Leadership, Policy, and Organizations Capstone Projects

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Capstone projects of the Peabody College Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University.

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Answering the Call: Lessons Learned from Montgomery County Middle School Magnet Consortium
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-02-22T19:30:41Z) Hollenberg, Eugene; Henrick, Erin; Hamilton, Melissa
In the fall of 2005, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) opened three magnet middle schools in a portion of the school district with a high minority population and percentage of students receiving free and reduced meals. The district grouped the schools, Argyle Magnet School for Information Technology, A. Mario Loiederman Magnet School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and Parkland Magnet School for Aerospace Technology, into the Middle School Magnet Consortium (MSMC). MCPS used their current strategic plan, "Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence", completed in 2004, to develop the blueprint for implementation at the schools. A Peabody College team was asked to look at the planning and 1st year of implementation of the consortium. In order to observe, document, and report on the progress of the consortium schools, the team asked the following guiding questions: 1. How does the MCPS MSMC fit within the strategic plan, Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence? 2. In what ways does the MSMC demonstrate research-based best practices of middle school reform? 3. What lessons have been learned in the first year of implementation? In order to better understand the planning and implementation of the consortium, several different information sources were used. Research from "Turning Points 2000" and "Breaking Ranks in the Middle" was used to determine best practices. These practices then were applied to the common elements of the consortium schools in answering the guiding questions. The study determined that early trend data for achievement, demographic shifts, and school climate is positive in meeting the goals of the MSAP grant and the district strategic plan. Common themes discovered through the case study include: - High levels of teacher and administrator professionalism - Quality leadership - An emerging model for professional development - Strong academic content - Concerns about physical plant and appropriate equipment The study makes several recommendations. Recommendations directed at the MSMC include: - Planning for magnet school student transition to high school - Developing plans for the end of the magnet grant - Further study for evaluation o MSA data review o NWEA MAP expected growth comparisons o Qualitative review benchmarked by this report Recommendations for all MCPS middle schools include: - Developing principal cohorts among all schools - Embedded professional development focused on learning and instruction - Ensuring resource availability prior to change implementation - Exploring heterogeneous grouping in all classes After a year of implementation, it appears that MSMC schools have been successful in attracting students to unique programs reflecting best practice and achieving the goals of the MSAP grant and the MCPS strategic plan. With continued care and monitoring from administrators and teachers, the probability of long-term success is high.
Internationalization of Austin Peay State University: A Strategic Plan for the 21st Century
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-03-24T20:53:55Z) Pennywell, Judith; Chang, Yating
Gear Up Tennessee: Examining the Roles of Site Coordinators and School Counselors in the Development and Implementation of Program Initiatives
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-04) Chapman, Carter Sean; Donnelly, Kathryn Lee; McGraner, Kristin Lynne
This report examines the role of GEAR UP site coordinators and school counselors in the development and implementation of GEAR UP Tennessee. The GEAR UP Tennessee program is an ambitious effort that offers a myriad of interventions to support academic preparation and college access in rural communities across the state. Though supported by a network of local and state partners, the program gives the nine participating districts discretion in the design and implementation of initiatives at the local level. Site coordinators are the primary agents charged with the responsibility of district-level implementation. Within the school context, school counselors are the individuals with the organizational proximity necessary for meaningful interactions with students concerning educational advancement. While GEAR UP Tennessee has collected data relative to the program's effects on schools, teachers, and parents, the work of site coordinators and school counselors has been largely overlooked. Therefore, in response to a request for assistance from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), we developed the following research questions: How does the program structure and district context shape site 1) coordinators' implementation of GEAR UP? 2)What factors affect school counselors' implementation of GEAR UP initiatives? We conducted 63 semi-structured interviews with GEAR UP site coordinators, district leaders, school principals, school counselors and THEC officials. Interviews were designed to gather information on the district's performance in preparing students for post-secondary education; the respondent's knowledge of and role within GEAR UP; district and school supports and barriers affecting implementation, which include issues around individual and institutional capacity and will; the coherence of program messages and the sense-making in which respondents engaged to make decisions about their participation in the program and its implementation; and respondents' perceptions of program effects. Our data reveal that: Participating school districts were pressured by, and as a result largely focused on, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) compliance. The presence of NCLB largely detracted from the district's ability to fully embrace GEAR UP and integrate it into their district improvement plan. District and school leaders possessed little knowledge about GEAR UP, its intended implementation, and the appropriate role structure of site coordinators, district personnel, and school personnel. Most site coordinators did not perceive GEAR UP as a potential lever for systemic change. Site coordinators and school counselors received little substantive support from state and local leadership relative to implementation of GEAR UP college access interventions. The content of site coordinators' work focused predominantly on activity planning, resource distribution, and grant compliance. The community culture, specifically the "welfare state of mind," was perceived by all respondents as a barrier to advancing students' educational attainment. Training and professional development activities have been provided for site coordinators with a primary focus on grant compliance and reporting mechanisms. Site coordinators reported few opportunities to deepen their knowledge of how to increase students' academic preparation and college access, which has significant effects on implementation outcomes, program sustainability, and systemic change. Training for district and school personnel has been lacking and, in many cases, nonexistent. The work of school counselors is influenced by the lack of a coherent counseling curriculum, time constraints, and role ambiguity. Consequently, counselors provide sporadic support and leadership in GEAR UP implementation. As a result of these findings, we offer the following recommendations to ensure full program implementation and the attainment of program goals: 1) Improve the visibility and effectiveness of site coordinators by developing communication networks among coordinators and school and district personnel; creating comprehensive training manuals for coordinators; and implementing a series of trainings which address the factors influencing students' academic preparation and college access, as well as program implementation strategies supportive of GEAR UP goals. 2) Educate and involve district and school leadership by developing a GEAR UP TN Leaders Guide in tandem with GEAR UP TN leadership trainings. Trainings will create the forum to collaboratively plan with site coordinators in order to align GEAR UP TN interventions to both the district and school improvement plans. 3) Educate and involve the school counselor by developing a GEAR UP TN School Counselors Guide in tandem with GEAR UP TN counseling trainings. Trainings will help counselors implement college preparation curricula, improve collaborative planning with site coordinators, and develop communication networks among counselors. 4) Collectively develop a comprehensive sustainability plan which determines how to effectively disseminate data; galvanize support of the school counselor as well as district and school leadership within GEAR UP TN; and effect state-level policy change to enhance the core goals of GEAR UP TN.
