Is ELearning For Teachers One Answer to School Reform?

School leaders face many challenges in today's education environment. As school districts are just coming to grips with the accountability components of No Child Left Behind, our new administration promises to create even more requirements for public schools. Meanwhile the realities of improving student achievement remain as prevalent and underfunded as before. School superintendents and school principals do admirable jobs pursuing school reform and keeping up with the needs of their teachers and students, however with their lack of resources and changing federal expectations, this challenge can appear overwhelming.

One component of effective school improvement and reform is teacher professional development. Oftentimes schools need to completely overhaul a curriculum based on declines in student achievement necessitating costly and time-consuming training. Other times, curriculum directors are forced to train and retrain on existing curriculum due to the inconsistency of its application in the classroom. And each year, many teachers are new to the profession and need significant training above and beyond what they receive in their teacher college programs. These realities require school districts to invest heavily in the continuing education of teachers. Indeed this is one of the most important components of any school reform program.

New research introducing innovative teacher techniques and facts about how and why students learn are another factor driving the incessant need for teacher training. Most educators are so driven to see their student succeed that they are prone to lack of focus. With so many teaching and learning approaches, how are educational leaders to choose? The research-based requirements of No Child Left Behind have helped provide a high bar for new initiatives to achieve prior to serious consideration. But even so, superintendents and curriculum directors need to maintain a razor-like focus on their own district improvement plan as they select from these educational best practices. Each new practice can only be successful if properly deployed to the teaching staff with an appropriate focus on teacher training.

Once selected, deploying these best practices into America's classrooms is difficult for any number of reasons. The cost associated with deployment can be prohibitive. Education consultants brought in to teach typically require high daily rates and associated travel expenses. And even internally taught classes require pulling teachers from classrooms resulting in the expense of substitute teachers and loss of teaching time. Even the best intended professional development plans often end up with inconsistent implementation. It is not uncommon to see two teachers, who attend the same class, implementing (or not implementing) very different versions of what is supposedly the same methodology.

School districts use job-embedded staff development and rely on full time internal coaches to help deal with some of these issues. While this is routinely effective, school districts are still constrained with how much change the system can absorb. And, like it or not, oftentimes successful school reform centers around how much change a school district can enable in a relatively short amount of time.

One solution to help work within the constraints of teacher schedules and school district budgets is more online delivery of teacher professional development. The case for online delivery is as compelling for teacher training as it is for supplemental or primary student teaching. The schedule issues are greatly reduced as technology relieves us of the requirement of getting all participants in a room. Technology also allows us to extend the class size as appropriate. Whereas a classroom-led training session is difficult when done in large groups, it is not necessarily so for online teaching. The facilitation of conversation can, in some instances, be of a much higher quality with online platforms as participants are - depending on class format - allowed to chime in with the benefit of more time and more contemplation versus a live classroom.

The reason for why online learning hasn't been more prevalent are diminishing rapidly. Until now, schools and school districts suffered from a lack of online content that was tailored toward their specific needs. Now content is becoming increasingly easy to generate bringing development costs down significantly. Previously online content was static or not engaging (or very expensive if it was) but, again, with technology advances, the cost of engaging content is accessible to all districts even for internally generated course content. And given the availability and capability of ready-made learning management systems, the ability of participants to easily and productively interact is automatically enabled - all at a fraction of the cost required just a few years ago.

One technology that has made this happen is Moodle (www.moodle.org). Moodle is an open source learning management systems that can be easily and quickly deployed to address the specific needs of staff developers. Because Moodle is open-source there is no cost associated with purchasing the software. And as with many open-source platforms, there is an extensive developer network with whom to borrow and share ideas and modification.

Moodle has most, if not all, of the capabilities required of a learning management system. It is easy to implement and can be managed easily from a robust administrative back-end interface. The emphasis was to develop a secure and easy-to-manage system that did not require technical management. The course components allow for unlimited numbers of classes. Classes can utilize a range of activities including forums, quizzes, glossaries, resources, choices, surveys, assignments, chats, and workshops. The system supports and facilitates collaboration across the learning community as defined by the system user and administrators.

While the core software is certainly compelling, what makes Moodle so interesting is the user and developer communities that support the platform. Add-on modules include everything from the ability to integrate social networking platforms into your Moodle platform to the ability to seamlessly include and publish podcasts into your lessons. These add-ons are also available under the GNU General Public License which means they are also free to use and modify.

