The superintendent and board of your school district have decided that in order to address the historical inequities in school experiences evidenced by continuing disparity in academic outcomes between its historically marginalized populations and those typically entitled that the district will eliminate all pull out remediation pull out groups and classrooms, gifted and talented groups and classrooms, and special education segregated classrooms, i.e., resource and self contained. The only reason for removing a student from the general education classroom is if the student is a danger to themself or to others or if their presence actively disrupts teaching and learning. Even school counselors, school psychologists, etc., will be based in the general ed classroom and provide services outside of the classroom only on a scheduled basis. Further, ability grouping will not be allowed in this new vision for classroom instruction.
You are to 1) provide a plan “outline” of how you will address school culture and climate concerns related to this requirement and how you will provide and monitor the implementation of strategies to improve student outcomes through a differentiated teaching and learning initiative, and 2) a letter to staff and the school community explaining why this initiative is being undertaken, and 3) why this represents a visionary and instructionally advantageous way to improve the teaching process to address enduring inequities in student outcomes predictable by race, ethnicity, and (dis) ability. The superintendent and the board have also undertaken the same course of readings addressing these issues that you and the other principals have. For instance, they have read the articles proving that ability grouping and pull out programs don’t work. They have been provided the findings that students of color attend schools with alarmingly low achievement. They understand that the only schools where this not an achievement gap are schools that are virtually one race of any color and if they are schools with Black and Latino students the achievement is lower than one race schools with white students. They want to change this with a new vision for instruction.
A500 School Improvement Plan Using Implementation Science Principles, Tools, and Processes
The specifics to address in this management/leadership dilemma follow:
1) The superintendent and board have decided that in order to address the enduring school outcome inequities experienced by its historically marginalized populations, i.e,. race, ethnicity, culture, class (dis) ability, there will be no pull out programs for remediation, special education, and bilingual instruction in the district, and have embarked upon an effort to pursue social justice through the full inclusion of students in its classrooms. All academic support for students in the schools will take place within the general education classroom.
2) The only reason for excluding students from general education classroom instruction is if the student is a) a danger to themself, or b) to others, c) or the students presence actively disrupts the teaching and learning process. Otherwise, to restate, no students are pulled out of the general education classrooms.
3) The superintendent is requiring all principals to provide a professional development and implementation plan outline that describes how you will lead your school in this effort along with a cover letter to the school and community that includes:
a) The staff implementation structures, i.e., committees, etc., specifically the NIRN Implementation Science Building Implementation Team structure. Who will be on it? How often will it meet? What will it review in its functioning?
b) An explanation of the active implementation frameworks associated with implementation and how they will facilitate implementation of the plan.( Note: You are not responsible for explaining the District Implementation Team structure and function described in the NIRN Active Implementation Frameworks. The DIT function will be managed by the superintendent and the central office executive team with representation form the BIT’s.)
c) The strategies that you will use to facilitate the improvement of i) school climate and culture, and ii) effective differentiated instruction. Please note that the requirements for differentiated instruction must include A) flexible grouping, B) heterogeneous grouping, and C) instruction differentiated by content and skill level to address student interests and readiness, and culture.
d) An explanation of the data that you will use to establish the need for the intervention at the school and classroom level, and the data you will use to determine what is working and where adjustments must be made in the PDSA cycle. Note that you will not be using test score data of any type or grades to determine whether the plan is working and where adjustments must be made. The data is solely observational data of what is seen and heard in classrooms and the school between 1) teachers and students; 2) teachers and other teachers; 3) students and teachers; 4) students with other students; 5) parents with students and teachers; 6)) descriiptions of the types of lessons and instructional activities that are used in the teaching and learning process; and 7) descriiptors of the benchmarks for improvement in climate and culture that are evidenced in the data.
e) How this data will be monitored and used in the PDSA cycle to determine whether school climate and culture are improving, and
f) How you will use this data to ensure implementation with fidelity of effective classroom instruction. explain how you lead in the development and implementation of an equity focused, i.e., the operationalizing of high expectations for all students, intervention to change the culture and climate of the school so that it is embraces an instructional program where all are educated in the general education classroom except for the small number of students who are a danger to themselves and others.
g) explain how you will do this within the recognition and redistribution principles of social justice and through the lens of the social justice framework from the previous discussion.
