Continuing the Commitment: Sustaining Reading First Outcomes

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Continuing the Commitment Sustaining Reading
First Outcomes
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Overview

• Introduction to sustainability
• Planning for sustainability
• Sustainability by Reading First elements
• Additional strategies for sustainability
• References

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Where are we now?

• What do your current Reading First results look
  like?
• Are they better than your previous results? (pre
  RF)
• Are these the outcomes you want to sustain?
• If not, where do you go from here? (action
  planning)
• If so, what is the rationale for sustaining?
  What is the process for sustaining?

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Sustaining Reading First A Premise...

• Those who are able to sustain the improved
  outcomes they have attained under Reading First
  will be those who
• see Reading First not as a funding stream, but as
  a different way of thinking about teaching and
  learning
• see the management of change as a systems level
  process
• understand that sustaining does not simply mean
  maintaining

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We are not where we want to be, We are not where
we are going to be, But we are not where we
were. Rosa Parks
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Definitions
sustainability does not simply mean whether
something will last. It addresses how particular
initiatives can be developed without compromising
the development of others in the surrounding
environment now and in the future. (Hargreaves
Fink, 2000, p. 30)
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Lessons learned school-level factors that hinder
sustainability

• The presence of competing reforms
• Instability of leadership
• Teacher retention
• Poor student outcomes
• Low level of teacher commitment
• (Datnow, 2005)

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Lessons learned school-level factors that lead
to sustainability

• Genuine interest in change
• Teacher and administrator support
• Critical mass involved in implementation
• Sustained professional development
• Practical plan for implementation
• Monitoring of the change effort
• (Datnow, 2005)

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Lessons Learned from the Rand Study

• Involved a national sample of federally-funded
  educational innovations
• Studied projects in
• Last two years of a 35 year funding cycle
• First two years after funding ended
• Outcomes reflected not the amount of funding, but
  the actions of the local staff.
• Key finding Mutual Adaptation
• Sustainability was enhanced if the project
  adapted to the changing context of the school
  setting (e.g., staff turnover, training and
  support, changes in student population, etc.).
• School staff adapted their practices in response
  to the project.
• (Berman and McLaughlin, 1978)

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Planning for Sustainability
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Institutionalization
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Institutionalization
Institutionalization involves a multilevel
process during which an innovation becomes an
established practice.

• Structuralinnovation reflected in a concrete
  fashion throughout the organization
• Proceduralactivities associated with the
  innovation become standard operating procedure
• Culturalnorms and values associated with the
  innovation are embraced by members of the
  organization

(Curry, 1991)
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Institutionalization

• Schools whose reforms were well institutionalized
  did not suffer or experience conflicts
  in the face of changing district and
  state demands.

(Datnow, 2005)
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Reading First Elements and Sustainability

• Leadership (organization, goals, priorities,
  communication)
• Culture (shared vision, beliefs, practices and
  commitments)
• SBRR curriculum (core, supplemental,
  intervention)
• Instruction (differentiation, grouping, delivery)
• Assessment/Use of data (formative assessments/use
  of data for instructional planning)
• Professional development (differentiated and
  targeted)
• Coaching (job-embedded)
• Use of time (90) and additional learning
  opportunities
• Use of recurring resources
• District support

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Elements of a School-wide Reading Model with
Added Costs and Sources of Support
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Elements of a School-wide Reading Model with
Added Costs and Sources of Support (continued)
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Leadership

• As leaders, how do you affect the following
• Buy-in and depth at all levels including central
  office and instructional leaders?
• Commitment to analyzing and using data?
• Supporting staff in the change process?
• Facilitating and providing resources?
• Fostering motivationWhat else can we do?
• Fostering the sense of ownership and pride?
• Celebrate successes?