Linking Learning, Accountability and Performance
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-04-03T18:25:31Z) Baxter, Susanna; Brant, Emmert; Forster, Jerry
Metro Nashville Public Schools Student Assessment Staff Development Model
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-04-07T16:40:30Z) Hill, David; Lewis, Jessica; Pearson, Jason
Executive Summary In the current K-12 educational landscape, data-driven decision-making (DDDM) is believed to hold great potential for improving the quality of classroom instruction. This analysis of the capacity of principals and teachers in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) for DDDM was initiated by a district belief that DDDM among educators is unsatisfactory. An evaluation of this perceived problem reveals a generally positive picture of DDDM capacity reported by district educators. However, closer analyses reveal evidences that principals and teachers may be less fluent in DDDM than they report. Key findings include: - In contrast to district officials' concerns about principals' and teachers' variable knowledge of DDDM, most principals and teachers report feeling adept at DDDM. - Teachers and principals have similar perceptions of DDDM norms among schools' teaching staffs, both believing that teachers practice DDDM frequently. - There is a disconnect between principals' expectations that teachers use data to inform instruction and their leadership role as one that guides teachers' ability to interpret data. - Despite the inconsistency of formal training experiences focused on DDDM, most teachers believe that they have adequate support from their principals for DDDM. - MNPS provides a number of resources - including frequent meetings, data reporting, and technological software - related to DDDM; however, most emphasize data interpretation over data application. - In addition to concerns about untimely data, principals and teachers - as well as district officials themselves - agree that the district has an underdeveloped and insufficient process for learning about educators' needs for DDDM. These findings point to several key areas for improvement leading to a set of recommendations for improving district training in DDDM, along with plans for effective, data-based evaluations of these suggested action steps. Key recommendations include: - Invest in teacher leadership. - Establish expectations of participation in current leadership development opportunities. - Create a district-wide induction program for principals and teachers. - Increase principal time to focus on leadership for learning. - Access funding resources for high quality leadership development.
Examining the Existence of and the Conditions for Teacher Commitment and Capacity for Data Use: An Exploratory Study of MNPS Middle School Math and Language Arts Teachers
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-05) Enright, Deborah Macfarlan; Witham, Peter James
The initiation of the era of educational accountability brought with it an abundance of data on student performance in the form of outcome results from standardized tests. These test scores provide information for the teacher about her individual students and her classes in general. The data also provides the school with a detailed composite of the achievement levels of the entire school population. The achievement levels of students in our public school system reported through these scores provide snapshots as well as longitudinal data to faculty and staff. The use of data for instructional planning has the potential to positively impact the decisions teachers make regarding individual students and entire classes. The standards-based movement with its shift from educational and financial inputs to achievement based outcomes brought on the need for more evidenced based data to supply information to teachers that could then be turned into knowledge to inform instruction. The use of this evidence based data rendered from standardized tests to inform instruction strengthens the reach of the No Child Left Behind legislation in that it holds every district, school, and each classroom accountable for the educational success of every child within the school system. Data use has become an expected linchpin for decision making within the classroom. While this data fueled analysis is now routine for educators in their practice, proficiency in its use remains in question. Data from which a teacher can inform her instructional decisions abound in a classroom. Prior to the more formal collection and dissemination of one type of data from the district office in the form of standardized test scores, teachers gathered information about their students through accrued experience, intuition and an understanding of the socioeconomic underpinnings of their students. The information was based upon an unsystematic collection mechanism that relied on perception and judgment. The extracted knowledge was neither complete nor reliable by scientific standards, but served to inform teachers as to who was in their classrooms and how the students went about the process of learning. The capacity to distill data points into forms of information that provide knowledge to a district, school, and classroom is the essence of the issue facing Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in their use of data to inform instruction. The issue of teacher capacity and commitment to use data to inform instruction stimulates the project submitted by the MNPS Office of Assessment to conduct a research project that uncovers the range of data teachers are using to inform their instruction. The Request for Assistance from the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools system calls for an "in-depth, qualitative analyses of teachers" DDDM practices. The first capstone project focused primarily on principal data use and capacity, but did not provide the depth of information to adequately understand how and why teachers use data in their professional practice. The project specifically asks for analyses that examine data driven decision making at the "classroom-level; where teacher data driven decision-making meets student learning". Required components for the design of the research study included qualitative methods of data collection to "explore teacher knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to data driven decision making." (MNPS Capstone RFP) The design of the current study was grounded in the earlier 2006-07 Capstone, which sought to focus on uncovering the capacity of current MNPS principals to train teachers to use data. The RFP for the 2006-07 Capstone specifically asked the Project Team to (1) Evaluate the scope of principal data use (2) Assess how well the district's data training strategies are aligned with data use needs (3) Develop recommendations for improved data training strategies The findings of the 2006-07 Capstone prompted recommendations centered around investing in teacher leadership, creating expectations for more leadership development opportunities, increasing the resources principals can focus on developing their leadership skills, creating an induction program for teachers and principals, and finding funding sources outside of the budget process to support the efforts of the district to build capacity of data use among the school leadership and faculty. This context drove the design of our study. We focused on the data use in the MNPS middle schools division level. The MNPS statistics along with the national data regarding achievement gaps for 8th grade African American males shows that this group of students demands our attention. The MNPS school district enrolls 75,000 students in 133 schools. The district is under corrective action by the state of Tennessee. Seventy-eight percent of the district high schools (11) are on the NCLB High Priority List; a list that indicates schools that fail to meet benchmark criteria for proficiency rates in English and Math for one or more subgroups within the school population for one year or more. Sixty percent of the middle schools are on this list as well. Only 11% of elementary schools in the district are on the list. This Ed.D. Capstone project guided through the Department of Leadership Policy & Organization sought to work with the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools district to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and behavior of teachers as they use data to drive instructional practices. MNPS charged the research team with the job of describing the current situations and events surrounding the use of data to inform instruction in its teacher corps. As such, the key purposes for this research