The NIRN site includes Active Implementation Frameworks for the implementation of Evidence Based Strategies for educational improvement. Structure your plan development and implementation around the Building Implementation Team (BIT) responsibilities for implementation and the use of these frameworks and tools. However, because you are a school principal, the entire structure, i.e., processes, committee structures, and materials, whose acquisition and use must be within the purview of the school. Operating within the “purview of the school” means you have to work within your allocated resources and district policy. For instance the Active Implementation Frameworks include “implementation teams” at the school and central office level. However, as a building leader, you have to work within the constraints of your resources and authority. The tools also, i.e., the Hexagon Tool and the District Capacity Assessment are also more expansive in their scope than the building level. However, Explain how you will take the assessment of your school that these tools offer for the district. Of course, you could explain how you would adapt them so that they could be used at the building level. Organize your BIT committee structure within and across grade/content area levels, with a building wide committee consisting of membership representation from the other building committees, i.e., grade level, and content area. improve the climate for your school that addresses changes in its approach to social justice in a classroom instructional environment where only the specified students are pulled out. What training will teachers need? How will you implement with fidelity? What implementation rather than outcome data will you use?
Note: You can not use jargon without defining, i.e, collaboration has to be operationalized- What it it? What does it look like? Who is involved? How do you know it is happening or not? Embracing diversity or any similar term must be operationalized as do culturally responsive instruction, high expectations, and other well worn phrases and expressions, or anything else that is the new shiny object. In doing so, you will develop a different perspective on what it means to be “data driven.”
The following framework is presented as a guide for the assignment:
1 The need for improvement must be clearly expressed through school, and classroom descriiptors. These descriiptors must clearly articulate the experiences of the school staff and students in classrooms and the school overall, as well as the student parents and the stakeholder experience with the school, and they must also speak to the outcomes of these experiences. Use the data from the School Operations Survey as your baseline data.
2 Specifically identifying and using the data from these experiences for for plan implementation and monitoring.
3 Describe how you will prepare teachers to implement the new inclusive classroom requirements.
4. Describe what instruction looks like in the school’s classrooms.
4 Describe strategies that will be used to improve climate and culture.
5 Describe how implementation of the new inclusive classroom and culture and climate initiative will be monitored,
6 Describe the use of a) the implementation science Active Implementation Frameworks, in this initiative.
7 Describe desired outcomes are clearly articulated.
8 Strategies for school improvement, i.e., culture and climate, are expressed through the lens of staff, student, parent, and stakeholder relationships.
9 Progress is described goals and objectives to be measured rather than measurable goals and objectives. (I don’t expect you to find a test, survey, assessment to cite or include in the assignment.) It is more important to know and explain clearly and succinctly what you hope to accomplish.
10 Describe how the change will be sustained.
The need for the plan, its strategies, and outcomes must be clearly expressed to the entire school community.*Again, please note that data in this sense does not refer to survey outcomes. It means what the survey outcomes represent when translated into staff, i.e., admin, teachers, support staff, etc., student, parent, and stakeholder attitudes, behaviors, communications, and practices. Based upon your School Operations Survey results please explain what needs to change, how your plan proposes to facilitate the change, how will you know that change is happening, how you will know if it is successful, and how the change will be sustained. To say that survey results will change is pretty standard. However, explaining the data points in terms of changes in the aforementioned relationships, activities, and beliefs is what is required here.
1) The strategies and implementation of the plan directly address the results of the School Operations Survey (see below).
2) Data is expressed as behavioral, attitudinal, beliefs, behaviors, and practices that reflect the content of all other components rather than traditional percentages as data points.
3) The relationships between specific strategies and the improvement of culture and climate is clearly articulated.
4) Equity focused social justice outcomes are expressed as descriiptions of high expectations in staff, student, parent, and stakeholder relationships, and behaviors.(What high expectations are must be clearly defined.)
5) Inclusive classroom instruction without pull out is expressed in the differentiated instructional activities without ability grouping.
SURVEY RESULTS: In the SOS Block 1 includes questions 1.1 and 1.2 addressing respondent demographics. The results show that most of the respondents, i.e., you, are teachers or have some other role in education and two administrators. Most have five years of experience or less, but a fair number have more than five years of experience.
Block 2 includes questions 2.1 through 2.4 addressing teacher attitudes about the need for change. The results show that more than half of you feel that 50% or less of the teacher feel that change is needed and will engage in the change process, a little more than half of you feel that even though most teachers believe that change is needed a significant number will not or do not engage in the change process, most of you feel that teachers that engage in the change process do not believe that change is needed, and most of you feel that most of your teachers feel that change is not needed and do not engage in the change process. Question: What have you done to change your school colleagues to facilitate their engagement in the school improvement process?
Block 3 includes questions 3.1 through 3.4 addressing teacher beliefs students from diverse racial/ethnic and (dis)ability backgrounds. The results show in general students should be included, but that students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds learn differently. Nearly half feel that teachers do not believe that students with disabilities are capable of meeting state standards, and a considerable number of you feel that your colleagues do not believe that students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds are equally capable of meeting state standards. Question: I know that a did an excellent job of explaining her position on learning styles. I don’t believe anyone else weighed in. But, how can we ever have high expectations if we believe that students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds learn differently? Again, what evolutionary value or explanation does a difference in this intellectual trait indicate. Is there something about the evolutionary experiences of black and white and brown people that explains the existence of differences in learning styles. Question: In a time when we are challenged to confront the “isms” in our professional, social, and daily life experiences, what have you done to address these low expectations of student and stereotypical beliefs? If nothing, then you have not been honest in your letter of application. If you have not been effective in addressing them as a colleague, what makes you think and why should we think that you will be effective as a principal or school administrator?!!!!
