Supporting High Poverty Schools: A Critical Task for ESA Board … · 2016-12-28 · AESA 2012...

Supporting High Poverty Schools: A Critical Task for ESA Board Leadership in

the 21st Century

10 Strategies/Policies That Make THE Difference

AESA 2012 Annual Conference

Tampa, Florida

November 29, 2012

William H. Parrett

Director Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies

Boise State University E-mail: [email protected]

Kathleen Budge

Coordinator Leadership Development Program

Boise State University E-mail: [email protected]

11/27/2012

1

Supporting High Poverty Schools: A Critical Task for ESA Board Leadership in the 21st Century

Learner OutcomesLearner Outcomes

Emerge with a substantially enhanced knowledge of what works for underachieving students living in poverty.

U d d h hi h h l b Understand how high-poverty schools become high-performing.

Be compelled to take informed action to better meet the needs of underachieving students living in poverty.

Now Available Now Available From ASCD From ASCD

(ASCD, January 2012)

January January 20122012

Who Are YWho Are Yoou?u?Who Are YWho Are Yoou?u?

ESA Board Members

ESA Superintendents

Western Region(AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, KS,MT, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY)

Collaborate / Network!Collaborate / Network!

What Region?What Region?What Region?What Region?

ESA Staff

School District Personnel

School District Board Members

Parents/Grandparents

Central Region(IA, IL, MI, MN, ND, NE,SD, WI)

Eastern Region(CT, IN, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT)

Southern Region(AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MOMS, NC, SC, TX, VA, WV)

11/27/2012

2

As an ESA…

How are you doing in

supporting

Validate

supporting high poverty schools and

districts?

Challenge to Improve

Source: Education Trust analysis of data from National School-Level State Assessment Score Databasewww.schooldata.orgData are from 2002.

Poverty vs. Achievement in Illinois Elementary Schools

50

60

70

80

90

100

ing

Sta

nd

ard

in

Ma

th

0

10

20

30

40

50

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent Low-Income Students

Pe

rce

nt

5th

Gra

de

rs M

ee

t

Part I Part I

Learning TogetherLearning Together

Part IIPart II

Leading TogetherLeading Together

•Learning From Others: Stories of Inspiration and Hope

•Assessing What

•Build Leadership Capacity—What do we do? What do we stop doing?

•Focus on Learning—You Know About Poverty: The Importance of Accurate Information

•Constructing a Framework for Action

What do we do? What do we stop doing?

•Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Learning Environment—What do we do? What do we stop doing?

HighHigh--Poverty / HighPoverty / High--Performing SchoolsPerforming Schools

JAPANJAPAN

UNITED UNITED KINGDOMKINGDOM

Dayton’s Bluff Elementary, St. Paul, MN

Lapwai Elementary, Lapwai, ID

Molalla High School, Molalla, OR

Osmond A. Church PS/MS. 124 K-8 School, Queens, NY

Port Chester Middle School, Port Chester, NY

Taft Elementary, Boise, ID

Tekoa High School, Tekoa, WA

Nationally Recognized High-Poverty / High Performing Schools

Part I: Learning TogetherPart I: Learning Together

Learning From Others: Stories of Inspiration and Hope

Assessing What You Know About Poverty: The Importance of Accurate Information

Constructing a Framework for Action

Taft Elementary SchoolBoise, ID

2003 Blue Ribbon Award Recipient

11/27/2012

3

William H. Taft Elementary

• 330 Students Grades k-6

• 72% Low Income

• 18% ELL/Refugee

• 9% Hispanic

Idaho State Department of Education, 2010

William H. Taft Elementary

Reading Scores, 3rd Grade

70

80

90

100


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Taft

Distrcit

State

Making Refugee Students Welcome

Kathleen Budge and William ParrettWhen 58 refugee students speaking little English were little English were transferred to this urban elementary school, the principal set up a team-building summer camp.

April 2009

Osmond A. Church SchoolPS/MS 124

Queens, New York

2004 Dispelling the Myth Award Winner

Osmond A. Church SchoolPS / MS 124

• 1,201 students in grades PK-8

• 97% Low-Income

45% Asian• 45% Asian

• 31% African American

• 21% Latino

Source: New York Department of Education, 2010

Osmond A. Church SchoolPS / MS 124

English Language Arts Scores, 2010

60

70

80

90

100

Source: New York Department of Education, 2010

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8

Osmond Church

District

State

11/27/2012

4

Port Chester Middle SchoolPort Chester, NY

2006 Dispelling the Myth Award Winner

Port Chester Middle School

• 864 students in grades 6-8

• 73% Latino

• 7% African-American7% African American

• 64% Low-Income

New York Department of Education, 2010

Port Chester Middle School

Overall Test Scores Grades 6-8

66%

83% 85%80%

70

80

90

100

New York Department of Education, 2010

39%43%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2006 2007 2009

Port Chester

State

Tekoa High School Tekoa, WA

Tekoa High School

110 Students

51% Low-income

83% White

12% American Indian

5% Other 5% Other

Source: Washington State Department of Education, 2010

Tekoa High School

Reading and WritingGrade 10

86 86

80

90

100

Source: Washinton State Department of Education, 2010

67

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Reading Writing

Tekoa State

11/27/2012

5

And…At The And…At The District Level?District Level?District Level?District Level?