study were descriptive and exploratory in nature. After an examination of the literature and developing an in depth understanding of the districts goals, resources, and strategies surrounding the dissemination of data use to inform instruction, our Project Team designed a mixed methods research study with the following components: a) Identify schools within the district that have teachers with strong data driven decision-making skills b) Develop an interview protocol based upon relevant literature evaluating the capacity of middle school math and language arts teachers to use c) Create a rubric from the collected data showing best practices of d) Construct a survey instrument from these findings to distribute to teachers of the studied disciplines in the district's middle schools e) Determine the degree to which MNPS middle school math and language arts teachers are effectively practicing skills f) Report our findings to the Director of Assessments to aid in the development of professional development strategies to build data use capacities across the district's middle schools The exploratory portion of the research involved an examination of the following elements: - Level of commitment towards using district data on the classroom level - Capacity of MNPS teachers to use a range of data to inform instruction - Ability of the school-site leadership to strengthen the aptitude of their faculty - Role that district's data professional development initiative has played in the present use of data to inform instruction - Barriers to comprehensive data use on the part of the teachers within the schools studied In order to accomplish these tasks, we conducted over 30 interviews in three middle schools that were identified by the district as using Best Practice methods for informing instruction through data. Math and language arts teachers and head principals made up the sample. We administered an open-ended survey to over 60 teachers in 6 selected middle schools in the MNPS district. Our findings show that the level of commitment and capacity among the MNPS middle school level faculties in using data to inform instruction is fundamentally linked to principal commitment and capacity as well as the organizational context in which the school resides. We also found that while the teachers endorse on some levels the commitment level of the district toward large-scale data use in MNPS Schools, their perceptions of resource allocation and delivery of data were unfavorable to the efforts of the district. Our overall findings include: - Teacher commitment and capacity were impacted by the expectations, structures and training opportunities provided by school leaders and the district. - Principal leadership strongly influences the level of commitment and capacity held by their faculty toward the use of data to inform instruction - Contextual Factors impacts the level of expectations, structures, and training provided to teachers by school leadership in the use of data to inform instruction - District resources including Professional Development and Technology were not sufficient for improving teacher commitment or capacity Based on the analysis of the findings, our contextual understanding of MNPS, and the framework for change described in our paper, we proposed the following three recommendations to the district: Recommendation 1: Invest in training in principal leadership to improve their commitment and capacity to orient district resources around impacting data informed instruction. Recommendation 2: Expand and improve the existing professional development program around data use to ensure the district resources of technology, time, and access to data are central to teacher training. Recommendation 3: Improve the existing resources of technology, time, and access to data to positively impact teacher commitment and capacity for data use. Grounded in the organizational structures of the district, the recommendations and evaluation plan provide a foundation upon which to build further, more specific initiatives around data for grade levels, subject areas, or school divisions. Uncovering other opportunities to strengthen the district's initiative to increase best practice use in schools, supplies ideas for further research including: - Studies centered on understanding the use of data across all middle schools in the district would provide useful information. - Studying the phenomenon of linking described in the findings could provide information to the district that would create a model to formalize this type of collaboration across grade levels, subject areas, schools, and divisions. - Conducting a longitudinal study of a group of students' grades 3-12 would prove valuable in evaluating the impact data use by teachers had on student achievement. - Conducting a year's study that follows some middle school teachers to "see" the use of data. - A study on the teacher instructional practice associated with a school attempting to improve their status on the AYP benchmark list would provide critical evidence as to how these teachers view their own instruction, how they perceive their students as learners, and how these two elements influence teacher behavior.
Understanding Student Departure: Identifying Primary Factors Attributable to Attrition Among First-Year Students: A Consultative Retention Analysis Study for Kentucky Wesleyan College
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-05) Domas, George Matthew; Hicks, Ramona Ingrid
The following project responds to a request by Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) to examine their student departure problem. Specifically, the KWC first-year retention rate is 54.8% (2006 freshman cohort, n= 323), well below the overall state average for independent colleges and university of 69.5% (AIKCU, 2006) and the national average 73.6% (NCHEMS, 2002). This is a challenge faced by many colleges and universities, and thus, there is extant literature available to assist in the analysis of the complicated puzzle of college student departure. We have reviewed and applied this literature in a systematic method to gain insight into the issues associated with student departure at Kentucky Wesleyan College. The ill-structured problem of college student departure is defined as the interaction between the individual student and the university or college attended (Braxton, Hirschy & McClendon, 2004). For the purpose of this project, all first-year Kentucky Wesleyan students are at-risk of college student departure, both residential and commuter students. Plus, the goals and objectives of the project include: assessment of the institutional retention levers --- KW1101, the PLUS Center, and the Academic Alert system, to determine efficacy and provide recommendations for improvement; exploration of reasons for early student departure through qualitative and quantitative analyses; and, recommendation of programs to improve retention. The project's guiding question is "What are the primary factors attributable to the significant attrition rate of first-year student at Kentucky Wesleyan College?" The examination of retention levers indicates that KWC has room for improvement in making these levers more efficacious in aiding student persistence. The positive aspect of this project is that most of the levers, when functioning effectively, will indeed perform as designed. The project team concludes that there is only one compelling component of this examination that truly answers the guiding question. The JV football program is attributable to the significant increase in first-year departure at Kentucky Wesleyan College; and therefore, the program should be retrenched, so as not to continue the investment with both negative student and institutional implications. In addition, the project team made fifteen additional recommendations based upon the assessment of the institutional policy levers identified to impact retention, as well as the quantitative analyses from the University Students' Experiences Survey. Moreover, the project team recommends that through a purposeful campaign, Kentucky Wesleyan College can renew policies, practices and interactions with students, undergirded by the theoretical foundation of a commitment of the institution to student welfare and institutional integrity, to help reduce the significant attrition rate among first-year students.
Content Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Gained in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Teaching Certificate Program at Vanderbilt University: A Program Evaluation
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2008-05) Bryant, Mark Alan; Rowe, Christopher J.
