Improving School Performance
Briefs and Reports
Research over the past 30 years has found that effective principals can significantly improve various components of student achievement and learning. In addition, there are few examples of improving student achievement that were not led by an effective principal. Research has also identified the need for the change to be systemic or comprehensive in the school turnaround process to ensure sustainability. Along with a systemic improvement process, Duke (2006), identifies 10 “essential” school components for the turnaround principal’s focus and action as keys to sustained success for the benefit of all students. This briefing paper addresses the essential competencies and actions of the turnaround principal.
This resource was produced in response to a request from a state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) at SEDL that requested information regarding teacher shortages, specifically merit pay, compensation strategies, and other actions taken or under consideration by SDEs to address this issue.
The literature on teacher preparation programs in the United States is extensive. However, there is limited scientifically based research on what kind of program produces effective teachers; rather, the literature consists mostly of calls for change in teacher preparation programs. Almost all experts agree that major changes are needed in these programs, with the emphasis being to produce teachers who are effective in enhancing student learning.
This paper reports evidence-based research and offers suggestions based on studies that include theoretical work, qualitative analysis, statistical analysis, and randomized experience that could provide strong causal evidence of the effects of teacher preparation on student learning.
States are carefully reviewing their teacher evaluation systems to make them more meaningful and comprehensive by including multiple measures. This paper looks at one of those multiple measures—the use of student perceptual data to inform a performance-based teacher evaluation.
This brief examines how rural districts and schools can integrate the unique attributes and resources found in rural communities into improvement efforts to promote the transformation of low-performing schools.
This briefing paper provides details on the meaning of college- and career-readiness standards, effective implementation of these standards, next steps in the implementation process, and progress being made by state departments of education in the Southeast toward this crucial goal.
This brief examines the complex issue of the impact of class time lengths on student achievement, with a focus on the school year, school day, and how classroom time is spent.
A state department of education served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center requested information on flex quarter schedules and extended school years, specifically strategies, strengths and weaknesses, and examples of states that have implemented these initiatives.
In this edition of the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) eBulletin we highlight school readiness, how early experiences matter, the role of preschool in supporting
readiness, and state and local efforts to implement recommendations from the National Governors Association (NGA).
This brief addresses the question: What research or promising practices should an individual district or a cooperative among several districts consider with regard to the establishment of an alternative high school in a rural area?
This brief was developed by SEDL's Texas Comprehensive Center to answer the question, "What strategies can be implemented to aid students and their parents in the transition from eighth grade into high school?" The transition from eighth grade to high school results in a higher drop-out rate and more grade retentions than any other grade. However, when districts and schools develop and implement a sound transition program, the outcomes for ninth graders are improved.
A state department of education asked what do other states require for adult education add-on certification for teachers, specifically credit requirements (required and electives), with a focus on reading credit requirements? In response to this request, staff queried a number of education research and dissemination organizations to obtain information on adult education certification requirements and electives.
This resource was developed in response to a request from a state departments of education in the Southeast Comprehensive Center’s region that had started the process of working on a takeover plan and wanted to compile research from other states in the area of school and district takeover. The requestor was interested in the development of a white paper on this process thus far in other states, to provide possible direction for its state.
This resource was produced in response to a request from a state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) that requested information on whether or not other states have uniform grading practices (grading policies and grading scales), and if so, what types of grading scales are used (e.g., 90–100=A, 80–89=B, etc.). In response to this request, SECC staff conducted searches for information on uniform grading practices by reviewing SDE Web sites and education-based resources. They also contacted state department staff and educational research and dissemination organizations for additional information.
A state department of education requested information on research-based resources related to successful transition activities and strategies for middle grades. Specifically, what can be done in middle grades to better prepare students for the high school experience? The focus is on transition activities related to 1) social needs, 2) academic needs, 3) organizational and logistical processes as well as communication between teachers and students and between the school and parents.
This resource was produced in response to a request from a state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC). The SDE requested information on Web-based state data systems that can generate customized reports for stakeholders for analyzing student and school performance. The SDE also would like to identify any states that have Web-based data systems that guide school improvement planning through the retrieval of school data; multiyear, disaggregated student assessment data; and suggested resources for addressing areas in need of improvement. The requester is particularly interested in obtaining access to view other data systems, such as those in the states of Massachusetts and Iowa.
