1. Foundations for Success Initial Findings and New Directions Jason Snipes Director of Research Council of the Great City Schools Defining the Achievement Gap Challenge: Rights, Opportunities and Responsibilities The Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University July 19, 2006

2. Purpose of the Study Focus on Large Urban School Districts Extended Previous Research by CGCS to Understand Student Achievement Patterns in Large Urban School Districts This Study –Examined What More Effective/Rapidly Improving Districts Are Doing to Raise Student Achievement –Attempted to Develop Hypotheses Regarding Promising Practices for Future Research and Technical Assistance to Districts

3. Nature of the Educational Challenges Political Conflict and Lack of Focus on Achievement Unsatisfactory Academic Achievement and Low Expectations Lack of Instructional Coherence –Multiplicity of Teaching Initiatives and Curricula –Lack of Alignment With Standards High Student Mobility Inexperienced Teaching Staff Low Expectations and Lack of a Demanding Curriculum Unsatisfactory Business Operations

4. Educational Improvement Strategies Culture of Accountability and Administrative Infrastructure to Support It Focus on Low Performing Schools Move Towards Instructional Coherence Data Driven Instruction and Decision-Making Initial Focus on Elementary Schools Increased Focus on Efficiency of “Business Operations”

5. Instructional Coherence Unified Curriculum Aligned With Standards Drives Instruction Effective Support of Curriculum and Instruction using Focused Professional Development –Training in use of curriculum –Pacing guides and lesson plans –Coaching and monitoring curriculum implementation Use of Regular Assessment Data to Guide and Refine Instruction Focus on Thorough Implementation of Reform at the Classroom Level: Reform Press

6. Data-Driven Instruction and Decision-Making Disaggregated Data by School, Race, Socio- economic status, Etc. Trained Administrators and Teachers in Use and Interpretation of Data to Understand and Refine Instruction Improved Infrastructure for Collecting and Delivering Data Provided Data to Teachers and Principals in Timely Manner and “Digestible” Format, With Goal of Using Data to Guide Instruction

7. Strategic Support Teams “Cities Building Cities” Instructional Coherence—Unified Curriculum –Lack of alignment with state standards –Disjointed curriculum –Underdeveloped staff at the district-level Data-Driven Instruction –Inappropriate, misaligned, or no interim assessments –Lack of teacher training on use of data –Lack of program evaluation Secondary School Reform –Structural reforms if any, not addressing instruction –Insufficient attention to middle school

8. Priorities for Systemic Reform and Research Focus on Instruction and Instructional Coherence –Focused Curricula Aligned with Standards –PD Aligned with Curricula –Use of Data to Refine Instruction –Measuring impacts and understanding cumulative effects Who Teaches vs. How Teachers Are Supported –Defining and measuring teacher quality –Recruiting, deploying, and retaining high quality teachers –Understanding payoff to recruitment versus training strategies Secondary School Reform –Moving beyond structural reforms to address instruction –Addressing basic literacy and math skills –Addressing needs of “on track” students