Addressing the Achievement Gap: New Hope for K12 University Partnerships

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Addressing the Achievement Gap New Hope for K-12
University Partnerships

• Dr. Bernard Oliver, Director/Professor
• Dr. Diane Archer-Banks, Program Coordinator
• Diana Melendez, Doctoral Candidate
• Sophie Maxis, Graduate Assistant
• Jacqueline Basallo, Graduate Assistant
• Mary Ann Primack, Graduate Assistant

A paper presented at the 48th Annual FASCD
Conference Nova Southeastern University, Orlando
Campus November 30, 2007
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OVERVIEW

• Introductions
• High School Reform - Diane Archer-Banks
• Ninth Grade and Transition to High School -
  Sophie Maxis
• Establishing Support for Beginning and
  Experienced Teachers - Diane Archer-Banks
• Connecting Parents to Schools in Challenged
  Communities - Diana Melendez
• Achievement Gap Strategies Diana Melendez
• A Final Outcome Scholarship Support and
  Postsecondary Attendance Jacqueline Basallo

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Factors Associated with School Success

• Guaranteed and viable curriculum
• Challenging goals effective feedback
• Parent and community involvement
• Safe orderly environment
• Collegiality professionalism
• Instructional strategies
• Classroom management
• Classroom curriculum design
• Home Environment
• Learned intelligence background knowledge
• Motivation

(Morel, 2006)
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Factors Influencing Achievement

• Before/Beyond School
• Parental participation
• Student inability
• Birth weight
• Lead poisoning
• Hunger/Nutrition
• Reading to young children
• Television teaching
• Parent availability

(ETS, 2003)
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Factors Influencing Achievement

• School
• Rigor of curriculum
• Teacher quality
• Teacher experience attendances
• Class size/technology assisted instruction
• School safety

(ETS, 2003)
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Key Practices to Raising Student Achievement in
High Schools

• High expectations
• Vocational/Career studies
• Academic studies contextualized teaching
• Challenging programs of study
• Integration of school-based and work based
  learning
• Teachers working together (learning communities)
• Engaged students
• Academic/Career guidance
• Extra support for all
• Continuous improvement data!!!

(SREB, 1998)
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Successful Beat the Odds Schools

• Instruction
• Clear goals
• Strong classroom management
• Differentiated instruction (based on data)
• Opportunity to learn (challenging standards
  based

(Morel, 2006)
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Successful Beat the Odds Schools

• School Environment
• Clear rules for behavior
• Parental involvement
• High expectations - academic press

(Morel, 2006)
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Successful Beat the Odds Schools

• Professional Community
• Targeted professional development
• Collaborative work -professional learning
  communities (We versus me)
• Teacher leadership opportunities

(Morel, 2006)
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Successful Beat the Odds Schools

• Leadership
• Clear/common vision, school mission
• Clear focus for resources
• Maintaining instructional practice
• Organized change (policy culture)

(Morel, 2006)
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9th Grade and Transition to High School

• Key Point
• Transition is a process, not an event
• (Hertzog Morgan, 1999)

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Key Points for Transition Strategies

• Should be age-appropriate and continue to the end
  of 9th grade
• Transition teams to include all stakeholders
  (parents, teachers, administrators, students from
  middle and high school level)
• Transition activities must start early in eighth
  grade and occur about once a month
• Middle and high school principals need to
  collaborate with stakeholders in the planning of
  transition activities
• Professional learning communities to address the
  distinct needs and develop action plans of
  teachers and administrators from middle and high
  school levels
• (NASSP, 2006)

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Indicators of Successful Learning Communities

• Collaborative leadership for student success
• Principals are highly committed to shared
  leadership that focuses on mission, vision,
  curriculum/instruction, assessment and
  professional development
• Collaboratively developed values about adolescent
  learners and success
• Strong community of learners (students, teachers,
  administrators, parents and community members)
  working together to determine needs, strategies
  and nurture learning
• Fostering a culture of cooperation, trust,
  respect, support and appreciation
• Organizational structures provide opportunities
  for frequent and meaningful participation in
  leadership and decision making
• Time, resources, professional development and
  support necessary to facilitate collaboration
• (NASSP, 2006)

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Key Points for Framework

• Teams should have meaningful discussions about
  pedagogy, student behavior and academic
  performance
• Allow for reflection and dialogue that support
  best practices
• Teaming lessens the feelings of isolation in
  teaching profession
• Training should support collaboration
• Stakeholders should be involved in process to
  address at least three critical questions
• What are students expected to learn
• How will it be known when they learn it
• How to respond when students dont learn it
• (Mcintosh White, 2006)

