The Use of Educational Resources in Wyoming

1
The Use of Educational Resources in Wyoming

• Preliminary Report to the
• Wyoming Legislatures
• Joint Interim Education Committee
• June 18, 2007 (Revised January 7, 2008)
• Allan Odden, Lawrence O. Picus,
• Michelle Turner Mangan, Mike Goetz Anabel
  Aportela

2
Research Questions

• How are actual resource patterns in Wyoming
  aligned with or different from the resource use
  strategies that are used in the Wyoming Funding
  Model?
• What are the current instructional improvement
  strategies at the school-level in Wyoming?

3
Background

• Recalibration of Wyoming School Funding Model in
  2005
• Implementation of an Evidence-Based Model to
  estimate costs and funding levels
• New model builds from the school level
• Question facing policy makers is how all school
  resources are used

4
Background

• Conversations in 2005 with Legislative Leaders
  about how resources are used in Wyoming schools
  to improve student performance
• Intensive field work in Wyoming Schools
• Partnership with the Educational Leadership
  Department at the University of Wyoming

5
Preliminary (Year 1) Findings

• In-depth, school level field work on the
  instructional strategies and allocation of
  resources
• State-level analysis of salaries
• State-level analysis of school district
  expenditures

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Instructional Strategies and the Use of Resources
At the School Level

• Preliminary Findings

8
Methodology

• Random Sample of 187 Schools in Year 1
• 115 Elementary
• 35 Middle
• 37 High Schools
• 9 are alternative learning environment schools
• 1 school closed
• Results based on 177 non-ALE, open elementary,
  middle, high schools.
• In-person interviews with principals
  superintendents to collect schools staffing and
  fiscal resources
• Quantitative analyses and case studies

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Sample Characteristics
Demographics Statewide Sample
Number of Students 85,330 Number of Students in Average School 328 42,156 Number of Students in Average School 227
Number of Schools Elementary 193 Middle 77 High 92 Elementary 115 Middle 35 High 37
Percent Free and Reduced-Price Lunch 33 32
Percent ELL 4 3
Percent Special Education 14 14
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Average Number of Students in Sample Schools

• Elementary Schools
• lt 49 14
• 49-96 70
• gt96 271

Middle Schools lt 49 23 49-105
66 gt105 418
High Schools lt 49 46 49-105
68 gt105 477
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Data Collection

• Timeline
• January, 2007 Data training and sent letters to
  principals and superintendents
• February to April, 2007 School site visits
• February to June, 2007 Data entry and case
  study write-ups
• Analysis is on-going

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Data Analysis

• Online data entry follow-up data collection
• Data cleaning identified missing and outlying
  data points
• Analyses include
• Frequency statistics
• Ratios of demographic characteristics
• Staffing resources
• Observed and reported staffing ratios are
  compared with model funded ratios
• Case study write-ups

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Instructional Time

• Average Instructional Day 5 hrs, 47 min
• Average Class Length
• Math 1 hr, 4 minutes
• Reading (Elementary) 1hr, 47 minutes
• English/LA (Mid/High) 1 hr, 5 minutes
• Soc. Studies Science (each)
• (Elementary) 29 minutes
• (Mid/High) 54 minutes

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Average Resources in Elementary Schools with
More than 96 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 1.09 0.92
Assistant Principals 0.00 0.07
Core Teachers 16.6 14.45
Specialist Teachers 3.32 2.40
Instructional Aides 0.00 4.25
Certified Tutors 1.15 0.85
Librarians 0.92 0.41
Pupil Support Staff 1.15 1.34
Secretaries 1.09 1.19
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average Resources in Elementary Schools with
49-96 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.72 0.35
Assistant Principals 0.00 0.03
Core Teachers 4.30 5.25
Specialist Teachers 0.86 1.13
Additional Teachers 1.03 0.00
Instructional Aides 0.00 1.19
Certified Tutors 0.29 0.00
Librarians 0.24 0.25
Pupil Support Staff 0.29 0.51
Secretaries 0.72 0.66
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average Resources in Elementary Schools with
Less than 49 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.00 0.15
Assistant Principals 1.00 0.00
Core Specialist Teachers 2.53 2.21
Instructional Aides 0.00 0.72
Certified Tutors 0.00 0.03
Librarians 0.00 0.04
Pupil Support Staff 0.00 0.10
Secretaries 0.00 0.13
Total Professional Staff 3.53 3.38
Does not include alternative schools data
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Key Findings on Resource Use in Elementary
Schools

