INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SUMMIT TECHNCIAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER PROFILE

BACKGROUND ORGANIZATION NAME McConnell & Jones LLP

ORGANIZATIONAL ADDRESS 4828 Loop Central, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77081

ORGANIZATION CONTACT PERSON Name: Ms. Sharon E. Murphy, Partner Email: SMurphy@mjlm.com; Tel: 713.968.1604

ORGANIZATION MISSION To work with all levels of educational service delivery and operations of a school district or individual school to identify areas of improvement and make practical recommendations and provide implementation assistance to accomplish successful, sustainable transformation.

ABOUT THE MJ TEAM MJ has a robust education practice with considerable experience conducting comprehensive management and performance reviews and implementation/turnaround projects for K-12 school districts. We have successfully completed over 70 education projects across 13 states, working with K-12 public school districts with student enrollment as low as 79 students and as high as 200,000+ students. Our experience working in academically, operationally, and financially challenged school districts has taught us about the unique issues these districts face. The MJ Team’s strategic partners include Dr. Dan McLendon and Dr. Ester Smith.

Dr. McLendon specializes in creating staff development delivery systems, conducting administrative reorganization studies, and performing curriculum audits and more. Dr. Smith specializes in providing research and evaluation services to educational institutions, and public agencies using state-of-the-art quantitative and qualitative evaluation and research methodologies. Dr. Smith has worked extensively with individual and aggregate student data systems.

OUR APPROACH TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES We custom tailor our project approach based on the needs of the district or the individual school. The custom-tailoring process may start with a needs assessment or diagnostic review with district or school administrators and representatives of stakeholder groups, supported by a review of data and pertinent documents. This initial process helps us to pinpoint the issues (isolating the nuances) to be addressed with precision and adapt our approach to directly and effectively address issues.

Interim Management & Restructuring

Academic, Operational, & Financial Assessment

Management & Performance Reviews

Curriculum Assessment/ Development

Efficiency & Effectiveness Studies

Program & Policy Evaluation

Strategic Planning

Best Practice Implementation

Organizational & Professional Development

Community Engagement

Training Material Development

STRATEGIC COLLABORATION + STUDENT FOCUS = RESULTS

OUR TEAM’S DIFFERENTIATORS We are subject matter experts and offer a comprehensive complement of services to address the needs of operationally challenged and low performing school districts. We are “solution/results” driven and our team is always able to provide practical and implementable recommendations for our clients.

OUR IDEAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNER The ideal partner would assist our team with creating an atmosphere of trust with the school district, individual school, and the community that it serves in order that we establish “project buy-in” as soon as possible. The presence of “project buy-in” greatly increases both effectiveness and efficiency of implementation, implementation fidelity, and typically leads to better outcomes.

INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SUMMIT

TECHNCIAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER PROFILE

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT / OUR TRACK RECORD FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES The MJ Team has partnered for over 20 years conducting K-12 performance audits and performing other special projects with a focus on assessment of student and school outcomes. Below are two (2) examples of projects that reflect our track record for improving schools and increasing outcomes.

Restructuring / Interim Management Project

KEY CHALLENGE(s)SLPS with enrollment of 35,000 students (at time of contract) had a high number of low‐performing schools; high number of underutilized school

buildings; and a significant budget deficit. Additionally, the first day of school attendance, had reached a five year low of only 70 percent of the

district’s 35,000 students returning to school within the first three weeks of the start date. Low first day attendance negatively impacted SPLS’

annual revenues, since revenue received from the state was calculated based on enrollment on a date certain each fall semester.

ROLEFunctioned as part of an interim management team that reported directly to the Board of Education (BOE) for a period of two years. Engaged to

assist with stabilizing operations and to position the district for successful academic and financial restructuring.

STRATEGIC APPROACH Determined that an excessively high number of school buildings were underutilized.

Implemented a school consolidation plan to decrease the number of underutilized school buildings, while simultaneously reducing the number 

of low performing schools. 

Assessed staffing levels within student support services departments (e.g., facilities, food service, and transportation) to lower operating costs 

so those funds could be diverted to instructional/academic programs.

Developed and executed a community outreach plan to dramatically improve first day attendance. 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DISTRICT Consolidated/closed 21 schools that created a more favorable learning environment by relocating students to better maintained schools. 

(Approximately 5,000 students were positively impacted in that they moved to a school with a better learning environment and stronger staff).

Gained more efficient use of instructional resources by eliminating unnecessary operating costs, thus improving student performance at the 

majority of schools.

Streamlined operational staff to appropriate levels to save costs.

Increased first day attendance by 18 percentage points to 88 percent, the highest first day attendance in the previous five years. 

SAINT LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS (SLPS)

KEY CHALLENGE(s)HISD with enrollment exceeding 200,000 had significant teacher turnover and teacher shortages.

ROLEAssisted HISD in implementing a six‐year grant to improve and streamline HISD’s teacher training and recruitment systems; timelines,

and processes; and improve and strengthen retention of core subject teachers in HISD high‐needs schools. Refined the project’s goals

and objectives to ensure their alignment with Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) performance measures; reviewed

project related data; and designed the evaluation.

STRATEGIC APPROACH Assisted to identify, recruit, and train three cohorts of highly qualified recent college graduates and mid‐career professionals as 

teachers of core subjects with added certification in special education, bilingual education, or English as a second language to

better meet the needs of HISD’s high‐needs schools.

Assisted Transition to Teaching (TTT) project staff with implementation and performance evaluation of the six‐year project.

Used a quasi‐experimental design and nine hypotheses comparing TTT participants to a matched group of participants in HISD’s 

alternative certification program (ACP). 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DISTRICT TTT participants performed better than ACP participants on the teacher performance rating systems: Professional Development 

and Appraisal System (PDAS) and Teacher Appraisal and Development System (TDAS).

Students of TTT teachers showed greater academic gains than students of other teachers on the Educational Value‐Added 

Assessment System (EVAAS).

TTT participants showed a greater propensity to stay in the district and in the teaching profession. 

TTT participants demonstrated more positive attitudes toward teaching in high‐need schools and toward the teaching profession. 

TTT participants regarded the institutional support more positively and considered themselves more prepared to teach in high‐

need schools.

HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (HISD)

Transition to Teaching Project