The purpose of this program evaluation is to provide the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University with a comprehensive evaluation of their Teaching Certificate program, which is in its third year of existence. As a joint project between the Graduate School and the Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt's Teaching Certificate program aims "to help graduate students, professional students, and post-doctoral fellows develop and refine their teaching skills through three cycles of teaching activities, each consisting of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection phases." (Vanderbilt University) Much like other teacher preparation programs described in the body of this document, the Teaching Certificate program combines workshops, teaching observation and feedback experiences, reading groups, a literature review, and reflective essays to achieve its outcomes. However, one element that sets the Vanderbilt program apart from similar programs is the required project that highlights the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). The three cycles of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection increasingly emphasize teaching as a scholarly activity as defined by Boyer as one of four domains of scholarship. Specifically this evaluation seeks to answer three questions. The questions are: 1. What do participants learn in the program, including knowledge, skills, and attitudes? 2. How do they apply what they learn when teaching at Vanderbilt or in faculty positions obtained after leaving Vanderbilt? 3. What knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding teaching do Vanderbilt departments and programs want their doctoral students to possess upon graduation? The deliverable for this project is an assessment of student learning and of the program's strengths and weaknesses in order to give the Center for Teaching useful information to improve the program and thereby improve the experience for the participants. This project consists of two phases: participant analysis and stakeholder analysis. The participant analysis stage primarily addresses the first two questions stated above and focuses on documents and interviews with actual program participants, both those currently in the program as well as the few who had completed all requirements. During the stakeholder analysis phase, external stakeholders defined as Directors of Graduate Study at Vanderbilt were interviewed in order to identify skills, abilities, and attitudes that they deem as important for their graduate students. This phase of the evaluation specifically addresses the third question stated above. Questions were used that elicited information about stakeholders' perceptions of the value of teaching preparation for their students as well as the departments' actual efforts or lack thereof in preparing their graduate students for teaching responsibilities which they may encounter as a faculty member. For the participant phase, the investigators created an evaluation rubric in order to examine program documents. This rubric operationalized four of six stated program objectives. The remaining two program objectives not evaluated rely on "end-of-pipeline" analysis of participant performance once they have obtained full-time employment after graduation. Given that there are very few program finishers who have graduated from the university and moved into faculty roles, these two program objectives were not assessed. The rubric created to assess the four program objectives employed a 5-point scale and was used to gauge the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes of teaching as a scholarly activity. This quantitative approach allowed the investigators to assess the magnitude of knowledge gained regarding the four program objectives being evaluated. Based on the results of the document analysis a common interview protocol was developed in consultation with the Center for Teaching in order to extract more information than was obtained from the document analysis. This qualitative approach sampled participants from each of the three cycles and interviewed them in order to establish how participant content knowledge increased throughout the program. The second phase of this evaluation, the stakeholder analysis, sampled Directors of Graduate Study from across the campus and interviewed them using a common interview protocol in order to identify expectations and attitudes of graduate preparation for teaching. It is important to note that this program evaluation contains important limitations that stem from the lack of program finishers, the lack of operationalized objectives, and the open-ended electronic portfolio reporting system. In addition, there were inconsistencies in documentation from one participant to another which probably impacted the level of reliability with the outcomes. Three of the four objectives evaluated in the quantitative analysis suggest an increase in knowledge, skills, and attitudes of participants' learning with regard to the following: undergraduate learning, analysis of their own teaching, and engagement with their own teaching in a community of scholars. With the fourth objective, which is primarily a Cycle 3 activity, participants showed no significant difference at the end of Cycle 2 in approaching their own teaching as a scholarly activity. Based on these results, further information needed to be acquired by way of qualitative analysis to determine if the initial results were an accurate representation of the participants change. Based on results from the participant interviews, graduate students appear to fulfill the four program objectives evaluated and are able to approach their teaching as a scholarly activity and learn from their own teaching and from others' teaching. Participants self-report that they have gained knowledge and skills from their participation in the program and the analysis of data demonstrates an increase in knowledge, skills, and attitudes as they relate to teaching as a scholarly activity. From interviews with the stakeholders, there is sufficient evidence of tension that exists between research and teaching at Vanderbilt. Departmental activities on training graduate students to teach vary widely but conform somewhat to trends in high and low consensus fields. The applied and natural sciences and some social sciences tend to focus more training on research skills while many humanities areas devote more resources to teaching in addition to that of research skills. However, many departments base their success on student placement after graduation with a high desire to be at research-intensive universities, even though many departments see their students at teaching-intensive institutions or in industry. In conclusion, the investigators determined that there was a substantial increase in knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the scholarship of teaching and learning by program participants. Participant experience tends to vary widely depending on the department attitudes regarding teaching as evidenced from participant interviews and DGS interviews. The role of the DGS tends to be marginalized in many departments as a service duty rather than a professional role dedicated to strengthening graduate student education in research and teaching. As a result, it is important that the Center for Teaching be relied upon to fulfill the need for training in pedagogy in order to fully prepare doctoral students for professional employment. In addition, teaching opportunities should be increased in many departments in order to provide graduate students with more substantive experiences in teaching to enhance their profile as they seek professional employment. In comparison to other similar programs across the country, the Teaching Certificate program is on a positive trajectory to establish best practices in educating and evaluating teaching as a scholarly activity for the higher education community at large. A concern, however, is that of data management, which is important for quality evaluation of participant learning. Using operationalized objectives, variables should be evaluated on the basis of how participants are gaining knowledge, skills, and attitudes throughout the program. Inadequate data management threatens the significance of assessment in this program. Recommendations resulting from this program evaluation are listed below. 1. Program objectives should be operationalized in order to provide consistent evaluation of the increase in participant knowledge, skills, and attitudes. 2. When prompting participant reflection, the use of leading questions in the portfolio allows for more consistent reporting of outcomes in the various program cycles, which leads to greater validity when evaluating participant performance. 3. Possibly have participants revise their teaching statements more regularly than just at the end of the program, which should integrate their statements with every teaching activity undertaken. 4. Participants seem to enjoy a great deal of structure in the schedules, thus the use of soft deadlines or typical times to complete tasks can aid in efficient time management. 5. It is critical to effectively track the progress through the program in order to measure gains effectively, thus having students regularly self-report progress ensures accurate record keeping. 6. The portfolio system is clearly critical to evaluate participant progress, which justifies having a simple yet sophisticated system to handle self-reporting, tracking, and evaluation of participant activities. 7. Stakeholders are important to the continued success of the program and key faculty should be identified and approached as supporters of the program. Additionally, DGS's deemed potential supporters should be well-educated on the program in an effort to continue to have a stream of applicants who become participants. 8. A possibility could be to modify the participants' academic transcripts to note this significant accomplishment and to add credibility to the program and its participants with regard to SoTL. 9. The CFT should spearhead a concerted effort in partnership with the Graduate School to integrate teaching into the overall graduate student experience considering that so many end up in teaching positions. 10. The population of post-doctoral fellows is increasing and becomes an area of interest for gaining program participants, thus marketing efforts should be increased to this demographic. 11. A major benefit of this program is the 'high touch' approach to participant activities and this high level of service should be continued. 12. More consistent program evaluation is important to maintaining this important and critical program to the graduate student experience at Vanderbilt. The next formal evaluation should occur when more participants finish the program and gain full-time faculty employment in order to evaluate the two program objectives not assessed in this study. The program has a strong foundation on which to build, and the ongoing efforts of the Center for Teaching staff to improve the program will no doubt make it a leader in its field and a model program for other institutions to emulate.