Caldwell School DistrictCaldwell School DistrictCaldwell, ID

• 6,500 Students Grades K-12

• 78% Low Income78% Low Income

• 56% Hispanic

• 43% White

• 1% African American / Asian

From Sanctions to SuccessCaldwell School DistrictCaldwell School District

6

8

10

12

Making AYP

Moving from the most severe level of state and federal sanctions to making AYP in 8 of its 10 schools in four years.

0

2

4

2007 2008 2009 2010

Not Making AYP


Caldwell School DistrictCaldwell School District

Closing The Achievement GapBetween White & Hispanic Students

Reading93%

90%100%

Source: Caldwell School District, 2010

73%

55%

85%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

2007 2010

White Hispanic

Caldwell School DistrictCaldwell School District

Closing The Achievement GapBetween White & Hispanic Students

Math

88%90%

100%

Source: Caldwell School District, 2010

65%

47%

79%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

2007 2010

White Hispanic

ESD 113 Olympia, WA

Leaders with courage to address the “moral imperative”—Raising the bar and closing the gap by 2020

Holding themselves accountable for district performance in the region

Focusing wrap-around services (Fiscal, Teaching and Learning, Student Success) on the persistently lowest performing districts

11/27/2012

6

ESD 113 Olympia, WA

Using the HP/HP Framework for Action:

Three days of professional development for internal staff

Three days of Professional development for district teams

On site support as requested

…to be persuaded of the educability of poorchildren? If your answer is more than one, then Isubmit that you have reasons of your own forpreferring to believe that basic pupil performanced i f f il b k d i d f h l

“How many effective schools would you have to see…

derives from family background instead of schoolresponse to family background…

We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us.”

Ron Edmonds... 1979

WE KNOW WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION. THE RESEARCH IS

PROLIFIC

“Amazingly, then, the question

Today…in 2012…

today is not about what works, but about why we do not implement what we know works in all schools for all kids?”

Karin Chenoweth. It’s Being Done: Academic Success in Unexpected Schools. 2007. Pg. 227.





What Do You Know and Believe About Poverty?What Do You Know and Believe About Poverty?

(Parrett & Budge, January 2012)

What Do People (Staff & Board) in your ESA Know/Believe about Poverty?

Turn

And Poverty?

How about people in the districts you serve?

And

Talk

11/27/2012

7

Dramatic Increase in Childhood PovertyDramatic Increase in Childhood Poverty

Change in percent from 2007 - 2011

Eligible for free or

Rates of Increase in 4th Grade Subsidized LunchesSince 2007, the proportion of fourth graders eligible for free orreduced-price lunches through the federal government’s school meals program has increased nationwide to 52%, from 46%.

(Source: U.S Department of Education, 2011)

0% (1)

1-6% (14)

7-10% (31)

≥11% (4)

Eligible for free orreduced-price lunch

Building Leadership Capacity

Are we managing material and human resources effectively?

Are we optimizing time-extending it for understanding students and reorganizing it to better g g gsupport professional learning?

Do we have a data system that works for classroom and school leaders?

Are we working to eliminate mindsets, policies, structures, and practices that perpetuate underachievement?

How Is Poverty Defined?How Is Poverty Defined?

Generational

SituationalSituational

Immigrant

What are the trends in your ESA since the recession began and

Turn

And began and how has your ESA responded?

And

Talk





11/27/2012

8

Now Available Now Available From ASCD From ASCD

(ASCD, January 2012)

January January 20122012

A FRAMEWORK A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION: FOR ACTION:

Actions

Leading Leading High High Poverty Poverty Schools to Schools to High High PerformancePerformance


Actions


SchoolCulture

Spheres ofInfluence

Actions


SchoolCulture


Turning High-Poverty Schools Into

High-Performing Schools

10 Strategies/Policies That Make THE Difference


Actions


11/27/2012

9

Part II: Leading Together

Build Leadership Capacity—What do we do? What do we stop doing?

Focus on Learning What do we do? What do we Focus on Learning—What do we do? What do we stop doing?

Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Learning Environment—What do we do? What do we stop doing?

It Takes It Takes Skill Skill and and WWillill

Swift, dramatic improvement requires an encounter with the “brutal facts”– those awkward,

unpleasant truths that unpleasant truths that organizations prefer not to

address—or even talk about.