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Key Points for Framework

• Core freshman area within school (classrooms,
  locker, principal, counselor, common lunch
  period)- freshman academy, center, wing,
  house, seminar
• Teams of core ninth grade teachers
• Common preparation time for core ninth grade
  teachers
• Strong collaboration between middle school and
  ninth grade counselors
• (McIntosh White, 2006)

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Support for Novice and Other Teachers

• 4 to 5 days of orientation at the beginning of
  the semester
• Strong administrative support
• Continuous professional development
• Modeling of effective instructional strategies
  during mentoring and in-service trainings
• Structured mentoring program
• Opportunities for novice teachers to observe
  successful veteran teachers
• Small learning communities that provide
  networking opportunities and commitment to
  teacher success
• (Wood, 2005 Wong, 2004)
• (McIntosh White, 2006)

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Support for Novice and Other Teachers
Wood, 2005 Wong 2004)
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Schools and Families

• Students/schools with engaged parents
• earn higher grades/test scores
• enroll in higher level programs
• more likely to be promoted
• have more regular school attendance
• have better social skills, adaptive behavior,
  etc.
• attend post secondary schools
• stronger teacher-parent relationships
• improves overall quality of schools
• (Henderson, Mapp 2002)

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Achievement Gap Strategies

• Focus on early childhood education
• Well prepared/experienced teachers for Black
  children
• Reduce class sizes (particularly in early grades
• Equitable grouping practices
• Adequate representation across the curriculum
• Bridge home and school cultures by adopting
  instruction and schooling to students background
• High expectations
• Strong accountability
• Student support programs
• Desegregate schools and programs

(Thompson Quind, 2001)
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Related Florida Recommendations

• High school diploma based on student interest
• Recognition for different levels of proficiency
• Focus on middle school academic skills
• Focus/emphasis on transition from 8th to 9th
  grade
• Research base professional development
• Instructional leadership for principals
• Smaller learning communities
• Parental involvement

(Florida Department of Education, 2006)
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UF Alliance Our Core Values

• We believe that culturally responsive schooling
  is conducive to student success.
• We believe that early outreach and college
  awareness enhances college participation.
• We believe in equal access and opportunity to
  post-secondary education for all students.
• We believe that all students deserve a high
  quality and well-balanced education.
• We believe that parents and families are key
  partners in the educational process.
• We believe that mentoring and academic support
  are necessary for student success.
• We believe that all students have the individual
  talents and abilities to succeed.

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REFERENCES

• (1998) Outstanding practices Raising student
  achievement
• by focusing on the 10 key practices. Atlanta,
  GA SREB
• Black, S. (2004). The pivotal year. American
  School Board Journal Alexandria, VA National
  School Boards Association.
• Blankstein, H. M. (2004) Failure is not an
  option Six principles
• that guide student achievement in high
  performing schools. Thousand Oaks, CA Corwin
  Press
• Hertzog, C.J. Morgan, P. L. (1999).
  Transition A process,
• not an event. Reston, VA National Association
  of Secondary School Principals.
• Krantrowitz, B. Wingert, D. (May 2006) What
  makes a great high school. Newsweek, May 8,
  2006.
• Mcintosh, J. White, S. H. (2006). Building for
  freshman
• success High schools working as professional
  learning communities. American Secondary
  Education, 34, 40-49

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REFERENCES

• Neild, R. C., Stoner-Eby, S. Furstenberg, F.
  (2001).
• Connecting entrance and departure The
  transition to ninth grade and high school
  dropout. Presented at
• Harvard Civil Rights Project Conference on
  Dropouts in America, Harvard University, January
  13, 2001).
• Schlechty, P. (2005) Creating great schools Six
  critical
• systems at the heart of educational innovation.
  San Francisco, CA Jossey-Boss
• Wurtzel, Judy (2006) Transforming high school
  teaching and
• learning A district-wide design. Maryland
  The Aspen Institute
• (2005) An action agenda for improving Americas
  high schools. Washington, D.C. Achieve Inc.

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REFERENCES

• 2005) A call to action Transforming high school
  for all
• youth. Washington, D.C. Institute of
  Educational Leadership
• (2006)Success in sight A comprehensive approach
  to
• school improvement. Denver, CO MCREL
• (2006) High school reform Task report and
• recommendations. Tallahassee, FL Florida
  Department of Education
• 2006) Breaking ranks in the middle Strategies
  for leadingmiddle level reform. Reston, VA
  National Association of Secondary School
  Principals.
• 2002) Outstanding practices Opening doors to the
  future,
• preparing low-achieving middle grades students
  to succeed in high school. Atlanta, GA SREB.