An Exploratory Study of Factors Related to Effective Teaching in SAIS Member Schools
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-04) Goodgame, Cathey; Patterson, Lenora Cherese; Edwards, Michael A.
Independent schools are private schools not dependent upon any outside organization for governance or financing. They are truly independent with regard to operations and finances, and they follow a mission that drives the school's decision-making and operations. Because independent schools are not beholden to local, state, or national education policies and guidelines, they are free to determine their own criteria of effective teaching and to employ noncertified teachers and teachers with non-traditional educational backgrounds. In addition, they control decisions regarding professional development for their teachers. Without requirements to use certification and state or national guidelines for teacher quality, and without external requirements for teacher preparation and professional development, the following questions arise: What factors related to effective teaching, teacher quality, and professional development are important to independent schools? What are independent schools' priorities for hiring teachers and providing professional development? This exploratory study is designed to provide The Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) with data and findings related to how its member schools define effective teaching, teacher quality, and professional development. Because of the lack of research in independent education, this study will provide new baseline data to SAIS - data that are not currently available - that can be used to inform the services they currently provide to member schools. SAIS would like to know the factors related to effective teaching that are important to SAIS Heads of School when hiring teachers and the extent to which their current faculty demonstrate those factors. In addition, SAIS is interested in the nature of and priorities for professional development in their member schools so that they can evaluate and refine their current professional development offerings. A substantial body of research exists, primarily based on research in the public sector, on effective teaching, qualities of effective teachers, and how professional development contributes to teacher effectiveness. As part of this research project, this report contains a comprehensive review of the literature on effective teaching that can be found in Appendix A. Based on the literature, a survey was designed for SAIS Heads of School to address the following project questions: 1. What factors related to effective teaching are important to SAIS Heads of School when hiring teachers? 2. What are SAIS Heads' perceptions of the extent to which their current teachers demonstrate effective teaching practices? 3. What is the nature of professional development related to effective teaching in SAIS schools? 4. What are SAIS Heads' priorities for teacher professional development? 5. To what extent are Heads' priorities for professional development aligned with their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of their teachers? Key Findings After analysis, the data gathered from the 163 SAIS Heads of School who participated in this study revealed the following key findings: Factors Contributing to Effective Teaching - When hiring, respondents prefer candidates with an undergraduate degree in a content area with graduate degrees in either content areas or education. However, Heads reported they frequently hire candidates who only have undergraduate degrees. - Undergraduate degrees in education are preferred at schools with lower school divisions. - When asked about the importance of certification, almost half of respondents indicated a preference for teachers with either current or previous certification. Many Heads see certification as an important consideration in hiring. - SAIS Heads' survey responses indicate that teacher certification is more important in rural schools than suburban schools. Professional Practices - Heads rate the following areas as very important considerations in hiring teachers: mastery of subject area, creating an environment of respect and rapport, demonstrating enthusiasm and a positive attitude, and communicating clearly and accurately with students. Less important to Heads, but still important overall, are demonstrating knowledge of teaching resources, integrating technology instruction, and organizing physical space for optimal learning. - Respondents indicate that their teachers do well in the following areas: displaying mastery of subject area, creating an environment of respect and rapport, and communicating clearly and accurately with students. What teachers do less well, according to respondents, is integrating technology instruction, organizing physical space for optimal learning, and growing and developing professionally. - Integrating technology instruction is one of the lowest areas of importance according to respondents and is also rated the lowest area for teacher performance. Professional Development to Support Effective Teaching - Respondents indicated they are providing professional development in areas critical for effective teaching: content knowledge, assessment, pedagogical knowledge, instructional delivery, and planning for instruction. - Heads' priorities for professional development are closely tied to instructional concerns. - Development of content knowledge is a priority for professional development despite the fact that Heads reported that their teachers demonstrate strong content knowledge. - Professional development is most often planned by administrators and support staff. However, larger schools are more likely to involve teachers in the planning of professional development. Heads with higher levels of education are more likely to allow teachers to plan professional development activities. - Professional development activities are not frequently evaluated for evidence of improvement in teacher practice or student achievement. Recommendations General Respondents categorized their location as rural, suburban, or urban. SAIS does not categorize its schools using these terms, so we were unable to match the reported data to the entire population of SAIS member schools. However, several significant findings were related to school location location, leading us to our first recommendation for SAIS: - Begin categorizing and tracking schools based on location - rural, suburban, and urban - in order to have the ability to evaluate the needs of schools based on location and provide differentiated services when needed or appropriate. - Use existing school size and type categories to evaluate the needs of schools based on location and provide differentiated services when needed or appropriate. Hiring Although respondents in this study indicated a preference for content area degrees over degrees in education, they also indicated that they often hire teachers with degrees in education. With regard to hiring, we recommend that SAIS: - Provide guidance and support to Heads with regard to hiring and recruiting teachers that match their hiring preferences. One way SAIS could help with this is to assist member schools in developing marketing materials to continue to attract effective teachers to independent schools. Messaging could focus on the benefits of teaching in independent schools, and schools should be encouraged to find ways to offer competitive, comprehensive benefits packages for teachers. - To address the Heads' stated preference for teachers with subject area degrees, we recommend that SAIS explore partnerships with universities with the goal of creating opportunities to identify and attract teachers with strong content knowledge. A partnership with a university could allow for the creation of specialized subject area professional development and graduate degree programs, which could be used by SAIS member schools to strengthen the subject area knowledge of its teachers. Professional Practices With regard to professional practices, we recommend that SAIS: - Encourage its member schools to stay current on educational research and provide the comprehensive literature review to Heads and member schools. - Develop workshops and training materials for schools to use with teachers that emphasize research-based effective teaching practices and the integration of technology to enhance instruction. Professional Development Participants in this study clearly value content knowledge for their teachers. Therefore, we recommend that SAIS: - Communicate the literature on the value of both content and pedagogical content knowledge to its member schools. Because SAIS member schools prefer to hire teachers who have strong subject matter knowledge and degrees, we recommend that SAIS: - Design and offer professional development opportunities to support pedagogical content knowledge and instructional methods for teachers in its member schools. Professional development for SAIS Heads could also prove valuable, particularly regarding the characteristics of effective professional development. Heads indicated their influence and involvement in decision-making for professional development, but also revealed that they seldom evaluate professional development activities for their effect on student learning. We recommend that SAIS: - Provide training for Heads regarding the value of involving teachers in professional development decision-making and on methods for linking professional development to student learning and evaluating its effectiveness.
