One School's Efforts To Improve Student Achievement Dr. Lyn Sharratt York Region District School Board OISE/UT LECTURE April 1, 2002 4/7/2019

CONTEXT FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Test scores were lowest in school district, according to parents Morale (of Principals and teachers) was low Vocal parents were critical of staff Staff didn’t want parents in their classrooms…parents wanted to be there Trustee felt that this was history repeating itself…nothing could be done Student behaviour was problematic and suspensions were high Local area students were not coming to school if could get a transfer or go to French Immersion program parents were agitating to be named as a “Performance Plus School” to get more resources 1 4/7/2019

2 Parents’ Question “What improves student achievement?” “Placemat Activity” 2

4 Areas of School Improvement District Commitment S.O. visible new leadership with a clear mandate leader to stay at least 5 years staff/resources Strategic Leadership Behaviour Code/Homework Policy enforced Consultants agenda books…regular communication frequent classroom visits articulates vision Effective Instruction Homework Packages…Level 4 assignments Consultant workshops in Literacy and Math for Teachers; teachers then gave to parents CYW focused on classroom behaviour…developed a “Manners” program Student teachers were signed up to spend the 3rd term in the school Instructional Intelligence began…structured group work; focus on Assessment Literacy 3

4 4 Areas Con’t Parental Involvement School Council got more volunteers who were trained to hear children read sub committee of school council formed with most vocal parents wanting to work together to raise money for resources that made a difference to kids learning more books for “Borrow-a-Book” program Shell Oil Grant: Science Kits 4

Where Does Technology Fit to School Improvement and Student Achievement? District Commitment Direction and Expectation Setting Coordinated staff Professional Development: skills and integration Equity/opportunity for access of resources system support for a culture of risk-taking Strategic Leadership hiring teachers who understand curriculum connections model effective and efficient Technology uses Effective Instruction teachers share strategies teachers assess that Technology uses are appropriate Parental Involvement understands how Technology enhances learning collaboration with teachers and student parents have a role in preparing students’ learning with Technology: encouraging access to Technology

How Did We Get There? “Too often, short term, “shot gun” approaches typify school improvement planning efforts that fail” 5

Establishing a 3-Year School Improvement Plan “the more effective the school plan, the more complex are the characteristics”, Mortimore, 1997 “school and student improvement result from systematic planning, implementing a singular goal, using classroom data as a base for that planning”, Heck and Hallinger, 1996 6

The Goal: Increased Student Improvement in Literacy THE 3-YEAR PLAN: Performance Targets Focus Area Strategies Indicators of Success 7

Did It Make a Difference? EQAO Homework Packages Student Behaviour Patterns Students Suspensions

Conclusions More than test scores! “It is as important to observe and assess the culture of learning as it is to record and analyze the statistics linked to testing”, Sharratt, 2001 It is essential to pay attention to creating a “community of learners”, Sergiovanni,1994

The quest for more knowledge about what factors influence increased student achievement never ends. 4/7/2019