J. Collins, Good to Great, 2001.

-M. Schmoker,A Chance for Change, American School Board Journal, April 2007

Build Build Leadership CapacityLeadership Capacity

Low Expectations

Inequitable Funding

Build Leadership CapacityBuild Leadership Capacity


Are we managing material and human g gresources effectively?

Are we optimizing time…EXTENDING it for underachieving students and REORGANIZING it to better support professional learning?


Build Leadership Capacity Build Leadership Capacity

Strategy #1Strategy #1

Consider your Budget as aM l Moral Document

What’s Best For Kids?

11/27/2012

10

Start With An Honest Review of Data /Start With An Honest Review of Data /Set Improvement GoalsSet Improvement Goals Implications for ESAs

How are you supporting How are you supporting Districts Districts to…to…

Study Data &Study Data &Focus Budgets on theFocus Budgets on the

Needs of Students?Needs of Students?



Look for Bright Spots!Spots!

Communicate… and Celebrate Good News

Bright Spots

Successful Efforts Worth Emulating That Illuminate The Road Map For Action and Spark

The Hope That Change Is Possible.

Heath & Heat, Switch, 2010

Bright Spot Philosophy

What’s working right now and how can we do more of it?

Communicating In The 21st Century:What Is Your District Doing?

Basic Website NewslettersWebsite

FacebookEmail

Intra-District Mail / E-mail Reader Boards

What we used to do.

21st Century Communications

Electronic Newsletters

Text Alerts

Twitter

LMS: Blackboard BrainHoney

Angel MyBigCampus

RelevantApps

Edmodo

11/27/2012

11

Communicate Internally Through Leadership Academies

The Caldwell Academy of Leadership builds relationships and trust, as well as a deep‐rooted technical understanding of teaching and learning, to increase student achievement, and improve teacher and administrator retention.

Implications for ESAs

How are you supporting How are you supporting Districts to…Districts to…

Develop a Develop a pproactive roactive (external and internal) (external and internal) communication plan?communication plan?



Are we managing material and human resources g geffectively?

Are we optimizing time-extending it for underachieving students and reorganizing it to better support professional learning?


We will never catch upWe will never catch upunderunder--achieving students who achieving students who live in poverty...live in poverty...

without additional quality without additional quality instructional time for those instructional time for those students… students…

and joband job--embedded time for the embedded time for the professional learning needs of professional learning needs of their teachers.their teachers.

Where’s the time Where’s the time for all of this?for all of this?for all of this?for all of this?

The Full Year Calendar

Ed Trust, 2003

11/27/2012

12

Less Summer Vacation

Ed Trust, 2003

Less Weekends, Holidays, & Summer Vacation

Ed Trust, 2003

Less Professional Development Days & Early Dismissal/Parent Conferences

Ed Trust, 2003

Less Class Picnic, Class Trip, Thanksgiving Feast, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukkah, Awards, Assembles, Athletics & Concerts

Ed Trust, 2003

Less State and District Testing

Ed Trust, 2003

Bottom Line:

Roughly 13-15 8-hr Days of InstructionDays of InstructionPer SubjectPer Year

Ed Trust, 2003

11/27/2012

13


Strategy #3Strategy #3 Go Back…Find The Time

Get creative…support professional learning that does not distract from instructional time

Reduce scheduled / unscheduled interruptionsReduce scheduled / unscheduled interruptions Schedule testing wisely Extend learning…day / week / summer Minimize Pullouts Stop releasing students early Conduct parent / student led conferences outside school day


How are you supporting How are you supporting districts to…districts to…

develop develop ccreative reative aapproaches topproaches to

maximize time?maximize time?

As an ESA…

How are you doing in helping

Turn

And districts build leadership capacity?

And

Talk


Actions




Focus on Learning—What do we do? What do Focus on Learning—What do we do? What do we stop doing?


Focus on LearningFocus on Learning

Tracking / Retention Pullouts

Misassignment to Special EducationSpecial Education

Misassigned Teachers Teacher Isolation Ineffective Instruction

11/27/2012

14



Do we have a common instructional framework to guide curriculum, teaching, assessment, and the learning climate?

Do we provide job-embedded opportunity for professional learning?

Do we have common assessments and embrace assessment literacy?

Have we ensured that all students are proficient in reading?

Do we provide targeted interventions?

Focus on Student, Professional, andFocus on Student, Professional, andSystem LearningSystem Learning


Provide meaningful g(based on data), job-embedded professional learning


How are you supporting How are you supporting districts todistricts todistricts to…districts to…

provide needsprovide needs--based based professional learning?professional learning?

