1 Restructuring Webinar Dr. Zollie Stevenson, Jr., Ph.D. Director Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs Office of Elementary and Secondary Education United States Department of Education January 12 & 29, 2009

2 Perspectives on Restructuring Policies and Practices School improvement and restructuring plans reviewed on recent monitoring visits are, for the most part, more detailed, focused and based on data Plans are reviewed at the district and state- level, with feedback provided to strengthen these plans What has SASA’s monitoring told us?

3 Perspectives on Restructuring Policies and Practices Some States are limiting restructuring options districts can implement States are monitoring restructuring plans and options more consistently What has SASA’s monitoring told us?

4 Perspectives on Restructuring Policies and Practices Districts and schools are involving outsiders in planning and implementing restructuring – e.g., Comprehensive Centers or universities Increased amounts of school improvement funds are available to provide assistance to schools in improvement, including schools implementing restructuring What has SASA’s monitoring told us?

5 Perspectives on Restructuring Policies and Practices Continuing Issues: Sustaining improvement over time District central office support and leadership Schools in restructuring based on a single subgroup or based on the other indicator (e.g., attendance or graduation rate) – what to do with them

6 Perspectives on Restructuring Policies and Practices Continuing Issues: State capacity Restructuring plans that include an array of strategies but really don’t represent a true change in governance

7 Sustaining Support for School Improvement SASA Monitoring – focuses more on LEAs with schools in corrective action or restructuring while visiting States SASA collects and analyzes data on the use of school improvement funds and their impact (see later slides for details) SASA reviews and approves SEA plans and amendments for allocating and using school improvement funds

8 Sustaining Support for School Improvement Presentations by SASA staff at national and regional conferences Review and update guidance documents as needed Updating monitoring protocols to reflect previous experience, new regulations and new directions

9 Sustaining Support for School Improvement Proposed Webinars Designing and Evaluating School Improvement Efforts Case study of what a State is doing with its school improvement funds Maximizing federal dollars for best results around 1003(g) and other school improvement funds

10 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - Data Collection Annually States will report data on uses of their school improvement funds through the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR): Total number and percentage of students who are proficient in reading/language arts and mathematics in schools that received technical assistance through the statewide system of support and whether the number and percentages increased from the prior year as measured by State assessments

11 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - Data Collection Total number and percentage of students who are proficient in reading/language arts and mathematics in schools that received School Improvement funds and whether the number and percentages increased from the prior year as measured by State assessments Number of schools that received technical assistance through the statewide system of support that made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and exited improvement status

12 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - Data Collection Number of schools that received School Improvement funds that made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and exited improvement status Evidence that SEAs, LEAs, and schools used data to make decisions about the use of School Improvement funds and created a system of continuous feedback and improvement

13 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - Data Collection Evidence indicating those school improvement strategies that were effective in contributing to increased student achievement and schools making Adequate Yearly Progress and exiting improvement status Amount of funds allocated under section 1003( g) and 1003(a) to each LEA and school

14 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - New Regulations The recently released Title I regulations clarified several issues related to restructuring: Interventions must be significantly more rigorous and comprehensive than the corrective action that the school implemented, unless the school began to implement one of the restructuring options as a corrective action Interventions must address the reasons why the school is in restructuring

15 Sustaining Support for School Improvement - New Regulations The option of replacing all or most of the school staff may include replacing the principal; however replacing the principal alone is not sufficient to constitute restructuring The “other” option to restructure a school’s governance may include replacing the principal so long as this change is part of a broader reform effort

16 Restructuring Resource LEA and School Improvement Non-regulatory Guidance, Revised July Zollie Stevenson