To be sure, there are many learning management systems available beyond Moodle. Most have a significantly higher cost to license and to develop. That said, in some cases these other platforms may be better suited to the needs of the individual school or school district. Regardless of the platform, online delivery of teacher training is a cost-effective solution that should be part of any professional development program.

Scott Wallace is the Executive Director of the National Center for School Leadership. To learn more about their services and how they can help you implement a Moodle-enabled Learning Management System, visit their website at http://www.ncfsl.org
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The Good News and Bad News about Arizona Schools

The school year has officially begun across Arizona and the rest of the country. Discussion topics have shifted from vacations and summer camp to homework and new teachers. Parents have suddenly found new enthusiasm for carefully comparing notes on everything from math curriculum to testing policies. Parents agonize at length about whether their child's teacher is the best match to the needs of their children. No detail regarding the school, teacher or curriculum is left unanalyzed. We explain to anyone who will hear how great our school is and what a wonderful experience our children are receiving.

In my years working with schools, I have observed this “new school year” phenomenon with much interest. It seems that all parents believe that their school is above average virtually without exceptions. When I have conducted focus groups with parents in inner cities, they too exhibit a high degree of satisfaction in their local school as do parents from affluent suburbs. It seems that even the average school is, surprisingly, above average.

In most states the issue of which school is best is somewhat, well, academic. Unless you are willing to move or go to a private school, your school is your school. However in Arizona this is not the case. Arizona provides open enrollment (on a space available basis) to all of its schools. If you are willing to provide transportation, you have the opportunity to send your child anywhere you like to receive a public education.

This level of competition among schools was designed to improve schools. The thought being that if our enrollment (and thus our survival as a school) depended upon meeting the needs of students, then educators would work harder at meeting the needs of students. Opinions regarding the impact of this are, of course, mixed. But the general consensus is that more choice is better than less and so the system remains largely popular.

Since school choice in Arizona seems unlikely to go away it becomes much more that a measuring tool to determine which schools are best. Presumably many parents would drive 5 minutes (or even 10) past their current school in order to have their children attend a much better school. and in practice, many parents do. But on what basis? Parents often tell me that it “felt” right or that it just "seemed to click". Other conduct bonafide research on the internet reviewing school rating website. My own decision making required a somewhat more rigorous approach including (though not limited to) discussions with key staff and teachers, school walk-thru’s and classroom observations.

To provide a bit of objective information to assist prospective “school shoppers” in the Arizona “market”, we compiled a quick analysis of Arizona’s best schools. The list below represents the best 25 schools in Arizona among those with over 200 students. The results are based on the average Spring 2009 Terra Nova scores across all grade levels within a given school.

BASIS Scottsdale
Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies
University High School
BASIS Tucson
Gilbert Classical Academy Jr.
Arizona School For The Arts
Great Hearts Academies - Chandler Prep
Great Hearts Academies - Veritas Prep
Self Development Charter School
Cambridge Academy East
Tempe Preparatory Academy
GPS Traditional Academy
Cheyenne Traditional Elementary School
Great Heart Academies - Scottsdale Prep
Hamilton Prep
Keystone Montessori Charter School
Bright Beginnings School #1
Kyrene Altadena Middle School
Esperero Canyon Middle School
McDowell Mountain Elementary School
Orange Grove Middle School
Foothills Academy
Quartz Hill Elementary
Valley Academy
Cochise Elementary School

This list of the top 25 schools in Arizona contains a number of charter schools and traditional schools. We congratulate each of them as they represent the top 2% of Arizona schools. What follows in this article is not meant to detract from their accomplishments.

The Bad News About Arizona Schools

Arizona ranks 48th out of 51 (include the District of Columbia) in terms of per pupil expenditures. I am shocked that when I discuss this fact with parents they have no idea that this is the case. The State of Arizona simply does not provide its schools with as much monetary resources as other states provide to their schools. Is this reflective of a fiscally conservative voting electorate? I suppose it. More importantly, does the introduction of school choice and reliance on charter schools overcome this funding gap?

In an effort to explore this topic, one simply needs to take the next step in the analysis. The above list represents the top 2% of schools in Arizona. These results are based on the Terra Nova test which is a nationally normed test. How did this group of schools fare when compared with schools nationally? The answer is that they did fairly well. As a group they scored at the 85% percentile. Pretty good right? But wait. Shouldn’t they, all else being equal, score at the 98% or 99% percentile? Yes, but that would suppose that they were in the top 2% nationally. Unfortunately the top 2% in Arizona only equates to being at the 85th percentile nationally.