This resource was developed in response to a request: "A state department of education (SDE) served by the Southeast Comprehensive Center has requested that the SECC identify successful U.S. high schools that focus more on technical rather than traditional academic subjects. Also, the SDE would like information on the following: 1. Do these schools require Carnegie units? How are technical courses coded if Carnegie units are awarded? 2. How is credit given for technical job-training classes? 3. What types of terminal degrees are offered at these schools?
This resource was produced in response to a request: "A state department of education would like information on how states are educating overage students who may be at least two grades behind and are at risk of dropping out of high school. In particular, some districts want to enroll students with their age group, in an alternative setting, or in a vocational program."
This paper was produced by SEDL’s Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) in response to a request for information about how many states are allowing high school students who complete the General Educational Development (GED) tests to receive a high school diploma instead of a GED, thereby increasing the high school graduation rates.
This resources was developed in response to a request: "Have any states received permission from the United States Department of Education (USDE) to include general equivalency diploma (GED) recipients in their graduation rate calculations for adequate yearly progress (AYP)? If so, can the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) obtain copies of these states’ applications?"
This resource was produced in response to a request: "How are states across the nation using project-based learning (PBL)? Has PBL been implemented in elementary, middle, and high schools? If so, when was it implemented, and what results have schools and districts experienced?" In response to this request, the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) queried several state departments of education as well as the REL Southeast at the SERVE Center, the National High School Center, and the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) to obtain information on the use of PBL in schools nationwide.
This resource was produced in response to a request: "What are the pros and cons of 6-week and 9-week marking periods?" In response to this request, the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) queried numerous organizations by e-mail and telephone. The SECC also used several Web search engines to obtain information on school grading (marking) periods. The results are provided along with references and resources that may provide additional information on this topic.
SEDL's Southeast Comprehensive Center developed this resource in response to a request from a state department of education for the following information about Response to Intervention practices: For Tiers II and III, what does the research indicate about pupil/teacher ratios for optimal or maximum small group instruction? Do small group size numbers change with grade levels? What does the research indicate about intervention effectiveness beyond implementation fidelity—group size, minutes per day, and days per week?
SEDL's Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) developed this resource in response to a request: "Do other states in the southeastern region have written policies regarding Response to Intervention and how do those states inform parents of the process?" In response, the SECC queried several state departments of education to obtain the requested information.
This resource was produced in response to a request: "Are there states that have had success in improving achievement at high-needs schools? What strategies have been successful?" In response to this request, the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) queried numerous organizations by e-mail and telephone. The SECC also used several Web search engines to obtain information on strategies for improving achievement in high-needs schools. The results are provided along with references and resources that may provide additional information on this topic.
This resource was created in response to a request: "What research is available on summative teacher evaluation, specifically how long an observation should be conducted and how many are required for validity? What exists in other states?" In response to this request, the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) queried state departments of education (SDEs) and other organizations throughout the U.S. by e-mail and telephone. The SECC also searched numerous Web sites that focus on teacher quality, teacher evaluation, and professional development. This report contains a synopsis of the findings on summative evaluation, a table of the information obtained from contacts and Web sites, and descriptions of resources and references that provide additional information on teacher evaluation processes, tools, and programs.
The professional teaching and learning cycle (PTLC) is a professional development process in which teachers collaboratively plan and implement lessons aligned to state standards. PTLC is a critical component of the Working Systemically approach that directly impacts classroom instruction and student learning.
SEDL examined teacher salaries in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas to determine whether teacher pay is related to teacher qualifications, school characteristics, and student achievement. This issue of Insights presents results from that research and provides guidance for policymakers on paying teachers to support new accountability goals.
With the growing federal, state, and local policy emphasis on teacher quality and student achievement, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) investigated teacher resources and their relationship to student achievement in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The purpose of this study was to provide policymakers with information about the relationship between teacher salary, experience, and education, and the relationship between these teacher resources and student achievement, particularly in high-need schools.
In this issue of Insights, SEDL investigated state education data in four states to determine whether research can be conducted to find answers to education resource and student performance policy questions. This issue highlights study findings that policymakers will find informative in efforts to meet standards and data effectively.
In this report, SEDL researchers investigate data collected and managed by state education agencies to determine whether new research can be conducted to support policy questions about education resources and student performance.