Whatever It Takes: Examining the Impact of Youth Service Centers in Jefferson County (KY) Public Schools
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-04) Bass, Kengie Ray; Smrekar, Claire
The focus of this Capstone is to examine the impact of Youth Services Centers (YSCs) on middle schools and middle school faculty members in Jerrerson County, Kentucky. Presently, Jefferson Count Public Schools (JCPS) has 95 Family Resource and Youth Services Centers (FRYSC) serving the student population comprised in 131 of the school district's schools. JCPS has developed five fundamental goals to assist in achieving the FRYSCs's mission. These goals include: (1) improve attendance; (2) decrease behavior and suspension issues; (3) increase academic support; (4) improve physical and mental health; and (5) improve parent relations, support, and assistance.
The Influence of Site Based Decision Making Councils on the Work of Principals in Jefferson County Public Schools
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-04-23) Hughes, Gary Dean; Strawbridge, Nancy Sharp; Bercaw, Jamin Lane
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is the public school district serving Louisville, Kentucky. With an enrollment of approximately 99,000 students, JCPS is Kentucky's largest public school system. Each school in JCPS has a Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council. This exploratory project was designed to understand how SBDM Councils in the Jefferson County Public Schools affect school level policy and the work of principals. Researchers addressed two project questions. First, researchers asked, "How do JCPS principals perceive the impact of SBDM Councils in the mandated areas of curriculum, instructional practices, personnel, scheduling and student assignment to classes, use of school space, student discipline and school safety, procedural concerns, extracurricular participation, alignment with state standards, and program appraisals on their work as school leaders?" Second, researchers queried, "How do JCPS principals perceive the impact of the SBDM Councils on their day-to-day responsibilities as school leaders?" Goals of SBDM Councils include decentralizing school control and involving members of the school community in making decisions for their school. While some evidence, primarily qualitative, exists to bolster claims of increased stakeholder engagement from participation in SBDM Councils, there is virtually no research on the types of policy decisions influenced by SBDM Councils. Researchers sought to understand how legal mandates governing SBDM Councils affect principals' workloads. Second, researchers examined principals' perceptions SBDM Council influence on policy decisions at the local school level. Data were collected along two strands: a comprehensive survey and six school qualitative interview sites. A survey was created and distributed to all 132 JCPS principals. In addition to demographic data that included experience, length of time as principal, and tenure at the school, survey questions focused on task requirements of the SBDM Councils and perception queries concerning the intersection of council work and the duties of the principal. Structured qualitative interviews were conducted at six school sites, selected in conjunction with JCPS Accountability, Research, and Planning Department staff. The data collected through principal surveys underwent descriptive analysis to capture a view of principal perceptions on how SBDM Councils shape policy formation and influence decision-making. Trends in the data were explored. The data collected from qualitative interviews were analyzed to ascertain contextual factors that may affect SBDM Councils according to members from all levels. As noted, 132 principals from the elementary, middle, and high schools in Jefferson County were asked to complete the principal's survey. There were 111 principals who chose to take part in the survey. Of this group, 20 principals answered only the first survey question that requested their consent to participate in the survey; after giving consent, they answered no further survey questions. Four other principals answered questions in the first four sections of the survey but declined to answer any of the demographics related questions in section five of the survey. Of the 87 principals who completed the survey, 40 of them completed the survey online and the remaining 47 completed the survey during their respective principal's meetings in December 2008. In all, 54 elementary school principals, 15 middle school principals, 16 high school principals, and 2 special school principals completed the survey. It is clear from survey and qualitative interview data that the principal is the primary source of influence in every area requiring decision-making by the SBDM Council (as mandated by KERA). According to qualitative interview responses, most decisions delegated to the SBDM Councils have been made before ever reaching that body. In many schools, there is an overlap in responsibilities between the school leadership teams, which may include virtually all teachers in some schools, and SBDM Councils. Thus, the work of the SBDM Council is often only symbolic in nature. In many cases, the most educationally substantive issues have been addressed long before reaching the SBDM Council. Parental involvement in schools can help promote student achievement; however, parental participation on SBDM Councils is limited and effectively weak relative to principal influence. Researchers found that principals believe that they are the driving force behind most decisions made in the school. In every area studied, the principal ranked first in influence. SBDM Councils do influence decisions made in the school, but overall, they rank second to the principal in amount of influence exerted over decision-making processes in schools. The findings suggest that the work of SBDM Councils, though largely symbolic, is valued in JCPS. Nevertheless, more than half of all principals surveyed indicated that they would eliminate SBDM Councils in their schools if possible. Negative aspects associated with SBDM Council mandates include writing redundant policies, participation in the hiring process, and parental involvement in decisions best handled by the professional staff. Researchers offer several recommendations to JCPS officials for strengthening and streamlining the work of principals and SBDM Councils. The common thread throughout these findings and recommendations reflects what has already been hypothesized in published research: leadership matters, regardless of other groups and stakeholders.
An Evaluation of Teacher and Principal Experiences During the Pilot Phase of AISD Reach, A Strategic Compensation Initiative
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-05) Burns, Susan Freeman; Gardner, Catherine Devlin; Meeuwsen, Joyce Lauren
In an effort to address issues of teacher quality, the AISD (Austin Independent School District) began implementation of AISD REACH: a Strategic Compensation Initiative in July 2007. The initiative targets three key areas: student growth, professional growth, and recruitment and retention of teachers and principals at highest needs schools. Combining an outcome-based pay for performance component based on student achievement measures with two input-based components - one for professional development and another for teaching in hard to staff schools; the district's goals for this program are: - A quality teacher in every classroom, especially in Austin's highest-needs schools; - Improved student learning at all schools and for all students; - Professional growth for teachers; and - Increased retention rates among AISD teachers and principals. ... Accordingly, this independent evaluation, which is being conducted alongside a comprehensive internal evaluation, is designed to offer feedback about teacher and principal experiences with REACH and recommendations to inform the scaling-up of the program. Our evaluation is guided by three project questions: 1.What are AISD REACH teacher attitudes toward pay for performance in general? 2.What are AISD REACH teacher attitudes toward REACH components? 3.What are teacher and principal perceptions of the implementation of AISD REACH?