To explore the numbers further we broadened the scope of the "top school analysis" to encompass the entire top decile (in terms of Terra Nova test score performance) of Arizona schools. The top 140 schools, representing the top decile of school in Arizona scored, on average, at the 77th percentile nationally. Thus while this group of top schools scored on average at the 95th percentile within the state, they were only able to attain the 77th percential nationally. This represents an 18% gap on state-vs-national percentile ranking. This is even worse than the 13% gap represented by the top 2% of Arizona schools.

It is difficult to look at these very straightforward numbers and easily dismiss the issue of public education in Arizona. To be sure, this analysis does not represent an exhaustive review of educational issues in Arizona. But I suspect that the issues that Arizona has are very similar to the issues in other states. Despite this apparent relationship between funding and poor national test scores, I am not saying to throw money at the problem nor am I suggesting that the reasons are easily understood or addressed. But when your top schools cannot break into the top decile nationally, I think there’s a problem worth exploring.

School Turnaround: Does it take an outsider?

School turnaround experts are becoming ever more popular in certain parts of the country. A recent NPR report on the use of Turnaround for Children in the Bronx provides an interesting overview on the situation creating this need as well as some insight into their approach.

The keys to success are clear (especially when studied in hindsight):

• Focus on behavior. Don't allow classrooms to be disrupted. Learning does not happen when behavior problems arise. Teach teachers how to deal with these issues quickly and effectively. Ensure that school administrators do their best to support teachers.
• Separate academic issues from social / emotional issues. Schools must be able to sort through the issues and directly address the most significant issues first. Doctors call this triage. Do not try to do it all at once. Focus on where you will get the best return on your time.
• Individualize needs of students. This may be the most difficult part especially for large urban schools. Different students, different families have vastly different needs. Some have money problems, others have logistical issues. For some there are large cultural and language barriers. Understand this up front and focus on getting these students and families matched with the resources that can help. Quickly.
• Do it with existing staff. There are not enough quailified teachers. Period. Most schools and school districts do not have the luxury of replacing staff en masse. And while some may disagree, I content that most teachers are in it for the right reason. Focus on getting rid of the few bad apples if you need to. But work with the staff you've got.

So, if it is so straightforward (and let me assure you, in most cases it is), why do we need outsiders to do it for us? Or do we? There are some reasons for and against and I understand the emotionally charged nature of this topic. But I will offer an opinion: We need outsiders to do the work. Period.

In fact, schools use outsiders (by the classic definition) all the time. A school in need usually gets a new principal. He or she is - for the first two years anyway - effectively an outsider. They come in with few sacred cows or internal political issues. Their agenda is simple: do a good job as measured by student performance. Unfortunately a few things happen along the way that derail these efforts.

First, a new principal may be just that: a new principal. A school in need of turnaround is rarely a great environment for a first year principal. While some new principals are more afraid of following a great principal (perhaps rightly so though for different reasons), entering the treacherous water of a school in need is no place to learn.

Second, the district agenda and biases are still in play. A principal, though new to the school or even the district, is still subjected to many of the same machinations of the school district that the last principal was. This may be good though oftentimes it means business as usually. For turnaround situations, the status quo is rarely a positive.

Third, even experienced principals might lack the experience or the approach of a turnaround expert. Let us be honest. Turning a school around requires a certain stubborness, a thickness of skin, but also a perspective and approach that only comes from experience. Unfortunately most great principals I know end up at the central office never to return to school leadership. And so few principals, even great ones, have a full depth and breadth of experience in turning schools around.

So of course, bringing in a new principal is not the same as bringing in a true outsider. A true outsider would be unfettered from the cultural bonds that restrict his or her ability to make change. They are not worried about the perceptions of staff beyond the immediate term. They have the breadth and depth of experience. But not all of these will play as advantages either.

A lack of connection with the community will be felt by anyone who is clearly there on a temporary basis. And staff and students will feel this as well. As while turnaround organizations clearly have some resources and expertise to leverage, no two situations are exactly alike. These factors need be considered as well.

The best approach may be simply a blend of internal leadership talent supplemented by outside expertise. And regardless of whether an outsider is used or not their lessons can be applied to all: Focus on the areas where you can improve school effectiveness by the largest margin.