• Compared to the Wyoming Funding Model, large
  elementary schools have
• Slightly less school site administration
• Fewer core and specialist teachers
• More aides
• Fewer certified tutors
• About half the certified librarian staff
• Somewhat more pupil support

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Average School-Level Resources in Middle Schools
with More than 105 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 1.00 0.93
Assistant Principals 0.53 0.68
Core Teachers 20.51 18.95
Specialist Teachers 6.80 8.68
Additional Teachers 0.28 0.00
Instructional Aides 0.00 2.27
Certified Tutors 1.50 0.48
Librarians 1.10 0.87
Pupil Support Staff 3.18 2.35
Secretaries 1.53 1.87
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average School-Level Resources in Middle Schools
with 49-105 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.65 0.53
Assistant Principals 0.00 0.00
Core Teachers 3.26 3.11
Specialist Teachers 1.08 1.86
Additional Teacher 3.67 0.00
Instructional Aides 0.00 1.18
Certified Tutors 0.33 0.00
Librarians 0.65 0.30
Pupil Support Staff 0.60 0.73
Secretaries 0.65 0.71
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average School-Level Resources in Middle Schools
with Less than 49 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.00 0.24
Assistant Principals 1.00 0.00
Core Specialist Teachers 2.94 2.61
Instructional Aides 0.00 0.45
Certified Tutors 0.00 0.11
Librarians 0.00 0.05
Pupil Support Staff 0.00 0.28
Secretaries 0.00 0.35
Total Professional Staff 3.94 4.09
Does not include alternative schools data
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Key Findings on Resource Use in Middle Schools

• Compared to the Wyoming Funding Model, large
  middle schools have
• About the same level of school administration
• Fewer core teachers
• More specialist teachers
• More aides
• Fewer tutors
• Less certified librarian staff
• Less pupil support

22
Average School-Level Resources in High Schools
with More than 105 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 1.00 0.92
Assistant Principals 0.71 0.82
Core Teachers 22.09 20.07
Specialist Teachers 7.94 12.72
Additional Teacher 1.47 0.00
Instructional Aides 0.00 1.79
Certified Tutors 1.51 0.31
Librarians 1.17 0.88
Pupil Support Staff 3.32 2.91
Secretaries 1.17 2.46
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average School-Level Resources in High Schools
with 49-105 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.70 0.55
Assistant Principals 0.00 0.03
Core Teachers 3.48 5.60
Specialist Teachers 1.25 3.25
Additional Teachers 5.89 0.00
Instructional Aides 0.00 0.90
Certified Tutors 0.29 0.15
Librarians 0.70 0.24
Pupil Support Staff 0.58 0.82
Secretaries 0.70 0.75
Does not include alternative schools data
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Average School-Level Resources in High Schools
with Less than 49 Students
Staffing Funding Model Sample
Principals 0.00 0.61
Assistant Principals 1.00 0.00
Core Specialist Teachers 6.19 6.81
Instructional Aides 0.00 0.58
Certified Tutors 0.00 0.18
Librarians 0.00 0.05
Pupil Support Staff 0.00 0.58
Secretaries 0.00 0.88
Total Professional Staff 7.19 9.69
Does not include alternative schools data
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Key Findings on Resource Use in High Schools

• Compared to the Wyoming Funding Model, large high
  schools have
• Similar amounts of administration (Principals
  assistant principals)
• Double the number of secretaries
• Slightly fewer core teachers
• More specialist teachers
• More aides
• 1/5 the number of certified tutors
• Less certified librarian staff
• Less pupil support