Excitement Prior to Excitement Prior to Implementation is FragileImplementation is Fragile

Guess who has been at h

Joanne Quinn 2012

the recent workshop…








11/27/2012

15


Getting clear on the philosophy and purpose

Defining teacher, student, parent, d i i t t d t

Strategy #5Strategy #5 Implement Student LedConferences

administrator and support Selecting the most appropriate format Preparing students to lead Preparing parents and colleagues to

participate Organizing the details Anticipating and handling unique

situations Evaluating the conferences

(Bailey and Guskey, 2001)

Traditional Parent/Teacher Traditional Parent/Teacher Conferences Conferences

Do These Work?Do These Work?



implement student led implement student led conferences?conferences?

Focus on LearningFocus on Learning Are we working to eliminate mindsets, policies, structures, and

practices that perpetuate underachievement?


Do we provide job-embedded opportunity for professional l i ?learning?




Reading One Year Below Grade Level

Chance of graduating f hi h

Low Socio-Economic Background

Elementary Students At RiskElementary Students At Risk

Have Been Retained from high school near zero

Attends School With Many Other Poor Students

Increasing Achievement of At-Risk Students at Each Grade Level

US Dept. of Ed., 1989

Uncommon SenseUncommon Sense

“We teach students to read.”

Strategy #6Strategy #6 Teach Reading BeyondElementary School

Enlisted the help of a willing teacher

Developed her expertise in a particular program and in reading in general

Reconfigured the schedule to provide reading

Did not consider learning to read an option

Granger High School

11/27/2012

16


How are you supporting How are you supporting districts todistricts todistricts to…districts to…

tteach READING beyond each READING beyond elementary school?elementary school?

All kids…

…want to learn how to read!

Reading is when you know what sounds the letters make and then you say them fast They come out them fast. They come out words, and then you are reading.R. J., age 5

You can read when you look at car and then you look at can and know you drive one and open the

h d h iother one and there is only one eensy line different.Shelby, age 6

It’s when you read and nobody tells you the words. But you shouldn’t do it in the bathroom. My daddy does and my mom yells at him.Paulette, age 5

Words go in your eyes and come out your mouth…but it’s not like

ki thi Y puking or anything. You say the words and that means you’re reading.Loren, age 4

11/27/2012

17

We We MUSTMUST…… Focus On Reading…Focus On Reading…For For EveryEvery StudentStudent

We will never teach all our students to read if we do not teach our students

who have the greatest difficulties to d h h

97

read. Another way to say this is: Getting to 100% requires going through

the bottom 20%.”

Torgesen, Joseph K. A Principal’s Guide to Intensive Reading Interventions for Struggling Readers in Reading First Schools. A Reading First Quality Brief (2005)









•Pre K / Full Day Kindergarten


Target Interventions

•Tutoring

•Extended Day / Summer Programs

•Homework Clubs

•Home Visits

•Alternative Schools & Programs

•College / Career ReadinessBoise State University

Provide High Quality Summer School

• Every summer for underachievers • Regular communication between parent / school• Targeted needs based instruction


• Targeted needs based instruction• Curriculum / aligned to school year needs• Provide for daily nutritional needs• Weekly field trips / recreational activities• Minimum of 3 weeks– more is better• Plan for transition / remaining weeks of summer

Source: Borman 2007; Barr & Parrett, 2007


How are you supporting How are you supporting districts districts to…to…districts districts to…to…

pprovide high quality, rovide high quality, targeted interventions?targeted interventions?



Connect Connect Technology Technology

i iTo InstructionTo Instruction

11/27/2012

18

It’s a Digital World!It’s a Digital World!

•72 hours per minute uploaded

•Over 3 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube

•5 billion photos online

•800 billion active profiles

One Caution: The Digital Divide

Access to devices

A t hi h d i t tAccess to high speed internet

Familiarity with tech skills



cconnect onnect ttechnology echnology to learning (student and to learning (student and

professional)?professional)?

11/27/2012

19


Actions


As an ESA…


Turn

And districts focus on learning?

And

Talk



Focus on Learning What do we do? What do we Focus on Learning—What do we do? What do we stop doing?


Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Learning EnvironmentSupportive Learning Environment

School Is Unsafe

Blaming Students / FamiliesFamilies

Mis-use of Suspension & Expulsion

Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Learning EnvironmentLearning Environment


Have we ensured safety?

H d l d t d t di f Have we developed an accurate understanding of the influence of poverty on student learning?

Have we fostered caring relationships and strengthened the bond between students and schools?

Have we made an authentic effort to engage parents, families, and our community?

Foster a Healthy, Safe, & Supportive Foster a Healthy, Safe, & Supportive Learning EnvironmentLearning Environment

Strategy #Strategy #99

S S Support Support Programs Programs and Policies and Policies that Level the that Level the Playing FieldPlaying Field

11/27/2012

20


How are you supporting How are you supporting di i di i districts to…districts to…

llevel the playing field?evel the playing field?




Have we developed an accurate understanding of the influence of poverty on student learning?