Strategically Managing the Future of Lindsey Wilson College: Enhancing Market Position and Reducing Student Departure
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-05) Fowles, Gareth P.; Hayden, Joshua M.
The following research project was in response to a request by Lindsey Wilson College (LWC) for evidence-based data to inform two areas of the institution's strategic management plan. Institutional leaders are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of LWC's market position and the factors leading to high levels of first-year student departure. To meet this request, the project team conducted a mixed-methods approach using data from a variety of published and unpublished sources and administered surveys with LWC's admitted, non-enrolled students and enrolled freshmen students. Qualitative interviews with LWC's enrolled freshmen supplemented the study's quantitative data and elicited in-depth responses. A strategic marketing analysis examined LWC's market position beginning with the identification of LWC's top five competitor institutions. While LWC has primarily focused their competitive strategies on a private institution: Campbellsville University; four of Lindsey Wilson's top five competitors are public institutions. The highest percentage of Lindsey Wilson's admitted, non-enrolled students attended Western Kentucky University while Campbellsville University surfaced as the only competing private institution, attracting the third highest percentage of admitted, non-enrolled students among the top five competitor institutions. Analysis of LWC's market position was based on Kotler's (2005) customer-oriented marketing mix consisting of customer value, costs, convenience, and communications. Student perceptions were collected from LWC's admitted, non-enrolled and enrolled freshmen students using the Admitted Student Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Enrolled Student Questionnaire (ESQ) and were analyzed within the context of the institution's marketing mix. To enhance LWC's understanding of its market position, the project team used the marketing mix analysis to identify the institution's competitive marketing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. LWC's strengths lie in its ability to subsidize student attendance through institutional grants, the helpfulness of faculty and staff, and the institution's family-oriented environment. Institutional weaknesses include a high "sticker price" compared with public competitors, limited academic programs, and a lack of a definitive value proposition. Opportunities for LWC include potential for increased enrollment as a result of greater federal allocation for Pell Grants and the willingness of community organizations to form partnerships with the institution. Finally, threats lie in LWC's location in rural Adair County and the lower net cost of attendance at competing public institutions. The second part of the study focused on reducing first-year student departure. LWC's institutional leaders are concerned with the challenges associated with retaining a greater percentage of first-year students. In 2007-2008, LWC's first-year retention rate was 52.6%; well below the national first- to second-year retention rate of 67.2% for private, 4-year open access institutions (America College Testing [ACT], 2008). According to the 2007 National Survey of Student Engagement report, LWC ranked nationally among the top 10% of colleges with a "supportive campus environment" and received a high rating on the "level of academic challenge." Given these favorable results, both of which were expected to impact student departure levels, institutional leaders are in a quandary as to factors that are adversely impacting student persistence levels. A cluster analysis identified LWC's peer institutions to create a comparative context in which to examine issues of student departure. The analysis produced nine national peer institutions, including nearby Campbellsville University and the University of the Cumberlands. LWC was then compared with these institutions on characteristics related to student departure. Despite LWC's encouraging increase in retention rates over the past three years, the college's retention rates remain lower than many of its peers. An in-depth analysis of first-year student departure was divided into first- and second- semester analyses. First-semester results revealed that students with higher family income, less social affiliation, unable to make independent decisions, and have minimal interaction with faculty are at greater risk of departure. The second- semester results revealed that a student's external environment, namely parental support, is directly related to student persistence. Academic integration, rather than social integration, is directly related to student persistence. Institutional integrity is linked to both social and academic integration, while commitment of the institution to student welfare directly affects social integration and subsequent commitment to the institution. In addition, living on campus and working while enrolled, negatively impacts subsequent commitment to the institution and social integration, respectively. From the analysis of student departure at LWC and an analysis of a national sample of open-admission institutions, the project team articulated structural limitations that LWC faces in reducing student departure. In its mission to educate academically underprepared students, the size of LWC's enrollment and its commitment to fostering a nurturing environment, creates an institutional challenge to retaining students. Despite these limitations, instructional expenditures have a positive effect on increasing student persistence. The project team made 21 recommendations including the expansion and differentiation of LWC's marketing strategy to a broader audience with an emphasis on the institution's value proposition. To improve first-year student departure, LWC must engage parents and families in the academic and social environment. Academic integration serves as a vital component to reducing first-year student departure at LWC and should become a focus of Freshman Seminar courses. Institutional leaders must ensure the alignment of the college's mission, values, policies, and procedures, while demonstrating an abiding concern for the growth and development of students. Despite the challenges LWC is faced with, the college is poised for a promising future.