In this issue of Insights, SEDL invited Jennifer King Rice, Ph.D. to share her best-fit decision making approach to improving teacher resources. This issue describes her model and provides guidance on its use.
In December, 2000, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) a 5-year research and development (R&D) contract to develop and refine a systemic model to improve student achievement in reading or mathematics in low-performing districts and schools. The Working Systemically model is based on the premise that student achievement will improve as districts and schools build their capacity to work systemically. This report describes 2003-2004 school year activities taken to implement the model in a sample of sites in the southwest region; reports on the districts' and schools' progress to align their curriculum, instruction, and assessment with state standards (one critical aspect of working systemically); and presents preliminary student achievement data for the sites.
Small, rural schools will likely continue to educate significant portions of students in the U.S. while facing the challenges of limited resources, isolation, declining enrollments, aging facilities, limited curricula, and diminishing political influence. These challenges prompted the question of whether small, rural schools could benefit from CSR grants. The study addressed two major objectives. Will small, rural schools be able to utilize additional funds to adopt and implement a comprehensive school improvement effort? If these small, rural schools are able to garner the additional resources and implement a comprehensive school reform model, will such efforts positively impact student learning?
Perhaps the most visible school finance issue today is adequacy. Defined as the provision of adequate resources to enable all children to meet a stateÕs proficiency standards, school finance adequacy is being addressed in some way in almost every state, especially since the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has upped the ante with its Adequate Yearly Progress provisions. At the same time, most states and districts are facing reduced revenue growth and tighter budgets. State governments in particular feel this pinch because in recent years they have assumed increased fiscal responsibility for funding education. In this issue, we discuss how adequacy can be determined and the challenges it presents to policymakers.
This research study investigated the relationship between resource allocation and student performance.
To determine whether isolated and small rural schools could fully participate in the Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) program, the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) conducted a follow-up CSR study in Fall 2002 and its predecessor study (Carlson, 2000). The follow-up study focused on the same five rural schools featured in the predecessor study to learn the degree to which they were able to fully implement their CSR programs over the three-year period of their respective grants.
Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs were implemented in 1998 in five states working with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL). SEDL's five-state region includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. This study examined the implementation status of CSR programs since funding ended. Two hundred and sixty-eight surveys were distributed to schools that received CSR funding. In addition, on-site visits were conducted to a sample of school in each state. School and student performance, as available, was also examined.
This study examines the following four aspects of the Comprehensive School Reform programs:
- Student performance
- Program components still in place
- Factors contributing to program continuation
- Information on the model provider
For more information on Comprehensive School Reform (CSR), please visit:
Allocating resources is one of the toughest tasks a policymaker faces. To make the most of the education dollars in hand, state and local leaders want to concentrate spending where it will have the greatest impact on student achievement. Recent studies show that it is not that simple. For the first time, research is beginning to shed light on these critical gaps, and our study helps illuminate resource allocation issues in the Southwest.
A report of the findings based on analyses of more than 260 interviews with teachers, administrators, parents, and other staff and field notes of SEDL coordinators who worked with the districts.
This paper provides a report of the field sites identified by SEDL for its school improvement work across the five-state region of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas during 2000-2005. SEDL developed a scope of work with these sites that responded to the U.S. Department of Education's request for proposals to "transform low-performing schools into high-performing learning communities." The first section of the paper is a brief commentary about the preparation that SEDL undertook for identifying the districts within the five states, and the criteria for the selection of sites. A second section gives a brief account of the experiences of SEDL in recruiting the sites and its entry and planned work in the sites. The third section identifies and describes the sites in which SEDL is working, and the status of the work at each of the sites at the end of FY01; this section is the major focus of this report.
This paper helps educational leaders in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas understand the main law changes and the current situation in these states concerning new provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.
This publication summarizes formal state plans to improve low-performing schools.
This policy brief introduces state policymakers to information about current practice and research on education resource allocation and heightens awareness of the issues and concerns regarding this topic.
This publication reports one aspect of a national study focusing on the concept and development of Co-Developers in the Creating Communities of Continuous Inquiry and Improvement (CCCII) project at Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL).
This publication, coupled with current nationwide interest in encouraging schools to adopt comprehensive reform strategies or programs, urgently communicates the need for school improvement.
This briefing paper identifies themes that describe actions taken at schools to develop professional learning communities.
This paper contains research on teacher mentoring programs as a strategy to address beginning teacher quality and retention.
