Challenges of Conflicting School Reforms Effects of New American Schools in a High-Poverty District 2002

by Berends, Mark; Chun, Joan; Schuyler, Gina; Stockly, Sue; Briggs, R. J.

• ISBN13: 9780833031167
• ISBN10: 0833031163
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-12
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

A decade ago, New American Schools (NAS) launched an ambitious effort for whole-school reform to address the perceived lagging achievement of American students and the lackluster school reform attempts that have produced so few meaningful changes. RAND assessed the effects of NAS designs on classroom practice and student achievement in a sample of schools in a high-poverty district. It found that while high-stakes tests may motivate these schools to increase performance, they may also provide disincentives to adopt richer, more in-depth curricula that could improve students' learning opportunities.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures	p. xiii
Tables	p. xv
Summary	p. xvii
Acknowledgments	p. xxix
Acronyms	p. xxxi
New American Schools' Ambitions for Changing High-Poverty Classrooms	p. 1
Scaling Up NAS Design Teams	p. 1
Relationship of NAS to Federal Support for Schoolwide Change	p. 4
Purpose and Study Questions	p. 5
Study Design	p. 6
Understanding the Relationships Among NAS Designs, Classroom Instruction, and Student Achievement	p. 8
Core Elements of Designs	p. 10
Student Characteristics	p. 11
Teacher Characteristics	p. 11
School and Classroom Characteristics	p. 12
District/State Context	p. 13
External Assistance by Design Teams	p. 15
Organization of Report	p. 16
Sources of Data	p. 17
Teacher Data	p. 20
Surveys	p. 23
Longitudinal Sample of 40 Teachers Compared with Elementary Teachers in District	p. 24
Observations and Logs of Instructional Activities	p. 25
Interviews	p. 26
Student Data	p. 26
Student Achievement	p. 26
Student Characteristics	p. 27
Examples of Student Work	p. 27
Caveat	p. 28
The District Context for Implementation of New American Schools' Designs in San Antonio	p. 29
District Context Before the New, Reform-Minded Superintendent	p. 30
Instructional Leadership	p. 30
Curriculum and Instruction	p. 31
Professional Development	p. 32
Parent and Community Involvement	p. 33
District Reorganization	p. 33
Instructional Leadership at the District Level	p. 34
Instructional Leadership at the School Level	p. 35
Collaboration and Communication	p. 36
Curriculum and Instruction	p. 37
Professional Development	p. 39
Parent and Community Involvement	p. 40
New American Schools in San Antonio	p. 41
The Introduction of NAS Designs to Schools	p. 42
The District's Role in Supporting Comprehensive School Reform	p. 43
Impact of Increasing State Accountability	p. 45
Summary	p. 46
Implementation of New American Schools Within A System of High-Stakes Accountability	p. 49
NAS Designs Provided Assistance to Challenging Schools	p. 50
Pressures to Improve State Test Scores	p. 53
Adoption of Designs	p. 58
District Assistance for Design Implementation	p. 61
Professional Development	p. 62
Design Team Assistance	p. 62
Training by Design Teams	p. 63
District Training and Professional Development	p. 65
Principal Leadership	p. 67
Teacher Collaboration	p. 70
Teacher Support for the NAS Designs	p. 73
Classrooms Implementing Nas Designs in A Reform-Minded District	p. 77
District Restructuring of the Curriculum	p. 78
Mathematics	p. 78
Reading and Language Arts	p. 80
Classroom Organization	p. 83
Class Size	p. 83
Grouping Practices	p. 84
Instructional Practices	p. 87
Conventional Instructional Practices	p. 87
Reform-Like Instructional Practices	p. 89
Use of Assessments	p. 93
Use of Instructional Materials	p. 96
Examples of Student Work	p. 98
Use of Technology for Instructional Purposes	p. 101
Teacher-Reported Effects of Reform	p. 103
Teacher Reports of NAS Design Effects on Teaching and Learning	p. 103
Overarching Themes	p. 106
Effects of Instructional Conditions on Student Achievement	p. 113
District-Level Data and Dependent Variables	p. 115
Operationalizing the Independent Variables	p. 116
Student Characteristics	p. 116
Teacher Background and Classroom Characteristics	p. 117
School Characteristics	p. 118
Student Achievement in San Antonio: Multilevel Analysis	p. 119
Analysis of the District Sample	p. 119
Multivariate Results for San Antonio	p. 122
Student-Level Effects	p. 122
Teacher- and Classroom-Level Effects	p. 124
School-Level Effects	p. 125
Goodness of Fit	p. 126
RAND's Survey Sample Data and Dependent Variables	p. 127
Additional Independent Variables from the Teacher Survey	p. 128
Multilevel Analysis in the Survey Sample	p. 129
Analysis of the Survey Sample	p. 130
Multilevel Results for the Survey Sample	p. 130
Summary	p. 133
Implications for School Improvement in High-Poverty Settings	p. 135
Toward Better Educational Policy	p. 136
Specificity	p. 137
Power	p. 138
Authority	p. 138
Coherence and Alignment	p. 139
Stability	p. 140
School Leadership	p. 141
Support for Schoolwide Reform	p. 142
Appendix
Multilevel Models Used to Examine Relationships Among Classroom Conditions and Student Achievement	p. 145
Multilevel Results for the Relationships of 1998 Test Scores to Student, Classroom, and School Factors in Fourth Grade Sample	p. 151
Bibliography	p. 155
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Excerpts

New American Schools (NAS) offers whole-school designs for schools and districts seeking to significantly raise the achievement of large numbers of students; RAND evaluated NAS reforms effects on students and teachers in high-poverty schools.