when standards drive philanthropy . . .

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when standards drive philanthropy . . .

• Jeannie Oakes, UCLA
• AERA 2002

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The theory of standards-based reform

• A clear vision of what students should know and
  be able to do supports the system and spurs
  changes that enhance educational quality.
• All children should have access to challenging
  academic content and the opportunity to learn to
  a high standard of performance.
• Schools should have the resources, flexibility,
  and responsibility to educate their students to a
  high level of performance.
• All parts of the education systemschool
  curriculum, curriculum materials, teacher
  training and licensure, continuing professional
  development, and assessmentshould support
  standards-based education.

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Todays standards-based reform in practice a
remarkable consensus

• A vision of what students should know and be able
  to do
• reach measurable grade-level benchmarks toward
  state-set standards in traditional academic
  content areas
• All children should have access to challenging
  academic content and the opportunity to learn to
  a high standard of performance
• Leave no child behind by closing the racial
  test-score gap in basic reading and arithmetic
  skills

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Todays standards-base reform in
practicerhetoric reality

• Stronger accountability for results
• Test-based accountability with high stakes for
  students and teachers
• Increased flexibility and local control
• Little to no regulation of conditions or learning
  opportunities
• An emphasis on teaching methods that have been
  proven to work
• Teachers deliver instruction using packaged
  programs (mostly highly prescriptive) that are
  correlated to increased scores on basic skills
  tests
• Expanded options for parents
• Parents are individual consumers who choose
  individually whether or not to buy education at
  the local school

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Neglected dimensions of standards-based reform

• Conditions and opportunities for teaching and
  learning
• A system of fair and authentic standards-aligned
  assessments that monitors learning, informs
  instruction, and guides the provision of
  supplemental help
• Democratic forms of accountability
• transparent useful systemic indicators and
  processes
• an educated, activist public
• meaningful engagement at the local level

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California as a case exampleopportunity to
learn neglected

• nearly 25 years of decline (since Proposition 13)
• overall lowering of quality in conditions and
  resources
• clusters of disadvantage
• uneven burdens

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Californias staffing problems
30 25 20 15 10 5 0
199798
27
199899
26
25
19992000
23
200001
14
13
13
12
8
8
8
7
5
4
4
4
6190 minority
030 minority
3160 minority
91100 minority
Distribution of underprepared teachers by
percentage of minority students, 199798 to
200001
Source CDE (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001c), SRI
analysis
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Californias textbook shortages
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Californias instructional material shortages
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Californias problems compound one anothertexts
and facilities
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Californias problems compound one anothertexts
and staffing
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Heaviest burden on low-income students
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California as a case exampleassessment
accountability neglected

• off the shelf norm-referenced, basic skills
  test not aligned to the states standards
• high stakes for students and teachers based on
  this inadequate test
• no standards or monitoring of the conditions of
  learning teaching
• a policy environment in which putative test score
  improvements and miniscule increases in education
  spending substitute for the timely correction of
  inadequacies and inequalities
• accountability measures and consequences that
  stop at the classroom or school
• no compelling way for parents or the public to
  engage

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Philanthropys Role?Go where government can not
or will not

• Re-establish Opportunity to Learn as a
  fundamental component of standards-based
  education
• Turn accountability right side up by making the
  education system accountable to communities,
  families, and students rather than making
  students and teachers accountable to the system.
• More systemic democratic forms of
  accountability
• An engaged, activist citizenry
• Make standards-based reform what it could and
  should be.

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Standards-based reform made right
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Philanthropy-worthy directionsRe-insert
opportunity to learn back into standards-based
reform

• Establish standards that define adequacy of
  school conditions and opportunities for students
  to learn the state-specified content standards
• Develop new funding and capacity building
  strategies that enable schools to provide
  adequate opportunities to all students to meet
  the standards
• Create monitoring, reporting, and
  intervention strategies that detect and correct
  inadequacies should they occur

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1) Fully qualified,
well-trained teachers and counselors2)
Sufficient high quality textbooks and learning
materials3) School classroom and facilities
that promote learning and health4) Safe and
caring schools and classrooms free from
harassment and violence5) Clearly stated
academic standards and long range goals6) A
course of instruction that prepares all students
for college, the workplace, and civic
participation7) Academic progress supported
by languages students understand8) Fair and
authentic assessment that guides instruction and
supplemental help9) Timely and accessible
information about the availability of high
quality learning conditions10) An
accountability system that allows students and
parents to communicate their concerns to public
officials responsible for, and charged with
reporting on, the provision of each of these
rights.
An Educational Bill of Rights for Californias
students


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Deriving opportunities to learn beginning with
the standards

• Campaign for Fiscal Equity in New York
• Williams v. State of California

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Philanthropy-worthy directionscreate more
systemic democratic accountability

• Construct systemic accountability indicators
  that clarify and monitor responsibility at levels
  of the system above the school.
• Develop and test new strategies to engage
  community members, teachers, parents, and
  students in producing and using locally-generated
  research to promote educational quality and
  equity in their schools.
• Assist local and state policymakers to use
  locally generated, as well as state-generated
  data in their decisionmaking about the
  educational quality and equity.

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building an educated, activist citizenry