1. Education Reform And Student Learning Outcomes Goals, Outcomes And Challenges March 4-6 2008

2. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 1 Dr. Dominic Brewer Clifford H. and Betty C. Allen Professor of Urban Leadership Professor of Education, Economics and Policy University of Southern California

3. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 2 Agenda Goals, Outcomes, and Challenges of Reform Small Group Exercise  Goals  Outcomes  Challenges Wrap-Up: Components of Effective Reform

4. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 3 Education Is Critical to National Development Education imperative for economic, social, and political development  Contributes to national economic growth, higher living standards  Improves social outcomes such as health, crime  Encourages civic participation External environment changing rapidly; existing institutions may not adapt  Rigid curriculum and pedagogy  Misallocated resources  Lack of incentives, accountability, and autonomy

5. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 4 Common Problems: Rigid Curriculum/Pedagogy Student differences get little attention Rote learning/memorization are emphasized Students have too many subjects, too few extracurricular activities Curriculum may rely on single textbook Technology-based learning materials not integrated

6. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 5 Common Problems: Misallocated Resources Teachers are assigned without regard for preferences/expertise Teachers receive low pay, few incentives for greater effort Teachers get little or ineffective professional development Instructional materials are inadequate/outdated Schools are rundown and classrooms overcrowded

7. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 6 Common Problems: Lack Of Incentives and Accountability Innovative ideas are not solicited, supported, or rewarded Principals have little authority; time-consuming approval processes There are few performance indicators at student, school, or system level Evaluation system has little direct effect on schools, teachers, or students

8. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 7 Reform Can Be Challenging Successful reforms focus on improving student outcomes  Immediate learning outcomes  Long-term economic success (employment, etc.) No dominant successful strategy  Uncertainty over what skills are needed, how to measure them, or how to produce them  Cannot “import” model wholesale from elsewhere (but can get ideas and lessons learned) Reform requires political will, financial resources, administrator/teacher capacity and time Multiple systems components need to be considered simultaneously Design and implementation are critical to success

9. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 8 Designing A Reform Strategy Start with clear goals Define measurable objectives and benchmarks Understand strengths and weaknesses of existing system Recognize challenges of reform

10. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 9 Designing A Reform Strategy HOW should these institutions or individuals induce others to implement policy? How is behavior motivated? How can the system exploit preferences and talents? How is performance rewarded and punished? WHO makes decisions? Who sets standards? Who determines assessments? Who decides where children go to school? Who determines resources, staffing, curriculum, and teaching styles? WHAT are your goals for education? What outcomes are most important? What standards do you aspire to achieve? What can education reform accomplish, and what requires change elsewhere? What are the parameters of reform? EVALUATE! Do student outcomes improve? How is student, teacher, and school performance evaluated? How does the system rate in terms of: stability, accountability innovation, flexibility and responsiveness, transparency, simplicity, and efficiency?

11. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 10 Improved Accountability: A Critical Component of Reform Efforts Educational accountability has changed in many countries  It is outcome-based rather than input-based  It involves public reporting of performance information  There are monetary and non-monetary rewards and sanctions Accountability is a contractual relationship  It requires a provider of a good/service and a director with the power to reward, punish, or replace the provider  The provider is held responsible for reaching specified goals  The provider’s performance is assessed on whether goal is achieved  There are consequences – rewards or sanctions - for performance Accountability relationships vary with:  Values and goals (what parties care about)  Decision rights (who has authority over what), and  Information (for monitoring)

12. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 11 Accountability Operates in Different Ways ModelWho?To Whom?For What? What Consequences? Bureaucratic School/DistrictState/Ministry Compliance with rules and regulations Sanctions e.g., loss of accreditation, firing of staff Professional Teachers Professional peers and organizations Following recognized professional practices Professional sanctions; loss of certification Market SchoolParents Academic standards, philosophical/ societal norms, student discipline Loss of students, leading to loss of revenue, economic failure Standards-based accountability is a popular reform approach; it combines elements of these different types of accountability.

13. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 12 Accountability Operates in Different Ways Mechanisms Accountability Components WhatWho How/ Process Setting Expectations and Standards Teach to standards Ministry Outside consultants, no teacher input Setting Rewards and Punishments Contribute to salary increases Ministry/School Administration School Monitoring Performance State standardized tests State Students tested at end of year Evaluating Success and Failure Gain-scores for class School Teacher review process Levying Rewards and Punishments Size of salary Increase School Administrative decision

14. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 13 Indicator System: An Important Part of Standards-Based Accountability Comprehensive, objective, and transparent assessment system is component of standards-based reform  Helps drive focus on improving student learning outcomes  Increases stakeholder awareness and engagement in education  Enhances system responsiveness to local/national/global needs and developments What should be measured, how best is it measured, and what other information is needed to interpret the measure Must detect problems (problem-oriented) and be able to describe conditions in a way amenable to policy change (policy-relevant) Include educational outcomes with student background and school context for meaningful interpretation

15. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 14 Reforms Go Awry In Implementation Need for systemic reform  Many moving parts  Opportunities for unintended consequences Often a desire for rapid change  Changing how people think and act takes time  Need early successes to maintain momentum  Be aware of starting point Effective implementation requires:  Significant planning  Technical expertise, often with external help  Building capacity of school managers and teachers  Continuous training and support over the long term  Monitoring so that adjustments can be made  Flexibility with willingness to make adjustments

16. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 15 Small Group Exercise In groups of 6-8, discuss the following questions. Spend about 15 minutes on each question. One member of your group should be ready to report your main points to the whole group. 1. What do you think should be the major goals of education reform? 2. What reform outcomes are the most important? How can you measure these outcomes? 3. What are the major challenges to successful education reform?

17. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 16 Wrap-up: Some Components of Effective Reform Begin with clear goals Embody goals in curriculum standards Measure performance objectively Adjust in response to measures of progress Foster real changes in schools Recognize systemic linkages Develop support from outside the education system

18. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 17 Embody Goals In Curriculum Standards Curriculum standards: Should guide academic content and teaching practice  What students should know  What students should be able to do  Grade-by-grade progression May require technical expertise and stakeholder participation Should inform development of materials and teacher/administrator professional development  Alignment is important

19. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 18 Begin With Clear Goals Good reform focuses on developing students’ capabilities with a view to their long-term economic success Goals also might address broader social goals such as participation in civic life To guide effective education reform, policymakers need a clear vision  What outcomes do you want schools to produce?  What does existing system do well and what could be improved?

20. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 19 Measure Performance Objectively Regional and national authorities must: Monitor system at many levels against standards Use tests to measure student attainment of curriculum standards Use monitoring mechanisms (other than tests) to show the strengths and weaknesses of the system (e.g., surveys, observations) Make results of tests, surveys, and observations available to participants to understand and improve performance  Reporting system and training are important to maximize use of information

21. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 20 Adjust Performance in Response to Measures of Progress Measurement alone is not enough to realize reform goals Use information on progress to identify changes and course corrections Mechanisms must be in place to adjust to assessment findings at all levels of system  Requires flexibility to impact curricular materials, professional development, school resources, etc.

22. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 21 Foster Real Change in Schools To improve education, changes must occur inside the classroom where teaching and learning occur  Reform efforts directed at changing only a central bureaucracy usually produce disappointing results Understanding what is actually happening in schools and classrooms is key to guiding change  Requires measuring student learning outcomes and using that information continuously to improve curriculum materials and professional development

23. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 22 Recognize Systemic Linkages Policy changes in one aspect of the system will often have consequences (sometimes unintended) for other parts Systemic approach highlights linkages between parts of the system  Coordinate roles of each participant in the system  Coordinate with policies outside education

24. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 23 Develop Support from Outside the Education System Some changes can be made without external support, but support is always helpful Changes to important social arrangements (e.g., labor rules, individual accountability) require external support (e.g., other government agencies, businesses, parents) Coordination with other public policies and private decision-making is often required to implement change Transparency may be important in explaining and sustaining reform

25. © 2008 Dominic Brewer. All Rights Reserved. 24 Conclusion: Reform Is Necessary But Challenging Effective educational change is necessary for national development  All countries are struggling to find approaches that work There is no single “correct” approach to reform  It must vary based on national goals and context Setting standards to international benchmarks, measuring student performance regularly, and aligning curriculum, professional development, and assessments will be critical Reform design and implementation requires planning, expertise, support, and patience

26. Thank you.