1
Stanford Study of Oakland New Small
Schools Initiative
October 1, 2008
2
Research Goals
To understand how well new small schools and existing schools in OUSD are performing over time, taking into account the students they serve and their process of start-up & development
To understand what factors influence schools’ achievement and their improvement trajectories over time
To recommend policy strategies that can build on current successes and address identified needs and issues
3
Examining School “Productivity”
Productivity is a school’s capacity to add value to students’ learning beyond students’ prior achievement and background characteristics.
Productivity is evaluated by looking at how a school’s students achieve on the CST tests in comparison to those in schools serving similar students. A productive school produces achievement that is significantly higher than this benchmark.
4
Value-Added Analysis is Important Because Student Characteristics Vary Greatly Across Schools
ASCEND KIPP
FRL 86.4% 67.1%
EL 32.2% 4.3%
Highest 1/3
Lowest 1/3Incoming 6th Graders
5
Student Level Factors Explain about 2/3 of Variance in CST Scores
Percent of ELA CST Variance Explained*
Student-Level Factors-- Prior Year's Test Scores, English learner status, Family income, Parent Education, Gender, Ethnicity, Retained in Grade
69.6%
School and Other Factors
30.4%
*CST Math model explained 66% of variance, leaving 34% to be explained by school and other factors
6
Summary of Initial Productivity Analyses
New schools are, on average, more productive than older schools at all levels, and especially at the high school level.
New schools become more effective and productive as they mature.
7
API and Three-Year Average Productivity: Elementary ELA
th_yr_avg0.4000.2000.000-0.200-0.400
AP
I08
1000
800
600
400
NewExisting
Elementary Schools
Three-Year Average Productivity
AP
I 20
08
Mean New Schools = .019Mean “Old” Schools = -.012
Acorn Woodland
mathprod3rs0.400.200.00-0.20-0.40
AP
I08
1000
800
600
400
NewExisting
Elementary
API and Three-Year Average Productivity: Elementary Math
Three-Year Average Productivity
AP
I 20
08
Mean New Schools = .010Mean “Old” Schools = -.013
Esparanza
9
API and Three-Year Average Productivity: Middle School ELA
th_yr_avg0.4000.2000.000-0.200-0.400
AP
I08
1000
800
600
400
NewExisting
Middle Schools
Three-Year Average Productivity
AP
I 20
08
Mean New Schools = .009
Mean “Old” Schools = .009
Elmhurst Community
10
API and Three-Year Average Productivity: High School ELA
th_yr_avg0.4000.2000.000-0.200-0.400
AP
I08
1000
800
600
400
NewExisting
High Schools
AP
I 20
08
Three-Year Average Productivity
Mean New Schools = .008Mean “Old” Schools = -.054
Excel
11
School Design Features Influence Productivity (2007 ELA Productivity* Associated with High School
Characteristics)
12
Staffing Strongly Influences School Productivity(ELA Productivity* (2003-07) Associated with Teacher and School
Characteristics)
13
New Teacher Turnover in New Schools(Percentage of teachers hired in '04-05, '05-06, or '06-07
who were still teaching in OUSD at the start of 08-09)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
55%
New Teacher Turnover* in New Schools
(* Turnover = Percentage of BTSA induction and intern teachers in ’04-05, ’05-06, or ’06-07 who were no longer teaching in OUSD at the start of ’07-08)
OUSD New
Tea
cher
Ave
rage
14
School Case Studies Extend Themes Regarding School Design
ACORN Woodland (ES, 2000) EnCompass Academy (ES, 2004) ASCEND (K-8, 2001) Elmhurst Community Prep (MS, 2006) McClymonds Complex (HS, 2005)
BEST EXCEL
Oakland International (HS,2007)
15
API and Value-Added Productivity (ELA) 2006-07
Productivity 2006-070.4000.2000.000-0.200-0.400
AP
I Gro
wth
200
7
1000
800
600
400
200
NewExisting
ASCEND
Acorn Woodland
Elmhurst Community Prep
EXCEL
BEST
Encompass Academy
AP
I
16
ACORN-Woodland Elementary
Policy Rationale – A Turnaround School Prior Superintendent’s “pilot” small school which
was not succeeding was “re-incubated” by district and is now highly productive
Key Themes District incubator helped establish new instructional
program, school culture, and family partnerships Open Court curriculum was modified and
augmented to improve success with diverse learners
Teacher-lead professional development was enacted through school “culture team”
17
EnCompass Elementary
Policy Rationale High performing ES serving low-income
community Exemplifies commitment to community outreach,
inclusion, and collaboration Key Themes
Culturally-relevant focus on the “whole child” and hands-on, project-based approach
Open Court modified to incorporate reading of leveled books and formative assessments
Intensive school-based selection process developed to improve “fit” for new hires
18
ASCEND (K-8)
Policy Rationale Highly productive “mature” small school
serving high-minority population One of first small schools “co-created and co-
owned” by Community and District Key Themes: Strong School Design Features
Personalization through Looping Interdisciplinary and arts-infused curricula
focused on projects and “expeditions” RBB used to reduce class-size
19
Elmhurst Community Prep (ECP)
Policy Rationale – Middle School Turnaround Dramatic improvement in school culture and academic
achievement “Big school principal” became committed to small school
approach
Key Themes Teachers and students in grade level teams Daily advisory to personalize learning Project-based “expositions” of learning “Co-incubation” benefitted both schools and leaders
sharing same campus RBB used to invest in school leadership & coaching
20
McClymonds Complex
Policy Rationale Conversion high school with somewhat divergent
