Creating Sustainable Reform (continued)

Newark Public Schools

Since 2002-03 the Newark, N.J., Public Schools, under Superintendent Marion A. Bolden and Assistant Superintendent Gayle Griffin, has implemented a reform initiative called Reaching for the Brass Ring. The program was established in this ethnically diverse district to bring at-risk students into the education mainstream.

The district reviewed the latest scientifically based practices and reports from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the National Reading Panel, then incorporated the best available instructional resources with the latest content pedagogy and professional practices. The district also embraced curriculum-embedded, classroom-based coaching as a mainstay for all teachers.

The district identified and put in place the materials and human resources needed to ensure successful outcomes. This included an internal monitoring team that visits classrooms to ensure the intended curriculum and system of teaching is being implemented, to survey school climate and to monitor administrative practices. The collected data become part of an educational audit that is shared with the building principal.

Joint district and state NCLB monitoring and accountability teams, called Collaborative Assessment for Planning and Achievement teams, visit schools needing improvement under federal law and provide a full assessment of operations and instruction. They then produce a two-year blueprint for instructional improvement.

To deliver additional leadership and professional development, the district began using the Instructional Leadership model in selected schools during 2005-06. Developed by the LessonLab Research Institute, this model provides an infrastructure of site-based leadership and ongoing professional development to facilitate focused discussions around student work and how teaching, learning and achievement can be improved. Thus the model has helped the district connect the dots of standards, assessments, curricula and professional development.

Everyone’s time is valued, so the time spent together outside of the classroom is focused on achieving important academic goals. A critical aspect of the Instructional Leadership model is its role in helping the district coordinate regular “familiar school settings.” For Newark, these familiar school settings include monthly principals meetings, monthly meetings of the Academic Achievement Leadership Team to set direction in improving instruction and student achievement and grade-level team meetings/department meetings at least twice per month.

Teachers in these schools meet to discuss how they teach and how they can teach better. Students are engaged, teachers are able to make decisions based on data and parents have access to information they need to actively participate in their children’s education. In Newark, the hard work of improving and sustaining high quality teaching and learning in all schools, for all students, is well under way.

Newark is seeing signs of improvement. From 2001 to 2005, 4th-grade language arts literacy achievement rose from 52 percent to 71 percent passing. Over the past five years, 4th-grade math achievement rose from 34 percent to 68 percent passing; 8th-grade language arts literacy increased from 48 percent to 57 percent passing; 8th-grade mathematics increased from 22 percent to 37 percent passing; 8th-grade science increased from 29 percent to 51 percent passing; and the percentage of students going on to college rose from 45 percent to 60 percent.

Based on New Jersey’s performance assessments, which are rated among the most rigorous in the nation, Newark is one of the fastest improving districts in the state.

Whittier City Schools

The reform movement in the Whittier, Calif., City School District began about 10 years ago under Superintendent Carmella S. Franco. The strategy entails building assessment teams at school sites, targeting teacher training and encouraging staff to analyze student data to inform decisions. Critical to the plan is the incorporation of a districtwide, standards-based curriculum to ensure essential alignments for each grade-level subject with the state standards — all tied to the adopted textbooks.

As part of the districtwide effort and in conjunction with the use of the Instructional Leadership model, the overall plan for school change focuses on improving teacher practices. Administrators, coaches and teacher leaders participate in monthly professional development activities that emphasize leadership, curriculum and learning. Regular school visits by district personnel ensure effective implementation and district and school co-accountability regarding goals and initiatives.

With the infrastructure in place, the district reached a level of sophistication where it was ready to take a close and productive look at data. A grade-level team identifies a particular student need to focus on, formulates an objective and plans instruction to address the objective. By promoting teacher leaders, school principals are able to share responsibility for the school and district goals.

Whittier is experiencing improvement. In 2005, 10 of the district’s 12 schools met the state-mandated improvement targets on California’s Academic Performance Index compared with only 68 percent of schools statewide. The average score in the district was 701, representing an increase of 78 points during the past five years. In addition, 75 percent of Whittier City Schools increased their API scores by 100 points or more over a five-year period, and two Whittier City Schools, on the basis of their major improvement, were eligible to apply for California Distinguished School status for the 2005-06 school year. Nine schools made adequate yearly progress in 2005.