School Reform Through Teacher Empowerment

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School Reform ThroughTeacher Empowerment
Schoolwide Reform
Madison Metropolitan School District
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Jennifer M Allen Director of Government Barbara
Gerlach Sandburg Elementary Schoolwide
Facilitator Madison Metropolitan School
District Madison, Wisconsin
Schoolwide Reform
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The Needs Assessment
Schoolwide Reform
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Needs Assessment

• A comprehensive needs assessment should be the
  centerpiece of the planning process, the database
  from which the school develops its vision of the
  future.
• -Implementing Schoolwide Programs,
• An Idea Book on Planning
• U.S. Department of Education, 1994

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Needs Assessment

• Identifies strengths
• What is working well that we can build on?
• Identifies weaknesses
• What is not working and should be abandoned or
  changed?
• Establishes priorities for school reform

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Madisons Process

• Involves entire school community
• Staff identifies key areas to study
• All staff involved in setting priorities for
  reform
• Priorities guide Schoolwide Plan (Action Teams)
• Priorities reviewed and adjusted regularly

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Needs Assessment Looks at...

• Student achievement
• Order, discipline, climate
• Sense of community
• Learning organization
• Curriculum/instruction and the learning
  environment
• Resources and facilities

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Setting the Stage...

• Principal orientation
• Staff orientation
• Chat groups
• Forming committees
• School visits

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Principal Orientation

• I have the big picture but I dont feel like I
  have to be the leader of every activity. I have
  good people to work with and they are capable of
  leadership.
• -Elementary Principal

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Principal Orientation

• Give people authority and decision-making power
  treat them with dignity ask how things could be
  done better listen.

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Staff Orientation

• Schools that are improving are characterized by
  cooperative work relations among adults. To
  achieve this requires a strong basis of social
  trust.
• -Penny Bender Anthony Bryk

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Staff Orientation

• Project success is directly related to the
  extent to which teachers are partners in planning
  and communicating.
• -Implementing Schoolwide Programs,
• U.S. Department of Education,May 1994

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Chat Groups

• Will it be more work?
• How does this affect me?
• Is there a hidden agenda?
• Will we lose direct services to kids?
• Who is going to make the decisions?

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Forming Committees

• Decision-making and preparation...
• School visits
• Staff survey design
• Friendly observer visits

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Forming Committees

• Analysis
• Student achievement
• Order, discipline, climate
• Sense of community
• Learning organization
• Curriculum/instruction
• Resources and facilities

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School Visits

• Initial Staff Decision-Making Activity
• Fosters Collaboration Among Staff
• Exemplary Schools
• Source of New Ideas

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Looking in the mirrorNeeds Assessment Committees

• Collect data
• Analyze data
• Summarize key findings
• Present data to school community (workshop)

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Collect Data
Student Achievement
Climate and Order
WHAT
Curriculum and Instruction
Learning Organization
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Collect Data
Friendly Observers
Staff, Parent, Student Surveys
HOW
Interviews Focus Groups
Student Data
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• Nominated by staff
• Range of expertise
• Observe over 2 weeks
• Teacher choice
• Findings reported
• Staff reflection

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Observer Comments

• School provides a caring environment for its
  students
• Observers noted that the 90 minute literacy
  block is a priority in many classrooms.

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Observer Comments

• Many students were attentive and involved in
  learning.
• The language arts program was not articulated
  across grade levels.
• Observers could not distinguish the special
  education teacher from the regular classroom
  teacher.

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Observer Comments

• Minimal assessment linked to
  instruction
• Observers saw word walls, shared reading, read
  alouds, guided reading, and independent reading.
  
• Little sign of active learning, supported by
  manipulatives in math

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Staff Reaction

• I was elated that people cared enough to help
  our school reflect on strengths and weaknesses.
• Sometimes you know what needs to be fixed and
  you ignore it, but when strangers tell you, it
  hits home.

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Sample Categories...

• School vision
• Curriculum /instruction
• Professional development
• Collaboration collegiality

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Staff SurveyDiscrepancy Analysis

• How important is this component?
• B. How true is it of our school?
• High Importance/Low Reality Area of Concern
• High Importance/High Reality Area of Strength

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Sample Categories...

• Respect
• Safety discipline
• Achievement expectations
• Attachment to teachers school
• Parent community involvement

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Sample Parent Comments
Id like to help but I cant read and
write. You always let us speak and share
concerns. You respect our language and culture.
I think the school should try to learn from
parents instead of figuring out what parents
should learn from school.
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Needs Assessment Workshop-Day Away

• Share Data
• (climate, CI, academic achievement, professional
  learning)
• Identify critical issues
• Prioritize issues

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Assume that people need pressure to change,
even in directions they desire. Change will only
be effective under conditions that allow them to
react from their own positions, interact with
others and obtain technical assistance -Michae
l Fullan
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Data Presentation
Data Presentations
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Share Data
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Identify Critical Issues
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Identify Critical Issues

• Individual responses to data
• Group similar ideas
• Develop summary statements
• Discuss summary statements
• Vote on priorities

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A great deal of information is given out but
done well so I didnt feel overwhelmed. I
liked hearing what others care about in terms of
important issues.
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Prioritize Issues
More things bring us together than separate
us. Staff was very invested in what was done
today.
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Making it happen...
Building Partnerships
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Title 1 Coordinator

• Keeps the vision
• Maintains integrity of the process
• Builds relationships with principal/staff
• Hires and coaches facilitators
• Supports data analysis process
• Leads workshop with facilitator

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Principal

• Keeps the vision
• Cedes leadership of needs assessment to
  facilitator and staff
• Develops mutual trust/working relationship with
  facilitator
• Provides support/reinforcement for staff
• Plays background role to empower staff

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Schoolwide Facilitators

• Work at the school sites
• Symbolize the process
• Keep the focus and flow
• Provide communication links
• Support needs assessment teams
• Develop mutual trust/working relationship with
  principal

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Facilitator/Principal Relationship

• Clarify roles and boundaries
• Establish regular communication
• Develop mutual respect and trust

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Staff

• Serve on key committees
• Help make decisions
• Go on school visits
• Review assessment instruments
• Analyze data
• Present data
• Identify critical issues

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Parents

• Serve as members of needs assessment committee
• Participate in data workshop
• Receive regular communication about needs
  assessment process

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Adapting to different budgets...
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Schoolwide Facilitator Adapting to different
budgets

• Part-time
• Use Title I Coordinator
• 2 staff members as a team

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School VisitsAdapting to different budgets

• Fewer visits
• Gather information from Web sites/phone contacts

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Friendly ObserversAdapting to different budgets

• Fewer observers
• Principal organizes schedule

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Needs Assessment Committees Adapting to
different budgets

• Preparation work by principal and the Title I
  Coordinator
• 8-12 hours work time

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Culminating Workshop Adapting to different
budgets

• After school
• In-service day

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Changing the culture of institutions is the real
agenda not implementing a single
innovation. -Michael Fullan
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Next Steps...

• Develop
• Implement
• Evaluate

...the Schoolwide Plan
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• Imagine the Possibilities

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Email

• jallen_at_madison.k12.wi.us