What atWhat at--risk children want at risk children want at school more than anything else…school more than anything else…

…a caring relationship …a caring relationship with an adult.with an adult.

Foster a Healthy, Safe and Foster a Healthy, Safe and Supportive Learning EnvironmentSupportive Learning Environment

Canyon Springs High is not a dumping ground for discipline problems, but instead an alternative learning environment from a traditionalenvironment from a traditional school. Class sizes are limited to 15, students wear uniforms and there is no homework. This is the only alternative high school in Idaho that offers sports.

Foster a Healthy, Safe and Foster a Healthy, Safe and Supportive Learning EnvironmentSupportive Learning Environment

Don’t Be Afraid ofInnovation

Idaho’s Only School For Freshmen

t d t 90 students

Focused Attention On Students Who Are On A Path Toward Failure.

Class Sizes Limited to 15 Students Per Teacher.

Caldwell Freshman Academy




Have we developed an accurate understanding of the influence of poverty on student learning?



11/27/2012

21

Foster a Foster a Healthy, Safe, and Healthy, Safe, and Supportive Supportive Learning Learning EnvironmentEnvironment

Strategy #10Strategy #10 Build Relationshipswith Families

Engage Parents as Authentic Partners

Hold Frequent Meetings with Food/Childcare

ff d i Offer Parent Education

Support Learning at Home

Conduct Home Visits / Caring Outreach

Initiate Student Led Conferences

Initiate Student Advisories

Join the National Network of Partnership Schools www.csos.jhu.edu

Connect with Children, Connect with Children, Families Families and Communityand Community



Authentically include Authentically include parents/families in the parents/families in the

learning process?learning process?

As an ESA…


schools and districts foster a

Turn

And districts foster a safe, healthy,

and supportive learning

environment?

And

Talk

Compelling Conclusions

CollaborateCollaborate

Schools and Districts Schools and Districts can’t do it alonecan’t do it alone……

ESA ESA ESAs ESAs make a make a difference!difference!

11/27/2012

22

Any school can Any school can overcome the overcome the debilitating effects of debilitating effects of povertypovertypoverty…poverty…

…demographics do …demographics do not equal destiny!not equal destiny!

We must combat We must combat hopelessness…hopelessness…

and instill in every child and instill in every child and instill in every child and instill in every child the selfthe self--confidence that confidence that

they can achieve and they can achieve and succeed in school.succeed in school.

How is your ESA instilling in every How is your ESA instilling in every student…student…

…the hope and confidence to succeed?

For the PDF version of “Supporting High Poverty Schools:

A Critical Task for ESA Board Leadership in the 21st Century”

handout, please visithttp://csi.boisestate.edu/

and click on the “Resources” link.

23

KelliBurnham

Text Box

KelliBurnham

Stamp

Making Refugee Students Welcome

Kathleen Budge and William Parrett

When 58 refugee students speaking little English were transferred to this urban elementary school, the principal set up a team-building summer camp.

"Within five minutes of the bell ringing, classrooms were running smoothly. The kids

knew exactly what the expectations were. They came into the classrooms ready to

learn."

Loren Cross, a 3rd grade teacher at William Howard Taft Elementary School in

Boise, Idaho, marveled at how well the 58 students who'd recently immigrated from

many different countries and who spoke 14 different languages successfully

transitioned into the "Taft family" last fall. Taft made that transition possible through

initiatives tailored to address the challenges refugee students and their families

faced as they entered an unfamiliar school. Taft also mastered its own challenges;

between spring and fall of 2008, the school, which serves 355 students, went from

serving only one English language learner to serving more than 60.

The summer before school opened, these 58 new students had attended Tiger Pride

Summer Camp, a two-week nonacademic team-building experience designed to

develop a sense of belonging and introduce students to the traditions of their new

school. The camp made a tremendous difference in easing students into their new

environment. But its success depended on the relationships of mutual trust that

teachers had built through summer home visits with families.

A Sudden Transformation Newly arrived immigrant students have brought dramatic changes to schools like

Taft in many urban areas, but Taft's transformation was sudden. When the city of

Boise was designated by the federal government as a site for refugee resettlement,

Boise School District experienced unprecedented growth in its English language

April 2009

29

learner (ELL) population, which grew by 123 percent in the past six years. Families

arrived from Sudan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Liberia, and many other nations. The district

now serves 3,352 ELLs who speak 88 languages.

Taft principal Susan Williamson learned in April 2008 that the school district had

designated her school as an ELL site. Forty refugee students were slated to be

administratively transferred to Taft from other schools in the district by June (and an

additional 18 enrolled in September).

These students came from 16 different countries and spoke 14 languages. Their

family backgrounds and experiences varied. Some were well-educated in their

countries of origin and literate in their languages; others, as the second generation

born and raised in a refugee camp, had never consistently attended school.