Block 4 includes questions 4.1 through 4.5 assessing teacher sense of efficacy or ability meet the instructional needs of a diverse student body. The overall results show most of you feel that teachers feel successful, but a significant number believe that teachers do not feel successful. This is interesting because most of you responded that most teachers do not feel that they are capable of teaching students with disabilities to meet state standards. A significant number also responded that teachers do not understand the research base of programs to address school priorities and though most of you answered that most teachers feel that they can teach students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds to state standards, many of you do not. The response pattern seems to contradict teachers having a feeling of success. Question: How do you have a conversation with teachers who do not believe that they can successfully teach a diverse classroom of students? After all, you applied for the position. How do you talk about this when expressing your vision and priorities? If you have not or can’t do it with colleagues, why should you expect to do so as a principal?
Block 5 includes questions 5.1 through 5.6 and addresses leadership support. The results show that most of you do not feel that your school has the resources or supports for school improvement, only half of you feel that you receive effective leadership in addressing school priorities, even though most feel that you receive effective instructional leadership support. Question: How can this contradiction be explained? Did you or are you going to address this in your post? Your responses in this block also show that teachers in your school do not feel supported in discipline matters, yet later on you respond that teachers feel successful, and that your school is successful. How can that be? Most of you feel that teachers feel supported with parental concerns, but only half feel that teachers feel supported in addressing concerns of parents from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. This is another contradiction I hope that you will address in your posts.
Block 6 includes questions 6.1 through 6.4 addressing school operations, community relations, and staff relationships. Question: If new teachers are mentored by veteran teachers who do not believe that they can teach students with disabilities, feel that students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds learn differently, do not feel supported in discipline matters, and do not feel that school resources are managed effectively, etc., of what use is this mentorship. This seems to be a recipe for continuing a toxic school climate. How do you address this in your letter concerning school priorities?
Block 7 includes questions 7.1 through 7.5 addressing the management of school operations. Your responses seem to indicate that the most effective aspects of school operations are those for which the custodian is responsible. Question: Have you expressed your concerns in this area with colleagues and building leadership? If so, how, what about, and when? If not, why not? Are you intimidated and believe that you will be retaliated against by your school principal?
Block 8 includes questions 8.1 through 8.8 dealing with staff management, treatment, and community treatment by school leadership. The responses seem to indicate that the evaluation process including walkthroughs and feedback is helpful and that teachers feel respected and valued even though they do not feel supported in discipline decisions and there is a lack of transparency in decision-making. Question: How can this contradiction be explained? Similarly, there seems to be some disparity in perceptions of disparate treatment. Additionally, many of you do not feel that teachers feel the management process is collaborative, and many of you do not feel that the feedback of you and your colleagues is valued. Yet later on in the responses, a significant number of you feel that your school is successful. Again, how is this contradiction explained. And if you tolerate it as a staff member, why do you think that you will have the courage to address it as a principal?
Block 9 includes questions 9.1 through 9.7 and includes questions that address facilitation of the school improvement process. Your responses seem to indicate that most in your school stakeholder community believes that improvement is needed, but that there is disagreement among your teachers concerning this needed even though the process requires a change in instruction practices. I am not sure how this is consistent with teachers feeling feedback is useful in the evaluation process if they do not feel that a change is needed in the first place. I also wonder how you would manage implementation with fidelity with a staff that is not engaging in the process as you mentioned in the teacher attitude questions earlier in the survey. There also appears to be a lack of consensus concerning the use of culturally sustaining instructional practices being a priority, and this disparity is also seen in the feelings about professional development being useful. This is consistent with the previous responses; however, I wonder how the instructional feedback can be useful if the professional development is not seen as useful. Question: What are the expectations and the feedback about in the evaluation process. How is fidelity of implementation accomplished? How can you address this as a school leader?
Block 10 includes questions 10.1 through 10.5 addresses school success. It is the role up social justice block. Fully two thirds of you feel that your school is successful, yet there is considerable disagreement concerning students meeting state standards, racial achievement gaps, racial discipline gaps, racial and ethnic overrepresentation of students in special education. Question: What definition of school success are you using here? How can you feel a school is successful with the outcomes your responses represent? How do you talk about these issues as a colleague? If you feel this is what success looks like, how can you expect to address the concerns of the school expressed in the application process
