Implementing Effective School Achievement Reform: Four Principles William G. Huitt Valdosta State University

School Reform The last four decades has provided voluminous literature on how to increase the effectiveness of the education of children and youth. Some of the findings have been implemented while others have not. The purpose of the presentation is to summarize some of the main points.

School Reform The four principles are: WYMIWYG--What You Measure Is What You Get Student achievement is the result of the efforts of more than just schools Provide incentives for value added Focus reform efforts on schools, not teachers

WYMIWYG Most accepted measure is scores on standardized tests of basic skills Gallup poll results over the past 25 years points to the public’s expectation that schools will impact achievement and character

WYMIWYG SCANS report identifies additional competencies for work requirements in the 21st century Foundations--basic skills, complex thinking skills, personal qualities Competencies--resource and technology utilization, information acquisition and utilization, interpersonal skills, and understanding systems

WYMIWYG Critique of SCANS report identifies additional requirements Cognition--abstract thinking, global thinking, imagination, etc. Affect--self-efficacy, optimism, courage, honesty, trustworthiness, etc. Conative--self-regulation, ambitious, willingness to adapt to change, etc.

WYMIWYG Many of the additional qualities and skills can be measure reliably and validly measured Need to establish an accountability system that fills the information gap between schools and the public

More Than Just Schools The ecology of development is an approach with over 20 years of research support Four major contexts provide primary support for the development of children and youth Community Family School Religious organizations

More Than Just Schools

Epstein (1995) identified six types of involvement Learning at home Parenting Communicating Volunteering Collaborating with the community Decision-making

Focus on Schools There is ample evidence that teacher classroom behavior impacts student achievement However, competent teachers are a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for student success Schools must develop a “learning environment” that supports change for both educators and students

Focus on Schools Four principles define schools as learning organizations Purposeful and results-oriented Create job -embedded opportunities for growth Develop school culture receptive to change Regard professional development as a continuous process, not an event

Value Added Simply because scores are high does not mean schools are doing a good job Conversely, when scores are low it does not necessarily mean schools are doing a bad job

Value Added Students whose mothers graduate from high school generally score better than students who do not Students living in homes with access to technology generally score better than students who do not

Value Added Students who express a religious affiliation generally score better than students who do not Students in suburban schools generally score higher than students in rural or urban areas Students in wealthier socioeconomic areas generally score higher than students in poorer areas

Value Added Develop a “balanced-scorecard” approach to managing change Given family characteristics and processes community location, size and support How well are students doing on critical outcome measures? connections to religious organizations

Summary & Conclusions Need to make use of the best data science has to offer Goals must be broader than scores on a standardized test of basic skills Specify goals and commit resources to measuring them on a systematic basis Report results to public in a timely and meaningful manner

Summary & Conclusions Need to make use of the best data science has to offer Hold schools accountable for adding value over and above that provided by other institutions Coordinate efforts with contributions made by home, religious organizations, and community Focus effort on improving schools; teacher development should be done within that context