The teachers, staff, and neighborhood community of Taft are no strangers to

challenges. Taft's student body is 73 percent low-income, and when Williamson

arrived at the school 10 years ago test scores were low, morale was dismal, and

student behavior was out of control. Under her leadership, student achievement

increased significantly and Taft became recognized as a National Blue Ribbon

School.

Nonetheless, ensuring that a group of newcomers, half of whom had minimal

English language proficiency, would achieve at high levels posed a formidable

expectation. Some teachers felt apprehensive about sliding back from the school's

hard-earned gains and were anxious about their ability to work with English

language learners. The district assigned Taft a certified ELL teacher and a

paraprofessional and offered the services of an ELL consultant and the director of

the district's ELL program. These services helped, but the school knew it would have

to put forth effort to forge trusting relationships.

An Antidote to Displacement With fewer than 45 days remaining in the 2007–08 school year, a small team began

taking action to welcome the refugee students. The team learned as much as

possible about these youth and their families. It gathered information from the

students' former schools and the many agencies that serve the refugee population in

Boise.

30

Using hours typically set aside for faculty meetings and two half-day professional

development opportunities, teachers and staff devoured information about the needs

of English language learners—and refugees in particular. Teachers continued

previously initiated training in sheltered instruction using a model called the

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol.1 The district's ELL program coordinator

stepped in to provide additional targeted support, including professional

development related to legal issues and terminology, curriculum guidance and

supplemental ELL materials, and leads for finding interpreters. Second grade

teacher Tracy Zarate was reassigned as Taft's ELL teacher, teaching small groups

formed around students' needs and often preteaching vocabulary and important

concepts.

To help Taft's current students learn about their new classmates, Fidel Nshombo, a

Congolese refugee and a resident of Boise, spoke at a schoolwide assembly in the

spring about his experiences. Fidel explained that refugees are different from

immigrants in key ways. An immigrant voluntarily leaves his or her country of origin,

whereas a refugee is compelled to leave, often fleeing a desperate situation.

Refugees are by definition displaced. For these students and their families, the

move to Taft represented another displacement—an uprooting from the school they

had initially come to know in Boise, even for a short time. The Taft team understood

the importance of fostering a new sense of place and belonging in students.

Taft's 5th graders conducted research on the various countries that the soon-to-

arrive students had left. They produced a newsletter called Cultural Connection that

they distributed to Taft students and their families. Bulletin boards depicting the

countries and cultures of the incoming students lined the hallways, and teachers

made frequent links between classroom instruction and these cultures.

Establishing Trust The team worked diligently to foster communication and relationships with refugee

students' families. After only a handful of parents—many of whom were resistant,

fearful, or angry about the transfer to Taft—attended an initial meeting, the team

knew it had to actively reach out to build trust. So team members set—and met—a

goal to visit each student's home before the refugees were invited to summer camp.

31

To facilitate these home visits, Robert and Debbie Weisel, founders of CATCH, a

local organization that seeks to bridge the gap between schools and refugees, were

enlisted. Many refugee families already knew and trusted Robert and Debbie; their

involvement paved the way for families to accept overtures from Taft staff. Robert,

himself the son of a refugee, is well connected with Boise agencies and networks

serving this population. He provided Principal Williamson with what she called

"Refugee 101" informal training that greatly advanced her understanding of complex

issues related to educating refugees.

During a second round of home visits, Taft staff members gave families a packet of

information translated into their native languages and containing a letter of welcome,

photographs and names of every Taft staff member, and a collage depicting

activities, traditions, and services available at Taft. "The big turnaround in trust came

after the home visits," Loren Cross explained.

Many in the Taft family made extraordinary efforts to cement that trust. For example,

one refugee parent didn't want his children to walk to school because he feared they

would be kidnapped. So Cross and other faculty members walked his children to

school and back every day the first week of school; Cross continues to walk with

them at least once a week.

Happy Campers! To help students feel part of a community from day one, the team created an

intensive introductory summer experience. A summer camp would help students

meet new friends, put families at ease, and give Taft's teachers an opportunity to

become acquainted with the new students and teach them about schoolwide

practices and expectations that were the foundation of Taft's continued success.

Williamson recruited Cross to coordinate the half-day camp, and several other

teachers and staff members joined the effort.

Planning a two-week summer camp on such a short time line required fiscal

ingenuity and partnerships with the local YMCA and parks and recreation programs.

Because the school's remaining Title I funds were not enough to operate the camp,

The school successfully turned to community partners for funding and volunteers.

The refugee students came to Taft for lunch and a tour of the school in preparation

for the camp. Camp staff paired each new student with a chosen student from Taft.

32

Many of these "buddy" students were selected because they had leadership ability

and would be good role models; others were included because they too could

benefit from new friendships. Photos of each "buddy pair" were made into buttons

and delivered to each new student's home with a reminder about the upcoming

camp.

