School Improvement Conference April 27, 2006 Framing the Framework

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School Improvement ConferenceApril 27,
2006Framing the Framework
Dr. Yvonne Caamal Canul, Director Office of
School Improvement
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My School has a School Improvement Planning
Process
YES
NO
I understand the school improvement process
YES
NO
STOP
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School Improvement Framework

• For today
• Dont think about the plan
• Dont think about NCLB
• Dont think about EdYES!
• Dont think about compliance
• Dont think about external accountability
• Think about coherence

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School Improvement Framework

• For Today
• Think about the language we use to describe
  continuous school improvement
• Think about the conversations we have that are
  about teaching and learning
• Think about the systems we have in place that
  encourage and foster a shared understanding about
  continuous improvement

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School Improvement Framework

• Think about how the SI Framework can help us
  develop and sustain
• INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
• Today is about helping you in the journey towards
  developing mental models, a shared understanding,
  and protocols of practice about school improvement

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SIF for Internal Accountability

• SIF A blueprint for building an internal
  accountability system

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Basic Assumptions About Accountability

• Schools address accountability using their own
  internal standards
• BEFORE policy or legislation created
  accountability standards.
• Internal accountability precedes and determines
  external accountability.

R. Elmore
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Basic Assumptions About Accountability

• Highly aligned and coherent accountability
  systems have shared protocols for guiding their
  accountability discussions.
• Highly aligned and coherent accountability
  systems dont need external accountability
  standards.

R. Elmore
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Elements of Internal Accountability Systems
How individuals view their own participation in
the organization role, function, practices,
responsibility, work.
How the organization describes the work,
practices, and participation of the individual in
the organization.
The routines, practices, processes, protocols
that organize the work.
R. Elmore
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Coherence in Accountability

• Coherence is the degree to which an individual
  describes the system as others do and in
  accordance with how the organization accounts for
  the work. All are on the same page and describe
  protocols of practice in similar ways.
• Demonstrated protocols of practice can help
  determine the extent to which coherence is
  possible.
• The culture of teaching is not based on
  protocols of practice, but rather craft and
  context.

R. Elmore
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Low Internal Accountability

• Default Culture of Accountability
• Individual responsibility trumps expectations
• Individual level, wide variability
• Low transparency
• Weak norms of practice
• Low agency not responsible for results,
  assignment of causality with other forces
• Atomized organizations when pushed by external
  accountability become more atomized

A
E
R. Elmore
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High Internal Accountability

• Professional Accountability
• Large intersection
• High alignment between individuals and
  organization
• High level of coherence
• High transparency
• Explicit norms, processes, structures of
  accountability and protocols of practice
• High support, focused
• High agency if I cant WE can

R. Elmore
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Effective Internal Accountability Systems

• Identify their core technology
• Content/Curriculum
• Teacher/Instruction
• Student/Learning
• Focus discourse on evidence
• Depersonalize practice
• Develop protocols of practice
• Distribute voice and leadership
• Create continuity and depth over time

R. Elmore
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Effective Internal Accountability Systems

• Have a language to describe what they do.
• Have a capacity to discuss the core technology of
  the organization.
• Have processes that guide practice.
• Have norms that encourage everyone to speak once
  before anyone speaks twice.
• Have norms that encourage rotating leadership.
• Can remove history from deep dialogue.

R. Elmore
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SIF as Shared Language

• Have a language to describe what they do.
• SIF as shared lexicon
• Have a capacity to discuss the core technology of
  the organization.
• SIF has 5 strands, 12 standards, 26 benchmarks
• Have processes that guide practice.
• SIF has rubrics for 90 characteristics
• SIF describes the core technology in a language
  we ALL can share and provides processes to guide
  the practice of school improvement.
• SIF was written BY educators FOR educators
• SIF is research-based

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SIF Guides Internal Accountability

• SIF can provide schools with internal
  accountability standards, benchmarks, processes,
  and focused inquiry.
• SIF helps put guideposts around the conversation
  about continuous improvement.
• SIF can help everyone understand their role in
  the core technology of schools.
• SIF can help the organization discuss their
  expectations for how we frame our thinking about
  our work.

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The Future of the Framework

• Collective Construct
• Foundation for Assistance
• Statewide Internal Accountability
• Support for COHERENCE

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• Thank You
• OSI Advisory Group
• SIF Work Groups
• OSI Staff
• The State Board of Education for endorsing this
  vision
• Our colleagues who have
• embraced this journey