Metrics

Community Update – Impacts of 1:1 – Spring 2015

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“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both.”
Brené Brown

From a letter I sent to the DPS109 community today …

At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, BrightBytes Education Research Leader Rob Residori presented the results of the second administration of the 1:1 technology environment survey given to teachers, 4th-8th grade students and parents in March. (The futurebenchmark survey administration took place in September.) You can view his presentation online.

This year’s focus area for #3 of our “Big 5” (technology) is on the measurement of the impacts of our 1:1 transformative learning environment. As I have published on my blog, our move to 1:1 is about the learning – NOT about the technology per se, or the devices. The BrightBytes research team analyzes impacts on a four-part model called CASE (Classroom, Access, Environment, and Skills). From the fall and spring administrations of the survey we learn what is working, and what needs to work better.

The survey results show that, in general, our students are thriving in the 1:1 transformative learning environment, showing growth in areas such as:

Foundational skills (student basic technical ability grew from “advanced” to “exemplary”)
Multimedia skills (photo, audio, video editing ability)

Student confidence with technology grew from an already high 91% to 95%, meaning that students are very comfortable in their learning environment. In addition, the data shows that teachers have quickly adapted to working in this new innovative learning environment and are eager to grow their skills to Picture1enhance their teaching. Teachers also grew in multimedia skills, as well as in their skills in administering online assessments and using grade-specific software in the classroom.

Our ability to support the system and those in it also has increased; there was a 33% increase in the number of teachers reporting that the quality of support for problems disrupting instruction is above average. And, we continue to enjoy the support of parents, 45% of whom report that they strongly agree that technology use in class can enhance student learning – and many of whom attended the 1:1 parent workshops in December and March to learn more about how to support their children’s education. In addition, 38% of parents agree that technology use in class can enhance student learning (so 83% of all parents agree or strongly agree).

However, the survey also gave us clear marching orders, and we are ready to follow them! Based on the results of this administration, we know that across the board we need to improve in the area of digital citizenship, which will be a key area of focus throughout the 2015-2016 school year. We want to see growth in areas such as students learning how to act respectfully online:

We already started these efforts by inviting “Raising Digital Native” expert Dr. Devorah Heitner in to run, along with many of our staff members, a day of workshops with all of our 5th grade students. This summer, staff will work to create integrated curriculum on digital citizenship. Next year, parents can expect to hear from teachers directly about what students are learning in class about appropriate online

21st Century Learning
21st Century Learning
behavior. I encourage all community members to follow the blog of Director for Innovative Learning Marcie Faust, who will share insight and advice with parents and staff to help us build and use a common vocabulary.

Thanks to the visionary leadership of the Board of Education and leadership teams, we Engage, Inspire, and Empower all learners every day!

We are Future Ready!

Leveraging Strategy to impact learning and growth from 5 Levers of Change (ASCD 2014)

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“A group of teachers may use a new strategy and express concerns that the approach is ineffective because after initial attempts, students didn’t learn as well as when the previous strategy was used. However, when developing proficiency in a new skill or strategy, even experts are prone to errors (Ericsson et al., 1993).”
― Tony Frontier, Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School

A leader who I have had the privilege of interacting with in person is Dr. Anthony Frontier. Tony is a leader, a teacher, an author, and an inspiration! One of books he co-authored (with another superstar in education Dr. Jim frontierbookRickabaugh) is called Five Levers to Improve Learning: How to Prioritize for Powerful Results in Your School (January 2014 – ASCD). In this blog post I share some information that Tony shared with a leadership institute in which I was a part in an effort to highlight some thoughts and plans and priorities regarding DPS109 plans vis a vis the 5 levers. The specific lever in which we are directly focused is “strategy”.

From Frontier/Rickabaugh: (the five levers are structure, sample, standard, strategy and self.

strategy

The practices teachers use to help students deepen their understanding of content and improve student’s ability to use important skills.

 ·    Instructional strategies for whole class instruction

·    Instructional strategies for individualized instruction

·    Efforts to empower students as agents in curriculum, instruction, and assessment

 ·   How will we teach?

·   How will we know they’ve learned?

·   How will we build on student strengths?

·   How will we provide appropriate challenge for learners?

·   How will we provide appropriate support for learners?

