21 21P-STEM Validating a MicroSociety Middle School Community of Practice to Maximize College and Career Readiness An Innovative Practice

“[We now live in] a world in which comfort with ideas and abstractions is the passport to a good job, in which creativity and innovation are the key to [success], in which high levels of education – a very different kind of education than most of us have had - are going to be the only security there is.” National Center on Education and the Economy More than ever before, now is the time to prepare children for the real world! Education & the 21 st Century

The purpose of this initiative is to identify innovative evidenced-based models, programs or strategies that have demonstrated success in raising student achievement among high needs populations of students, closing achievement gaps, decreasing drop-out rates, or increasing college enrollment and completion rates. –Application: $25M Validation research grant –Proposal deadline: May 12, 2010 –Award date: August/September 2010 –Implementation date: Spring / Summer 2011 –Term of project: 5 years ( ) Investing in Innovation (i3)

Current Reality –Persistently low academic performance –Achievement gaps for at risk / high needs students –ELL –Special Education –Socio-economically disadvantaged –Other –Students inadequately prepared to successfully complete K-14/16 education pathway –Drop-out rate –Low high school graduation rates –Under enrollment of under-represented student populations in academically rigorous courses and programs

The Heart of the Matter "...the research shows that, under current conditions, the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduate from high school than anything that happens academically in high school. [In addition], students academic readiness for college and career can be improved when students develop behaviors in the upper elementary grades and in middle grades that are known to contribute to successful academic performance.“ The Forgotten Middle: Ensuring that All Students are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School, ACT, 2008.

Did you know… Students need to complete rigorous high school courses to become college ready Requiring students to take and pass rigorous courses and earn high grades in HS is insufficient Students must be READY TO LEARN rigorous content by the end of 8 th grade READY TO LEARN means: Strategic Habits of Mind Academic Skills Academic Behaviors Contextual Awareness

Microsociety Strategy

Keystone

Proven Solution Create a robust Community of Practice in a school through resituating the learning environment –Community of Practice Shared domain of interest Community based on shared activities & rich relationships Shared practice –MicroSociety as a strategy to Resituate the learning Motivate students to engage in school and persist along a trajectory toward successful completion of high school Engage business and community partnerships Deepen the apprenticeship model of learning Expand the pool of positive role models for students Provide examples of pathways to college and careers, particularly in STEM areas

Strategy at Work MicroSociety CBS: The Saturday Early ShowCBS: The Saturday Early Show Farrell School, Philadelphia, PA (K-8) Principal perspective Business perspective

Results Student motivation improves Attendance Increases Discipline referrals decrease Student achievement increases Parent/Community involvement increases Self-esteem increases Promising long-term benefits (Sageland Elementary School study)

Demographic Snapshot - 95% Hispanic student population - 57% ELL population - Now top achieving school in district - Recently honored with state award

Statistically significant student gains over a three-year period. Language Arts 11% average gain Math 25% average gain

Wilson Middle School Philadelphia, PA Demographic Snapshot –Urban –6 th to 8 th grade –31% African American –53% Caucasian –8% Hispanic –8% Asian Over 1 Year Period!

Project Overview Quantitative Research: Randomized Control study of 60 schools to validate the MicroSociety situated learning model –All schools commit to participate (letter of support) Year 1: complete school recruitment, prepare schools, complete randomization, develop research and measurement tools –Treatment schools Years 2, 3, 4: 30 treatment schools with Micro and data collection Year 5: data collection and analysis –Control schools Years 2, 3, 4: 30 control schools without Micro and data collection; Micro option and data collection in years 5 & 6 Complementary qualitative research (interviews, surveys, etc.) throughout the 5 years

Eligible School Partners Schools that are interested in implementing MicroSociety but have not yet begun implementation Schools serving students in the middle grades –Middle schools –K-8 schools Schools serving at risk / high needs students

What’s in it for Schools Fully funded MicroSociety implementation, including professional development training days per year, designed to increase student engagement, academic performance, social and emotional preparedness for school, and interest in STEM related fields (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) Stipend to support part of a school-based MicroSociety coordinator Support of a regionally based Partnership Development Coordinator to assist with facilitating community partnerships and supplemental community based learning opportunities for students Potential to leverage participation in this nationally recognized project to generate additional financial and in-kind support for your school

School Commitments Participate in project for full five years –MicroSociety implementation for 3 years for the Treatment group –Data collection and reporting for all 60 schools for 5 years (stipend to support this work) –Commitment to scheduling required professional development time for teachers –Agreement to implement the model with fidelity and a commitment to quality –Commitment to raising $25K match per year from local partners which may include cash and in-kind goods and services

Sustainability Following the study –Schools become self-sustaining –MicroSociety support available as needed –Annual conference –5-Star Certification

Next Steps Let us know right away you are interested. and reference “i3 MicroSociety project” in the subject line. Follow-up phone conversations to clarify any questions Follow-up materials and webinars for your schools Letter of Support –Expresses interest in being a partner with the MicroSociety and the 21 st Century Partnership for STEM Education

Letter of Support On behalf of the ____________________School District, we are writing to express our interest in partnering with M ICRO S OCIETY, Inc. and The 21 st Century Partnership for STEM Education (21 PSTEM) on the Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation project: "Validating a MicroSociety Middle School Community of Practice Model to Maximize College and Career Readiness." We are interested in partnering in this project because we believe that the MicroSociety ® model creates engaging situational learning environments for students that will enable them to not only develop aspirations for their future, but will enable them to develop the habits of mind, academic skills and behaviors and contextual awareness required to succeed in K-12, college and the workplace.

Letter of Support (con’d) The _________________ School District has # middle and/or K-8 schools representing ____ students. Among these students, ___percent represent high-needs populations including. Our current high school graduation rate is __percent, the attendance rate for our middle school is __percent, and our State standardized test scores reflect low student achievement in ________________. We believe that the MicroSociety model is able to influence each of these areas of need and we are eager to be part of this validation process. We understand the design of this validation project and the commitments we will assume as a partner over the five (5) years of this project. We acknowledge that:

Letter of Support (con’d) This is a randomized control study and school(s) will be randomly assigned to a control or treatment group. Schools assigned to a control group will have the option to implement MicroSociety upon the completion of the research component of this project. Data will be collected throughout the project with the provision of a stipend for services. Dedicated training (10-12 days of professional development per year) is required to execute the project. Fidelity of Implementation is critical to the project’s success. A $25k/yr/school cash or in-kind services contribution toward the 20% non- governmental match is required. We are excited about this wonderful opportunity and believe the partnership will be critical to helping us advance our goal to position students to be college and career ready with knowledge, skills and values to lead in a global world. Sincerely,

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