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Leadership Create a Culture of Learning

• Five mutually reinforcing sets of strategic
  activities
• Nested learning communities
• Principal institutes
• Leadership for instruction
• Peer learning
• Individual coaching

I believe that no effective learning can go on
without very strong personal relationships, but
relationships cant substitute for deep
knowledge. (Fink, 2001)
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Barriers to Sustainability Leadership

• Turnover of leadership (principal, coach)
• Lack of attention to reading culture
• Lack of instructional leadership
• The leadership is concentrated in one person
• Lack of support from the district for maintaining
  effective leadership at the school level

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Strategies for Sustainability Leadership
Addressing Staff Turnover

• Reading-based hiring practices posting,
  recruiting, screening, interviewing, doing
  reference checks)
• Re-assignment of staff place principals,
  coaches and teachers based on vision and skills
  which match the needs of the students in the
  school
• Cultivate leaders planned succession (Fullan,
  2005)
• Provide training, opportunity, support,
  recognition
• Have current leaders mentor potential leaders

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Strategies for Sustainability Leadership
Addressing Reading Culture and Instruction

• Review/revise job descriptions for principal and
  coach
• Set high expectations for leaders regarding
  outcomes and hold them accountable
• Supervise and evaluate principals and coaches on
  the variables related to strong outcomes
• Provide support for leaders to meet outcomes
  (mentoring)
• Structure strong collaboration between principal
  and coach
• Establish strong building reading team

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Shifting Leadership Priorities
Reading First

• Requires a shift in typical school leadership
  priorities.

Reading First
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Brief Discussion Key or Emerging Leaders in Your
School
Dont rely on a hero. Rely on the team. Rob
Horner

• Who are the reading leaders in your school? Who
  are the potential leaders?
• What are the roles they play or can play to help
  sustain Reading First elements?
• What can you do to cultivate their leadership
  potential?

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Reading culture What is it?

• How we do things here (with respect to reading)
• The materials we use
• The training and support we provide
• The instruction we plan and deliver
• The assessments we conduct
• The way we use time and other resources
• The leadership we provide for reading
• Our shared mission, vision, beliefs,
  expectations, norms, values and practices around
  reading outcomes

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The Components of Reading Culture
shared mission/vision/beliefs
community engagement around reading
common understanding of student context
culture
student outcomes
cultivation of input/buy-in
shared expectations of students
culture
communication about the culture
common evidence-based practices
commitment to continuous improvement
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Barriers to Sustainability Developing a Strong
Reading Culture

• Change of leadership (principal or coach)
• Lack of participation by principal
• Staff turnover (new teachers)
• Changing goals/priorities at district/school
  level
• Loss of urgency for improved outcomes
• Cultural drift

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Strategies for Sustainability Developing a
Strong Reading Culture

• School Level
• Develop teacher capacity to understand data and
  deliver instruction aligned with each students
  needs.
• Examine student data regularly to assure
  progress adjust instruction as needed.
• Classroom Level
• Regularly monitor student progress.
• Regularly meet with grade level team to adjust
  grouping and instruction as needed.

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Barriers to Sustainability Curriculum

• Insufficient training and follow-up support on
  program implementation
• Insufficient attention to fidelity of
  implementation
• Insufficient differentiation of curriculum
• Lack of funds for replacement materials

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Strategies for Sustainability Curriculum

• Additional training and follow-up as needed
• Supervise for fidelity to instructional plan
• Accountability for implementation
• District, Title 1 funds, other sources for
  materials

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Barriers to Sustainability Instruction

• Procedural drift
• Inefficiencies in instruction
• Insufficient differentiation

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Strategies for Sustainability Instruction

• Leadership/supervision for fidelity to plans and
  commitments
• Additional training or support based on data
• Planning, support for greater differentiation

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Barriers to SustainabilityUse of Data

• Loss of staff time or commitment to collect data
• Lack of leadership for using data
• Insufficient knowledge on how to use data
• Lack of support for grade level team meetings

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Strategies for SustainabilityUse of Data

• Build team use of reading data into the school
  culture
• Schedule regular administration of measures
• Report up and out Schedule meetings to
  analyze and discuss data  team, principal-coach,
  and principal-district
• Develop in-house expertise for interpreting data
  and determining instructional implications
• Identify achievement gaps between classes,
  between grades, and between schools
• Identify which classes, schools we can learn from
  and which need more support

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Barriers to Sustainability Professional
Development