The Tiger Pride camp concentrated on team-building activities, including creative

arts, hip-hop dance, African drumming and other music making, physical education,

and many team sports. As students rotated through activities, staying in their buddy

pairs, the kids bonded.

Speaking different languages presented few barriers to students' burgeoning

friendships. They used both hand signals and spoken words to communicate. By the

second week, students were joking and laughing with one another.

33

Is it possible for high-poverty schools to be

high-performing? Of course it is! Real schools with

students living in poverty do post high levels of student

achievement. Lessons learned and practical advice from

seven of these high-performing / high-poverty, along

with hundreds of others that have been the subject of

intensive research, are the focus of this book. The

authors zero in on what HP/HP schools stopped doing

or eliminated and what they started doing or improved

on in three key areas of performance:

• Building leadership capacity

• Fostering a safe, healthy, and supportive learning

environment

• Focusing on student, professional, and system

learning

Rather than suggesting a one-size fits all approach, the

authors acknowledge the unique context of individual

schools and urge readers to engage in self-assessment,

reflection, and coordinated action to learn together and

lead together , with rubrics and planning tools to help

guide the process.

To order call: 1-800- 933-2723 or visit

ASCD online at

www.ascd.org/publications/books/109003.aspx

Improve achievement for all students with winning

strategies that respond to NCLB requirements!

Demonstrating that both struggling students and low-

performing schools can show dramatic improvement,

the authors provide lessons learned from experienced

teachers to help educators effectively instruct students

who are disadvantaged, culturally diverse, or who may

be at risk. This field-tested guide reviews NCLB

mandates and encourages educators to:

• Establish priorities that focus on student learning

• Create a school and classroom climate of respect

• Maintain high expectations for academic

performance

• Rely on results-driven instructional and assessment

practices

• Collaborate with parents and families

This book is a valuable resource for educators who

want to ensure positive school change and support

academic success for their students.

To order call: 1-800-805-233-9936 or visit

Corwin Press online at www.corwin.com/booksProDesc.nav?prodld=Book230851

Successfully reach and teach the underachieving

children of poverty with the help of this comprehensive

resource. The authors have compiled 18 timely research

studies to reveal an abundance of practical, usable

best-practice strategies you can implement at district,

school, and classroom levels along with rubrics at the

end of each chapter that readers can use to evaluate the

progress of their school or district.

Keep this collection of relevant research topics close at

hand to access:

• Essential leadership characteristics to improve student

achievement

• Strategies for engaging parents, the community, and

schools to work together

• How to maintain high expectations for the

underachieving children of poverty

• Methods for creating a culture of aasssseessssmmeenntt aanndd ddaattaa

lliitteerraaccyy

To order call: 1-800-733-6786 or visit Solution Tree online at www.solution-tree.com/the-kids-left-behind.html

ISBN:

1416613137

Price:

$30.95

Member Price:

$22.95

Pages:

220

Edition:

1st

ISBN:

9781412957939

Price:

$40.95

Pages:

432

Edition:

2nd

ISBN:

9781932127904

Price:

$34.95

Pages:

276

Edition:

1st

BEST-SELLER! BEST-SELLER! BEST-SELLER!

Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing SchoolsWilliam Parrett & Kathleen Budge, 2012

Saving Our Students, Saving Our Schools: 50 Proven Strategies for Helping Underachieving Students and Improving SchoolsRobert Barr & William Parrett, 2008

The Kids Left Behind:Catching Up the Underachieving Children of PovertyRobert Barr & William Parrett, 2007

34

William H. Parrett

William H. Parrett is the Director of the Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies and Professor of Education at Boise State University. He has received international recognition for his work in school improvement, high-poverty schools, alternative education, and for his efforts to help under-achieving students. His professional experiences include public school and university teaching, curriculum design, principalships, college leadership, media production, research and publication. Parrett holds a Ph.D. in Secondary Education from Indiana University and has served on the faculties of Indiana University, the University of Alaska and Boise State University. As Director of the Boise State University Center for School Improvement & Policy Studies

