The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement

222 Pages·2005·0.71 MB·English

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The Role of Districts in
Fostering Instructional
Improvement
Lessons from Three Urban Districts
Partnered with the Institute for Learning
Julie A. Marsh, Kerri A. Kerr, Gina S. Ikemoto, Hilary Darilek,
Marika Suttorp, Ron W. Zimmer, Heather Barney
Supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The research described in this report was conducted within RAND
Education and supported by The William and Flora Hewlett
Foundation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The role of districts in fostering instructional improvement : lessons from three urban
districts partnered with the Institute for Learning / Julie A. Marsh ... [et al.].
p. cm.
“MG-361.”
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8330-3853-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. School improvement programs—United States—Case studies. 2. Instructional
systems—United States—Case studies. 3. School districts—United States—Case
studies. 4. Educational change—United States—Case studies. I. Marsh, Julie A. II.
Institute for Learning.
LB2822.82.R64 2005
379.1'5350973—dc22
2005025509
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Preface
The current high-stakes accountability environment brought on by
the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) places great pressure
on school districts to demonstrate success by meeting yearly progress
goals for student achievement and eventually demonstrating that all
students achieve at high standards. In particular, many urban school
districts—with their high-poverty and low-achieving student popula-
tion and constraints due to insufficient human, physical, and finan-
cial resources and high rates of turnover in school and district
staff—face great challenges in meeting these goals.
In fall 2002, the RAND Corporation initiated a study to analyze
three urban districts’ efforts to face these challenges and improve the
instructional quality and performance of their schools. The study also
sought to assess the contribution to these efforts made by an interme-
diary organization, the Institute for Learning (IFL). We closely ex-
amined district reform efforts in four areas: promoting the
instructional leadership of principals; supporting the professional
learning of teachers, in particular through school-based coaching
models; specifying curriculum; and promoting data-based decision-
making for planning and instructional improvement. We also exam-
ined the impact of the IFL on these instructional improvement
efforts.
This monograph presents findings from that three-year study. It
describes the districts’ work in each area of reform, identifies com-
mon constraints and enablers of district success, assesses the nature
iii
iv The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement
and impact of district-intermediary partnerships, and makes recom-
mendations for districts undertaking similar instructional reforms.
The report should interest policymakers, researchers, and practi-
tioners involved in designing, implementing, assisting, or studying
school districts’ efforts to improve the instructional quality and per-
formance of all schools.
This research was undertaken within RAND Education, a unit
of the RAND Corporation. Funding to carry out the work was pro-
vided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Dedication
We dedicate this report to the memory of RAND’s Tom Glennan, a
dear colleague, friend, and mentor to all of us involved in this study.
Tom initiated this research out of a profound commitment to better
understanding and supporting the work of urban school districts.
v
Contents
Preface ...................................................................... iii
Dedication ...................................................................v
Figures .....................................................................xiii
Tables.......................................................................xv
Summary.................................................................. xvii
Acknowledgments ....................................................... xxvii
Abbreviations .............................................................xxix
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction .................................................................1
Study Purpose................................................................3
Methodology.................................................................4
Organization of the Report ..................................................5
CHAPTER TWO
Research Background, Framework, and Methods..........................7
What We Know from Prior Research .......................................7
School Districts and Instructional Improvement .........................7
Intermediary Organizations and District Reform ........................9
Conceptual Framework.................................................... 11
Methods.................................................................... 17
Sample .................................................................. 18
Data Sources ............................................................ 18
vii
viii The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement
Data Analysis............................................................ 22
Study Limitations ....................................................... 22
Formative Feedback........................................................ 23
CHAPTER THREE
Setting the Stage: Overview of Study Districts and the IFL ............. 25
The Three Study Districts: Characteristics and Context .................. 25
Institute for Learning: Background and History .......................... 27
Stage One: Early History and Evolution ............................... 27
Stage Two: Shift to On-Site Support and Articulated Notions of
High-Performing Districts........................................... 29
Current Status and Scope of IFL Work ................................ 30
IFL-District Partnerships in the Case Study Districts ..................... 32
Monroe ................................................................. 33
Roosevelt................................................................ 34
Jefferson................................................................. 35
Summary................................................................... 36
CHAPTER FOUR
District Strategies to Improve Instruction: Implementation and
Outcomes ............................................................. 39
Principals’ Instructional Leadership ....................................... 40
Consistent Emphasis on Professional Development and Supervision
of Principals.......................................................... 41
Greater Alignment of District Actions in Monroe
and Roosevelt ........................................................ 43
Principals Varied in Degree of Reported Instructional Leadership
Actions ............................................................... 43
Factors Affecting District Efforts to Support Principals’ Instructional
Leadership............................................................ 45
IFL’s Role in Supporting Instructional Leadership Was Consistent
and Strong ........................................................... 49
School-Based Coaches to Support the Professional Learning
of Teachers........................................................... 50
Districts Implemented Different Coaching Models: Curriculum-
Versus School-Centered Approaches ................................ 51