• New and/or competing priorities
• Loss of focus
• Loss of PD funds
• Lack of PD planning
• Lack of training for new staff
• Lack of transfer from training to classroom
  setting
• Lack of follow-up or on-going support

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Strategies for Sustainability Professional
Development

• Deflect/defer/combine competing priorities
• Provide leadership to sustain focus
• Use Title 1, 2A, 3, 5, reading allocation of FEFP
  and district to focus on the most efficient and
  productive training activities
• Differentiated PD based on data
• Assure that follow-up support takes place and is
  effective
• Set up system to provide PD to new staff
• Provide new staff with foundational training and
  support in addition to new PD

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Barriers to Sustainability Coaching

• Threat of losing funding for coach
• Diminished effectiveness of coach

Hypothesis schools with high levels of teacher
turnover will find it difficult to sustain
Reading First without a coach position.
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Strategies for Sustainability Coaching

• Identify new funding sources to keep the position
  or
• Look at other coaching models
• Continue supervision/support for coaching
  effectiveness
• Identify other sources of technical assistance
  and support once regional and state RF sources
  are no longer available

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Barriers to SustainabilityUse of Time

• Inadequate time scheduled
• Reversion to previous practices
• Competing events
• School or classroom culture does not make
  efficient use of instructional time

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Strategies for SustainabilityUse of Time

• Revise school and classroom schedules to assure
  sufficient teaching time (schedule reading
  first!)
• Supervise for adherence to instructional schedule
  and commitment to adequate learning time for all
  students
• Provide sufficient staff and training to ensure
  high levels of instructional intensity
• If new priorities come along and cant be
  deferred, integrate new priorities into the
  reading priority

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Elements of Time in Reading First

• Calendars (PD and collaboration time)
• Schedules (90 minutes intervention time)
• Instructional involvement
• Academic engaged time
• Opportunities to respond
• Positive instructional interactions
• Transition time

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Allocation of Recurring Resources

• Reallocating resources to increase student
  outcomes . . . sends a powerful message to the
  staff and the community about the districts
  primary mission and intent to help students
  succeed.
• (NWREL, 2001)

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Barriers to Sustainability Use of Recurring
Resources

• Budget is not aligned with reading priority
• Staffing funds are not optimized for maximum
  instructional coverage
• Time
• Not allocating adequate time for instruction
• Not making full use of instructional time
  allocated

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Strategies for SustainabilityUse of Recurring
Resources

• Budget
• Prioritize district, state and federal dollars
  for the Reading First elements which require
  funding
• Make data-driven budget decisions
• Staffing
• Hire and assign staff to optimize support for
  reading outcomes
• Time
• Provide adequate time for planning, training,
  support and instruction, and monitor use of time
• Manage competing priorities (focus on highest
  priorities)

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Building Capacity Leads to Sustainability

• Within RF schools, put a system in place that
• Brings new teachers up to speed
• Reviews/renews what is known about SBRR/SBRI
• Prevents slippage
• Across the district, reach out to departments
  such as Title I, ELL, bilingual/migrant,
  assessment, special education

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Summary of Key Ideas

• We must optimize the resources over which we
  have control and align them with our mission
  specifically
• other funding sources and
• resources that dont have additional costs
  attached
• Shared leadership
• Strong reading culture ( a can do culture)
• Smart use of time
• Aligning allocation of recurring resources
  w/priorities
• Use of data for continuous improvement

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Other Sustainability Resources

• Langford, B. H., Flynn, M. (2003).
  Sustainability planning workbook. Washington DC
  The Finance Project.
• Tools, Checklists, Questions, etc.
• Sustainability Planning worksheets
• http//www.afterschoolalliance.org
• http//www.communityschools.org/fundingchecklist.h
  tml
• http//nccenet.org/21st_century/index.htm
• Comprehensive School Reform
• Local systemic change
• http//lsc-net.terc.edu/go.cfm/home
• Comprehensive school reformvirtual conferences
• http//sustainability.terc.edu
• http//sustainability2002.terc.edu
• http//sustainability2003.terc.edu

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• Change for Keeps.
• Change for Good