(1996 to present), Parrett coordinates funded projects and school improvement initiatives which currently exceed $10 million dollars annually. His research on reducing achievement gaps, effective schooling practices for under-achieving students, and turning high-poverty schools into high-performing schools has gained widespread national recognition. Parrett is the co-author of the recently released best-seller, Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing Schools, (ASCD, 2012). He is also the co-author of the best-selling Saving Our Students, Saving Our Schools, 2nd edition, (Corwin Press, 2008, Honorable Mention, National Education Book of the Year 2009) and The Kids Left Behind: Catching Up the Underachieving Children of Poverty (Solution Tree, 2007, Best Seller). Other books include: Saving Our Students, Saving Our Schools (2003), Hope Fulfilled for At-Risk & Violent Youth (2001), How to Create Alternative, Magnet, and Charter Schools that Work (1997), Hope at Last for At-Risk Youth (1995), Inventive Teaching: Heart of the Small School (1993) and The Inventive Mind: Portraits of Effective Teaching (1991). He has also authored numerous contributions to national journals and international and national conferences over the past three decades. Parrett’s media production, Heart of the Country (1998), is a documentary of an extraordinary principal of a village elementary school in Hokkaido, Japan, and the collective passion of the community to educate the heart as well as the mind. Since its release, the production was nominated for the Pare Lorentz Award at the 1999 International Documentary Awards (Los Angeles, CA); has won the Award of Commendation from the American Anthropological Association, a Gold Apple Award for best of category at the National Education Media Network Festival (Oakland, CA), a National CINE Golden Eagle Award (Washington, D.C.), and a Judges’ Award at the 24th Northwest Film Festival (Portland, OR). In addition, Heart of the Country was an invited feature and screened at the Cinema du Reel festival in Paris (1998) and the Margaret Mead Film Festival (1998) in New York City. This work has received critical acclaim for its cinematography and insight into the universal correlates of effective teaching and learning and the power of community participation in public schools. Parrett has also served as visiting faculty at Indiana University, the University of Manitoba, Oregon State University, Hokkaido University of Education (Japan), Nagoya Gakiun (Japan), Gifu University (Japan) and Heilongjiang University (People’s Republic of China). His consultancies include state departments, boards of education, state and regional service providers and school districts in 43 states and 10 nations. Throughout his career, Parrett has worked to improve the educational achievement of ALL children and youth, particularly those less advantaged. Toward this goal, as director of the CSI&PS, he has overseen the acquisition of over thirty million dollars in external funding to create programs and interventions designed to help educators, schools, communities, and universities benefit from research and best practice. These efforts have positively impacted the lives of thousands of young people.

36

Kathleen Budge Kathleen Budge is the coordinator of the Leadership Development Program at Boise State University. She has led the development of this innovative, non-traditional preparation program, the purpose of which is to develop leaders who have the commitment and capabilities to lead schools where all students succeed. She also serves as co-director of the Idaho Leads Project, the goal of which is to prepare all Idaho students for success in the 21st Century by strengthen leadership capacity in Idaho K-12 schools and districts and enhancing the advancement of educational improvement in Idaho’s communities. Kathleen also serves as an associate professor in the Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies Department where her research and scholarly activity focuses on educational leadership, leadership development, rural education, school improvement, and poverty. She has conducted numerous presentations at national and state conferences as well as published articles on these

topics in such well-respected journals as The Journal of Research in Rural Education, Education Policy Analysis Archive, American Journal of Education, and Educational Leadership. She is co-author of Turning High Poverty Schools Into High Performing Schools (ASCD, 2012). Kathleen earned her doctorate from the University of Washington in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in 2005. She was selected to participate in Leadership for Learning, an innovative, cohort-based program that emphasized the link between leadership and learning, as well as the development of leaders willing and able to address and redress issues of equity and social justice. Her consultancies include state departments, boards of education, state and regional service providers, as well as school districts throughout the US; and she has served as visiting faculty for the Principal Academy facilitated by Advance Innovative Education in partnership with Louisiana State University. Dedicated to improving educational outcomes for all children, particularly those less advantaged, she has been instrumental in the acquisition of nearly five million dollars in grants and contracts to advance this aim. Prior to joining the faculty at Boise State, Kathleen served as the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning at Educational Service District 113 in Olympia, Washington. She provided leadership to forty-five, predominately rural, school districts serving approximately 77, 000 students. She led the development of a highly successful regional job-embedded professional development model and facilitated data-based improvement planning with more than 150 schools. Her leadership was recognized through being awarded the Washington Association of School Administrator’s (WASA) Regional President’s Award, the WASA Award of Merit, and the Washington Association of Educational Service Districts President’s Award for significant contribution to the state’s educational service agencies. Additionally, she served as a Washington State Distinguished Educator/School Improvement Specialist providing training and consultation to superintendents, central office administrators, building principals and teacher-leaders in schools spanning grades preschool-12, and varying in size, demographics, and geographical location. She was a member of the Statewide School Improvement Technical Assistance Council and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Curriculum Advisory and Review Committee, as well as a contributing author to the School System Improvement Guide and the Washington State School Improvement Planning Guide both published by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia, Washington.

During her twenty-six years in P-12 education, she also served as a district curriculum director, an elementary principal, and an elementary and special education teacher. She continues to maintain that her most important and significant work has been teaching first graders to read.

37

Supporting High Poverty Schools: A Critical Task for ESA Board … · 2016-12-28 · AESA 2012...

Documents

Transcript of Supporting High Poverty Schools: A Critical Task for ESA Board … · 2016-12-28 · AESA 2012...