The goal of meaningful change that transforms is referred to as transformational change, or second order change:

Transformational Change
Planning questions that challenge the underlying assumptions about the relationship among school structure, student & adult beliefs about learning that yields a more effective learning experience for students.

This is in contrast to surface change or transactional change

Transactional Change

Planning questions that seek changes in current practices, but do not change underlying assumptions about teaching and learning; typically require different logistical approaches, but do not require new or different ways of thinking about leveraging student learning.

Our leadership challenge is to move our system and the people in our system to TRANSFORMATIONAL changes in support of student growth and learning. Some questions Frontier/Rickabaugh suggest in an effort to reach more significant levels of change in the area or lever of strategy are:

  • What strategies can educators use to best leverage student learning?
  • What strategies can students utilize to best leverage their own learning?

The authors suggest the following strategies to leverage “strategy” as a “lever” of change:

Leveraging Strategies

Five Levers to Improve Learning, Tony Frontier & Jim Rickabaugh 2014 ASCD
Do less of… Do more of…
Assuming that because kids were told something, they understand. Utilize strategies that allow students to construct meaning around important content and build fluency around important skills.
Treating students as though they are blank slates. Utilize strategies that honor the fact that new knowledge is constructed on existing knowledge.
Assuming that all kids are as interested in, and as motivated to learn, the content and skills that you teach. Strive to see learning from the perspective of each student; what is likely to be engaging? What is likely to be relevant?
Using rubrics as a tool to justify grades. Use rubrics as an instructional tool to help students learn how to describe, understand, and assess quality work.
Rigid application of models or checklists that ignore the complexities of both the art and science of teaching. Strive for superintendents, principals, and teachers to understand the complexity and opportunity presented by comprehensive instructional frameworks as a starting point for addressing each student’s learning needs.
Assume that all instructional strategies are equally effective in improving student learning. Acknowledge that different instructional strategies can substantially increase student achievement when deployed effectively and in the right context.
Utilize the same few instructional strategies Utilize a repertoire of instructional strategies that are specifically aligned to the intended outcomes for student learning.
Utilizing collaborative time with teams of teachers to talk about structure and sample. Utilize collaborative time to talk about intentional use of standards and share instructional strategies.

As we lead on and continue to Engage, Inspire, Empower all students and staff and our community, we seek guidance from experts and leaders in change management like Frontier and Rickabaugh and we use communication tools like blogs, meetings, workshops, to reinforce our messages in our continual quest for excellence!

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Leadership Lessons in Real Time – Life Long Learning via Professional Associations

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“Education costs money.  But then so does ignorance.”
– Sir Claus Moser

Like other educational leaders and public school administrators I learn a great deal about the “state” of education and the “state” of policy and leadership from membership in professional associations. From time to time I have shared blog posts about leadership benefits I have gained and the District has gained through programs and partnership in organizations like the American Association of School Administrators (AASA). In addition to the current National Superintendent Certification Program in which I am enrolled through AASA, I recently completed a two year leadership program with the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA): The Illinois School of Advanced Leadership (ISAL). My aim is to model the way through life-long learning so that I may have current, fresh, meaningful and evidence-based support for leading initiatives.

In education we often mention that “life long learning” is a value for which we have great respect. One way to model or demonstrate life long learning is through leadership programs, graduate coursework, teaching, seminars, reading, etc. I have been blessed with mentorship and coaching and guidance from many along my career journey and for them I am eternally grateful. Often I have sought out multiple perspectives on issues large and small so that I may be best informed as decisions need to be made and as educational growth and leadership must take place. In addition, in today’s digital world I am an advocate of video, audio, imagery, and “instant access” to timely and relevant information.

In this blog post I am sharing a link to AASA Radio (click the box below) of an interview with AASA Executive Director Dan Domench and the 2014 US Superintendent of the Year Alberto Cavalho. Please take a few minutes and listen to leadership and education perspectives on a national scale and if you like what you hear you can subscribe via iTunes at the website.

“Alberto Carvalho became Superintendent of the nation’s fourth largest school system in September 2008. He is a nationally recognized expert on school reform and finance who successfully transformed his district’s business operations and financial systems with the implementation of a streamlined Strategic Framework focused on a singular goal of student achievement.”