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Students per Core Teacher (Excludes Small
Alternative Schools data)
Ratio of Students to Core Teachers Funded by State Model Ratio of Actual Students to Core Teachers in Sampled Schools
Elementary 161 181 RANGE 111 to 241
Middle 211 231 RANGE 111 to 421
High 211 201 RANGE 91 to 361
Actual student to teacher ratios are slightly
larger than the model in elementary and middle
schools, and slightly lower than the model level
in high schools. But there are wide ranges in
actual practice.
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Core Teachers in Year 1 Sampled Schools
(Excludes Small Alternative Schools Data)
Core Teachers Funded by State Model in Sampled Schools Actual Core Teachers in Sampled Schools
Elementary 1,396 1,227
Middle 433 401
High 444 406
TOTAL 2,273 2,033
240 fewer core teachers than provided by the
funding model
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Number of Instructional Aides
Model does not fund instructional aides
Does not include small or alternative schools
data
29
Number of Tutors
Tutors Funded by State Model in Sampled Schools Teachers Tutoring in Sampled Schools Aides Tutoring in Sampled Schools
Elementary 97 69 69
Middle 32 10 6
High 31 7 8
We found substantially fewer certified tutors to
provide extra help to struggling students,
especially in middle and high schools
Does not include small or alternative schools
data
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Average Number of Instructional Facilitators in
Medium and Large Schools

• Actual instructional facilitators loosely
  mirrored the level funded through the categorical
  program (about two thirds of model level).

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Preliminary Findings Related to Instructional
Improvement (177 open, non-ALE schools)

• Fewer core teachers than model funds at all
  levels
• Specialist Teachers (in schools with gt49
  students)
• Elementary -- About 26 fewer than funded
• Middle schools -- About 31 more than funded
• High schools -- About 75 more than funded
• Large number of aides despite no funding
• Substantially fewer certified tutors than funded

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Preliminary Findings Related to Instructional
Improvement (177 open, non-ALE schools)

• Instructional facilitators
• Observed at about the level funded in all three
  school levels
• This is a categorical not a block grant program
• School administrators employed at a slightly
  lower level than funded by the model

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Tentative Conclusions

• The observed resource use patterns
• Appear to represent a different theory about how
  to boost student achievement
• Less professional development
• More electives
• More classroom aides dealing with academic needs
• Are different from evidence-based resource use
  patterns to double student performance observed
  in Wyoming and other states

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Salary Analysis

• Findings

35
Changes in Student Enrollment 2002-03 to
2006-07
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State Total Teacher FTE 2002-03 to 2006-07
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Annual Percent Change in Enrollment Compared to
Change in Total FTE Teachers
38
Composition of Teaching Staff 2002-03 to
2006-07
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Percent Change in Enrollment and FTE Teachers by
Type
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Model v. Actual FTE Teachers 2006-07 (W/O Special
Ed.)
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Average Teacher Salary 2002-03 to 2006-07
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Percent Change in Average Teacher Salary
2003-04 to 2006-07
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Beginning Teacher Salary Schedules (BA 0 Years
Exp.)
02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 5 Yr Chg.
Minimum 22,000 22,500 23,000 24,310 24,638 2,638
Maximum 32,000 32,320 32,820 35,000 50,000 18,000
Range 10,000 9,820 9,820 10,690 25,363 15,363

Average 26,251 26,706 27,729 29,261 35,924 9,673
Increase Increase 1.73 3.83 5.53 22.77 36.85
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Middle Salary Schedule Steps
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Top of Salary Schedule
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Findings on Salaries

• Dramatic increase in teacher salaries in last two
  years
• Model funds more positions than districts employ
  with block grant funds
• Difference may have led to higher salaries than
  anticipated in the model

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State-Level Expenditure Analysis

• Findings

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Total Expenditures 2002-03 to 2005-06
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Total Expenditures Per Pupil 2002-03 to 2005-06
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Expenditures by Function 2002-03 to 2005-06
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Percent of Expenditures By Function 2002-03 to
2005-06
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Total Compensation as a Percent of Instruction
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General Conclusions and Implications

• Large increases in salaries
• Fewer teacher positions in schools than model
  funds
• Could lead to future pressure for more money

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Discussion and Questions

• Lawrence O. Picus and Associates
• lpicus_at_lpicus.com
• arodden_at_lpicus.com
• mmangan_at_lpicus.com
• aportela_at_lpicus.com
• megoetz_at_lpicus.com