to the district
priorities.
Case Study:
After the initial (2005) report was presented, the principal
and several staff members of the target schools were trained
by the Education
Alliance in the process of Classroom Walk
Throughs (CWTs). Using this technique, the principal and
staff of one of the schools conducted two CWTs focusing on Assertive
Discipline. The use of the CWTs has sent a clear message to
the staff about the importance of the priorities, as well as
revealed inconsistencies in the implementation of Assertive
Discipline (AD) across the school. The CWTs provided a mechanism
for constructive feedback that would allow for changes to ensure
uniform implementation of AD. The classrooms visited and the
visitors both benefited from this process. The visitors were
able to identify strengths and weaknesses across the school
and make recommendations for adjustments. In addition, the visitors
were able to compare their own AD practices with their observations
and make changes designed to align their implementation strategies
with the expectations of the school.
As a result of the two CWTs, staff have made the necessary
adjustments to ensure schoolwide consistency in AD implementation.
Students know the class and school rules and understand that
these rules apply throughout the school—in their classrooms,
in the halls, on the playground, as well as from teacher to
teacher.
Subsequent interviews with staff indicate that the overall
school behavior has improved with the adoption and consistent
use of AD at the school. There are now clear behavior expectations
for all. In the halls and in classrooms, observers subsequently
can hear the supportive language of AD: “Make good
choices.”
NOTE: CLASSROOM WALK-THROUGHS are a teacher-driven,
non-evaluative way of looking at students working in the classroom.
They involve a protocol for groups of teachers to decide on
an important instructional focus classroom, walk through the
room as a group and observe student behavior, share evidence
of what they saw, and decide next steps. (For Woonsocket, the
focus questions of the group came from the three district priorities.)
CWTs help the staff to self-monitor the implementation of an
initiative and help teachers see what effects they should have
on students. They promote a distributive leadership model that
involves the principal in supporting teachers in examining their
own practice. Principals often participate as well. Classroom
Walk Throughs were developed by the UCLA Classroom Management
Program.
Implementation Process:
1. April 2005
- Interviewed the Deputy Superintendent to help define what
the district priorities were, what strategies were being promulgated
in the district, and how they were to be implemented at the
schools.
- Interviewed all central office staff to understand their
perceptions of how strategies are formulated, how actions
are implemented, how they fared, and the factors affecting
implementation and “uptake” at the schools.
- Requested and received copies of written materials and guidance
documents that dealt with or described district policies.
A subsequent document analysis added to the overall understanding
of the district and its three priorities.
-
Click
here for the protocol for interviews with the superintendent
and central office staff - Year One.
2. April and May 2005
- Conducted site visits at the three elementary schools to
examine how they were responding to the district’s initiatives.
Teams of two visited each school over a two-day period, following
a protocol that included meeting with focus groups, interviews,
classroom observations, and grade level meeting observations.
- Approximately twenty five school community members per school
were observed and/or interviewed. Participants were drawn
from school-based staff, and sometimes included parents or
community members.
- Site visitors were specifically seeking to understand how
the initiatives were implemented at the school and gather
evidence to support their conclusions.
-
Click
here for the protocol for school interviews and focus groups
- Year One.
2. September 2005 - December 2005
- Conducted training for selected central office staff and
the principals from the three selected schools and several
members of their staffs in the Classroom Walk Through Process.
(The participants were identified from the previous year’s
work.)
- Reviewed and discussed the results of the report of findings
from the Spring 2005 school visits and interviews.
3. January - February 2006
- Met with Superintendent and Director of Grants and Assessment
to confirm continuance of priorities and to finalize details
for site visits.
- Corresponded with school principals at the three schools
to schedule two-day visits at each.
4. March – April 2006
5. June 2006
- Delivered written report to superintendent.
Tips for Implementation:
- Use of an outside group to get an honest look at implementation
is important
- The process must not be seen as an evaluation but rather
a “feedback loop” to understand the depth of implementation.
- Must maintain confidentiality.
(Click
here to read Visitor Code of Conduct.)
- Must build trust so you get honesty
- This research was especially valuable as the district and
the schools had experienced a number of recent changes in
leadership to provide a way for them to “stay the course”
in the implementation of the priorities.
The Education
Alliance recommends these tips for schools and districts
implementing priorities:
- With any program, be certain that the teachers are all
trained in the program, understand the expected outcome, and
have the materials and tools needed to make the program operate
successfully.
- There should be a mechanism in place to ensure that a district
priority also becomes a school priority and that there is
some form of monitoring and accountability, as well as documented
measures of success.
Program Components and Materials:
Contact for More Information:
Name: Eileen Ferrance
Job Title: Manager, The
Education Alliance
Phone: (401) 274-9548 x256
E-mail: Eileen_Ferrance@brown.edu
Address: 222 Richmond Street, Suite 300, Providence,
RI 02903