outcomes in two small schools (BEST & EXCEL) Key Themes
Less change in design and staffing at BEST Discontinuous leadership at BEST has posed challenges
to school-level instructional coherence EXCEL’s stable leadership committed to project and
community-based learning Attention to college-going culture significantly increased
Excel’s A-G enrollment, graduation rate, & college-going
21
Oakland International
Policy Rationale Serves a distinctive student population of ELLs Recent successful start-up reflects current OUSD
supports Key Themes
Flexible budget, staffing, and curriculum enable distinctive school design
Strong district supports (e.g coaching and facilities) Project-based learning and heterogeneous grouping Extensive professional collaboration and PD to support
strong content and language instruction Alternative assessments matched to student needs
22
Cross Case Features of Highly Productive Schools Key School Features
Mission-driven principals who were proactively recruited and mentored
Faculties with experienced as well as new teachers, committed to school mission
Personalization strategies are used extensively Clear and coherent instructional programs focused on
authentic hands-on instruction Analysis of student learning has informed teacher
professional development and school culture Professional collaboration is norm not exception Outreach to parents and community has been strong
23
Mission-Driven Principals
Were selected and mentored by prior principal and/or district leaders
Set high expectations for all students and are driven to serve historically underserved communities
24
Balanced faculties with novice and veteran teachers and focus on instructional development
Top schools attempted to build staffs with diverse and complementary strengths ASCEND’s founding teachers ranged in
experience from 3-23 years When possible, AWE has hired teachers with
10+ year’s experience to balance staff OIS also sought a balanced staff with EL
teaching skills BEST and EXCEL were unable to balance
staffs, which has constrained both schools
25
Coherent, Engaging Instructional Programs
Goals connect to and extend district/state accountability Instructional content aligned to state
standards, but not test-driven
Active Learning Opportunities Project-based learning Career academies/community projects
26
Use of Student Achievement Data
Data used to inform instructional program and professional development Acorn Woodland now supplements Open Court with
more extensive literacy materials and strategies ASCEND restructured Expeditionary Learning
expeditions to improve mathematics performance Performance data used to celebrate student success
and cultivate academic climate EXCEL college-acceptance wall and CST celebration Acorn Woodland’s CST celebrations
27
Personalization Strategies
Looping Home Visits Whole Child Orientation Advisory Block Scheduling
28
Professional & Parent Collaboration
Features of PLC’s are reflected in the schools Teachers plan and lead professional
development Teacher collaboration built into school day
(Two hours per week and common grade level planning time).
Teachers sometimes work together through interdisciplinary courses
Outreach to parents around school mission and student work
29
Key District Policy Supports for Schools
Provide support and flexibility Network Executive Officers serve as thought-partners
rather than compliance officers to school leaders Embrace entrepreneurial ethos of small school
principals; support innovation Coaches go beyond Open Court implementation
toward broader set of effective literacy practices and professional development support more broadly
Incubate new schools and leaders Provide service and support orientation, especially in
Human Resources Streamlined hiring More focus on mentoring and administrative supports
30
OUSD Progress & Policy Recommendations
31
OUSD Progress in Developing More Productive Schools
New school models have been largely successful and have grown in productivity as they mature
Incubation process has supported stronger, more focused school designs
Network coaching has enabled sharing of good practices and greater attention to school needs
Some weak schools have been closed
32
OUSD Progress with Teacher Workforce Development
Strong strategic plan developed with teachers association
Earlier filling of vacancies and eliminated filling with substitutes
Smart decision not to “pink slip” last year Work on developing BTSA induction model
33
Teacher Recruitment Strategies
Continue to move up hiring window to recruit top-quality candidates
Prioritize hiring experienced, qualified teachers wherever possible
Evaluate teacher pipelines in terms of retention and effectiveness and further develop strong pipelines, including “grow your own” models
Identify and recruit strong student teachers
34
Teacher Retention Strategies
Continue to strengthen BTSA model by investing in coaches and their training
Develop incentives for developing / keeping strong teachers and attracting them to high-priority schools
Examine leadership, working conditions, hiring, and mentoring in high-turnover schools
Strengthen coaching support for all new teachers
35
Shaping the District Portfolio of Schools
Consider school productivity and trajectory over time when deciding whether to expand, merge, or phase out schools
Consider academic return on investments and costs of student failure, as well as immediate fiscal costs
Develop and expand successful models by proactively recruiting more students to successful campuses
Beware undefined mergers that merely combine campuses: enable leadership around a specific design