TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• NJ QSAC Presentation to the Custodial Staff
• Facilitator Kathleen Smallwood Johnson,Esq.
• Special Assistant to the Superintendent
• March 25, 2008

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Your work in the District,does matter!

• School buildings are only a piece of the
  education reform puzzle, but they may be a more
  important piece than we have understood in the
  past.

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Quality matters

• The quality of the learning environment is
  known to affect teacher behavior and attitudes
  toward continuing to teach.

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Impact on Expectations

• It is unreasonable to expect positive results
  from programs that have to operate in negative
  physical environments.

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The evidence shows

• There is growing evidence of a correlation
  between the adequacy of a school facility and
  student behavior and performance.

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The relationship link

• Almost all of the studies over the past three
  decades, have found a statistically significant
  relationship between the condition of a school,
  or classroom, and student achievement.

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School Facility Factors

• Building Age and condition
• Quality of Maintenance
• Lighting

• Temperature
• Noise
• Color
• affect student health, safety, sense of self

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Did you know?

• Students attending school in newer, better
  facilities score 5 to 17 points higher on
  standardized tests than those attending in
  substandard buildings.

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Key Characteristics of Effective Schools

• High expectations on the part of teachers and
  students
• High levels of collaboration and communication
• High level of family and community involvement
• Effective Leadership
• Frequent monitoring of teaching and learning

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• A supportive, safe, orderly, civil , clean and
  healthy learning environment

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The 1 Factor- Clean and Orderly environment

• The effective school establishes
  well-disciplined, secure, and wholesome learning
  environment, and maintains clean and orderly
  school buildings.
• Claus and Girrbach.

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How students rate school cleanliness.

• One study showed that children aged nine to
  eleven were more likely than adults to identify
  untidy classrooms, dirty bathrooms, and school
  walls painted one color as physical attributes
  that made their school not welcoming.

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A childs worth

• A student may assume that authority figures in a
  poorly maintained building will accept or expect
  a lower standard of behavior and scholastic
  effort, because squalor is both a fact and
  metaphor. It tells a child what we think he or
  she is worth.

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Research Findings

• AS the condition of the facility improved,
  achievement scores improved.
• Stimulating environments promoted positive
  attitudes in students.
• Higher student achievement was associated with
  well-maintained schools.

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Abbott v Burke, 1998

• It is undisputed that the school buildings in
  Abbott districts are crumbling and obsolescent
  and that this grave state of disrepair not only
  prevents children from receiving a thorough and
  efficient education, but also threatens their
  health and safety.

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Which leads us to NJQSAC

• NJ Quality Single Accountability Continuum

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What is NJQSAC?

• NJQSAC is the Department of Educations new
  monitoring and evaluation system for public
  school districts.

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From Compliance to Capacity Building

• This new system shifts the monitoring and
  evaluation focus from compliance to assistance,
  capacity- building and improvement.

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One single system

• It is a single comprehensive accountability
  system that consolidates and incorporates the
  monitoring requirements of applicable state laws
  and programs and complements federally required
  improvements.

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FIVE KEY COMPONENTS

• INSTRUCTION AND PROGRAM
• PERSONNEL
• FISCAL MANAGEMENT
• OPERATIONS
• GOVENRANCE

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Why is it necessary?

• Districts must be held accountable for student
  achievement. The NJQSAC system of accountability
  promotes equity, efficiency, and effectiveness
  and will help build a public understanding among
  educators, policy makes, legislators, and all
  stakeholders.

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Oper. A2a Facilities

• The district provides adequate and
  appropriately maintained facilities to support
  teaching and learning.
• Indicator A2a The district has submitted and
  implemented a DOE-approved Comprehensive
  Maintenance Plan with corrective and preventative
  measures for the interior and exterior of each
  building and the major systems.as required by
  NJAC 6a26A-1.

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FINDINGS NO!

• Note Since the first review, the district has
  submitted a comprehensive maintenance plan.
• What does that mean to you
• Understand and know the plan.

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Oper. A2b.

• The distinct is implementing the Comprehensive
  Maintenance Plan as required by NJSA 18A7G-9(b)3
  and 18a33-1 and NJAC 6A24-3.1.
• Answer NO

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What does that mean to me?

• I need to know the plan.
• I must also IMPLEMENT the plan on my job site/
  in my building.

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Oper A3a

• Annual health and safety reviews have been
  conducted in each building using the Evaluation
  of School Buildings Checklist.
• Answer NO.
• What does that mean to me?
• Become current on all items on the checklist!

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Oper. A3b

• 100 compliance section- all items are in
  compliance in all buildings.
• Findings NO.
• Of 8 schools visited 7 failed the 100 compliance
  section of the checklist. These schools did not
  have a current Fire Certificate of Inspection. 6
  did not have current kitchen inspections.

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What does that mean to me?

• Understand the checklist.
• Use the checklist.
• Maintain compliance with the checklist.

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Oper A3c

• 80 compliance section- at least 8- of items
  are n compliance in all buildings.
• Answer No.
• Throughout the schools visited there were a
  number of 80 compliance items noted. A few of
  the schools visited were in extremely poor
  condition notably TCH, Dunn and Wilson.

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What does that mean to me?

• Understand the checklist.
• Use the checklist.
• Maintain compliance with the checklist.

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Lets review the checklist
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References

• Do k-12 Facilities Affect Education Outcomes?
  TACIR January 2003 report.
• Impact of Inadequate School Facilities on Student
  Learning.www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/archivesinits/con
  struction/impact.
• School Facility Conditions and Student Academic
  Achievement. Glen I. Earthman, Virginia
  Polytechnic Institute. October 2002.
• Do school Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes
  National clearinghouse for educational
  facilities. Mark Schneider November 2002.
• Breaking Ground Rebuilding New Jerseys Urban
  Schools. Education Law Center. April 2004.
• The Educational Adequacy of New Jersey Public
  School facilities Results from a Survey of
  Principals. Mark Schneider, PhD. May 2004.
• NJQSAC fact sheet. State of New Jersey DOE. 2007