An Exploratory Study of Greek Life at Rhodes College
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2009-05) Gideon, Amy; Hayse, Brian; Wiley, Paul Gray
This exploratory study of Greek life was conducted in response to a request by Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where administrators are interested in learning more about fraternity and sorority life at the College. Our initial discussions with College administrators suggested that opinions about Greek life at Rhodes were decidedly mixed, and mirrored those commonly-held both in the academy and in broader society. Many indicated that fraternities and sororities play a positive role by developing student leaders, providing social bonding opportunities for members, and by offering a significant amount of student life programming to the entire student body. Others suggested that these organizations, through their behaviors, customs, and values, have detrimental effects on the academic and social development of their members, as well as harmful side-effects on non-members. Given the diversity of thought about Greek life, it was determined that student affairs administrators and the Greek organizations themselves could benefit from a better understanding of how various campus constituencies perceive Greek students and organizations and what they perceive the effects of Greek membership to be. The study specifically examines whether membership in a Greek organization enhances or diminishes student engagement and various desirable outcomes of college, and is organized around the following study questions: 1) Do perceptions differ among students, faculty, administrators, Interfraternity Council fraternities, and Panhellenic Council sororities about a) the effects of fraternity and sorority life on Greeks? b) Greek organizations and their members? 2) Do Greeks differ from Independents in a) their pre-college and demographic characteristics? b) their levels of student engagement and engagement-related behaviors? c) their college outcomes, including grade point average, graduation, educational and personal growth, and development of practical and interpersonal competencies? 3) Are there differences among Interfraternity Council fraternities or among Panhellenic Council sororities in a) their levels of student engagement and engagement-related behaviors? b) their college outcomes, including grade point average, graduation, educational and personal growth, and development of practical and interpersonal competencies? After analyzing a wealth of data provided by the College and augmented by surveys of full-time degree-seeking students, full-time faculty members, and full-time administrators in academic and student affairs, we identified several key findings. Greek students were found to be no less engaged overall than Independent students. Greek students consume alcohol with greater frequency and in larger amounts than Independents. Community service is extolled as a hallmark of Rhodes' fraternities and sororities, but we found no differences between Greeks and Independents in the amount of time they devote to it. Greeks report higher levels of growth in interpersonal and practical competencies than do Independents. Greeks relatively lower college grade point averages are not related to their membership in a fraternity or sorority. Finally, Greeks graduate at a strikingly higher rate than do Independents, even though Independents are academically better prepared upon entering College. As a result of these findings, we make several recommendations: 1. Administrators at Rhodes should sponsor a thorough qualitative investigation into the effects of Greek life at the College. 2. Administrators at Rhodes should undertake further study to better understand the extent to which Greek life pervades student life on the Rhodes campus. 3. Administrators at Rhodes should conduct a careful and thorough examination of the social engagement possibilities for Independent students. 4. Administrators at Rhodes should implement a system to monitor the unplanned departure of Independent students from the institution. 5. If it is determined that Greek life at Rhodes exerts too much institutional press or severely limits the possibilities for social engagement of Independents, administrators should consider structural mechanisms to reduce at least the appearance of Greek domination of campus culture. 6. Administrators at Rhodes should implement a system to ensure that complete and accurate information about the Greek rush and pledge process is collected, maintained, and that it can be integrated with data from the College's student information system. 7. Administrators at Rhodes should consider deferring Greek rush until the second semester. 8. Administrators at Rhodes should study carefully specific fraternities and sororities both to address troublesome findings and to better understand and propagate positive ones.
Tusculum College's Block Calendar System: Analysis of the Impact of the Block Calendar System on Retention of First-Year Tusculum College Students
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-03) Artis, Roslyn Clark; Overton, Melanie B.
Examining School-Linked Social Services: A Qualitative Study of Kentucky's Jefferson County Public Schools' (JCPS) Youth Services Centers (YSC)
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-04) De Sousa Owens, Deborah
Structuring and Sustaining Freshman Academies in the South Bend Community Schools
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-05) Farley, Scott; Podgurski, Walt
Social Integration and Characteristics of "Non-Joiners"
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-05) Adams, Todd C.; Ashford, Donna Yvette; Taylor, Aaron Nathaniel
Understanding and Using Formative Assessments: A Mixed Methods Study of "Assessment for Learning" Adoption
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-05) Altman, Parker; Fleming, Paul B.; Heyburn, Sara L.; Smrekar, Claire
James Popham, a leading figure in educational test development and criterion-referenced measurements sums up the power of formative assessment in this way: "The goal of formative assessment is to supply assessment-elicited evidence by which teachers or students try to enhance learning…Formative assessment helps students learn. It helps teachers be more instructionally effective and principals transform their schools into places where students are educated more successfully. In short, formative assessment can pay off for all those who are touched by it." (2008, p.18, 20) In an effort to promote formative assessment in Jefferson County Public Schools, during the spring of 2009 the district launched an initiative focused on the understanding and use of formative assessment. For this initiative, district leaders selected a program developed by Rick Stiggins and the Educational Testing Service called Assessment for Learning© (AfL). The pilot phase of the AfL initiative began with nine self-selected schools – five elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and the district‘s on-line ―virtual" school. In September of 2009 a team of three to five teachers and one administrator from each of the nine pilot schools attended two days of training on the AfL program conducted by Rick Stiggins and his associates. In conjunction with the pilot phase of the AfL initiative, JCPS partnered with our capstone project team to study various aspects of the pilot schools‘ experiences with the AfL program. As such, our project design is guided by four questions: What is the school culture concerning collaboration, specifically as it relates to formative assessment? How have pilot schools responded to the Assessment for Learning program at the school and classroom levels? What influence has the Assessment for Learning training had on instructional practices and attitudes at the pilot schools? What institutional and individual obstacles do teachers face in adopting Assessment for Learning? through multiple data collection efforts, including teacher/administrator surveys, interviews with pilot school principals and AfL- trained teachers, observations at pilot schools and participation in district-wide professional development sessions related to the AfL initiative. Analyses of these data revealed the following key findings: Early Stages of AfL Adoption A number of practices and strategies associated with AfL adoption are evident in our findings. These, include the following: Principal commitment to the initiative. Regular collaboration around AfL among teachers and principals. Increased instructional intentionality and more purposeful planning have become more common among AfL-trained teachers. Students and AfL-trained teachers are developing partnerships around instruction and assessment. Student engagement and motivation has increased in AfL-trained teachers‘ classrooms. Challenges to AfL Adoption: AfL is a complex program and takes time and ongoing support to implement successfully and to earn teacher buy-in. Time is a barrier to program adoption as it is difficult to find time during the school day for AfL collaboration, reflection, and training of other school staff. Some teachers and principals are concerned that district support for AfL will be short-lived. Some teachers and principals perceive a tension between expectations regarding curriculum coverage, district assessments, and the goals of AfL. Based upon these findings, we have developed several recommendations, which we believe will prove useful for future stages of the AfL initiative in JCPS. Specifically, our recommendations include the following: AfL Training. Hold AfL training sessions in the summer to allow for more focused program study and advance lesson planning that incorporates AfL strategies. Design AfL training sessions to be subject- and grade-level specific. In future training sessions, make use of AfL-trained teachers from the first AfL pilot cohort. Administrative and District Support: Ensure that school level administrators provide regular time for embedded AfL-related professional development. Encourage intentional, incremental program adoption across the district and within individual schools to increase teacher buy-in and provide time to master each AfL component. Carefully communicate how the AfL initiative aligns with district and state standards and goals to prevent a perception among teachers and principals that these are competing expectations. Maintain sufficient financial support for the AfL initiative. Foster a feedback loop among stakeholders through ongoing communication and evaluation of the AfL initiative, including measurement against characteristics of high quality professional development. The findings of this report, while limited by the capstone project‘s scope and structure, contribute to the emerging body of literature on AfL specifically, and formative assessment, professional development, and district support/role more generally.
Integrative Learning at Eastern Illinois University
(Vanderbilt University. Peabody College, 2010-05) Clark, Landon; Lucas, Conrad; Stewart, Beth

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