This publication is a collection of stories written by the co-developers who worked with SEDL in assisting schools to create professional learning communities in a sample of schools.
This report examines the relationship between philanthropy and public schools in five states — Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas — that comprise the "Southwestern Region" served by Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) under its federal contract as a Regional Educational Laboratory.
This publication documents what kinds of support teachers need and to develop strategies, tools, activities, and resources to support teacher growth.
This paper describes the history and progress of education in Texas and how various factors influence teaching in the state.
This report summarizes research on resource allocation and student performance conducted in school districts across Texas.
This paper reviews some of the assumptions, tensions, and lessons in the current accountability movement as well as the progress states in the region have made in implementing their accountability policies.
This publication addresses changing the school environment from a reactive atmosphere to a reflective one to support the teachers' personal growth.
This paper reviews the status of publicly funded voucher programs in the United States, discusses some of the issues shaping the movement, and examines research about some of the most common questions posed by public voucher programs. I
This briefing paper discusses the experiences of SEDL staff as they worked with partner schools during the first and second year of implementing a school improvement plan.
This paper discusses how to use an instrument to assess how well a school staff functions as a team and works collegially so that students might become more successful learners.
This paper discusses how three principals have increased staff capacity by developing professional development relationships with their staffs and encouraged their participation in the decision-making process.
This paper describes the history and progress of education in Louisiana and how various factors influence teaching in the state, including educational reform initiatives in Louisiana and changes in critical policies.
This briefing paper discusses strategies and approaches a school staff can use to develop a collegial organization, as illustrated by the real-life example of Cottonwood Creek High School.
This lucid review of the research on professional learning communities defines five important attributes of professional learning communities and identifies the outcomes they deliver to staff and students.
This report spells out sensible goals for alternative schooling and the traits found in successful alternative education programs.
This concise policy brief examines six challenges developers encounter when planning and implementing charter schools and offers direction for those crafting legislation and developing school charters.
This paper explains how a visionary superintendent restructured a junior high school into a middle school in a largely Hispanic New Mexico small town.
This paper provides a balanced look at the issues arising from current policies toward inclusion and maps out considerations school and district leaders should keep in mind when setting special education policies.
This briefing paper introduces important elements of effective safe school programs and describes specific safe school programs undertaken at a Texas high school, a New Mexico middle school, and a Louisiana elementary school.
This paper discusses what teacher leadership is, why it is important, and what we know about the working lives of teacher-leaders.
This paper six key leadership strategies that led to academic improvements and high parental involvement at an award-winning, rural Oklahoma school where 82 percent of the students are American Indians.
Redefining Education Governance: The Charter School Concept (1995)
This paper reviews the public and professional values that converged in shaping charter school policies.
This paper reviews the public and professional values that converged in shaping charter school policies.
This concise summary of SEDL case studies reveals how students define successful learning, how students perceive classroom relationships, what motivates students to succeed in school, how students see teachers' actions as helpful to learning, and how students wish their teachers would act.
This briefing paper details how staff, students, and parents changed the culture of a Texas high school, raised expectations, and improved working relationships and student performance.
This publication describes how four principals transformed an urban elementary school in New Orleans into a learning community, with the help of parents, students, and faculty.
This informative document spells out the firm relationship between effective staff development and successful change programs. It covers six success strategies that can help ensure your staff development program will serve as a potent motivator of school change initiatives.
This publication examines two related policy issues critical for teacher education: the need for teachers to teach increasingly diverse student populations, and the need to increase the numbers of racial and ethnic minority teachers.
This paper summarizes the Quality experiences of three educational organizations: an instructional services division, a school district, and a primary school. It also presents a lucid introduction to the Quality program while correlating its principles to school improvement strategies such as site-based decision-making.
Finding Common Ground: Creating Local Governance Structures (1993)
This report profiles several state initiatives that change the roles of state and local governments in the governance of service and systems for children and their families.
This report profiles several state initiatives that change the roles of state and local governments in the governance of service and systems for children and their families.
This paper details how the superintendents of rural and small school districts planned for and provided resources and staff development—and how they used these improvements to implement successful school change.
This paper proposes new roles for central office staff, illustrated with examples from three school districts. It explains site-based management, lists nine metaphors used to describe the new administrator's functions, and describes three school districts undergoing transformation from central control to site-based management.
This publication describes 17 indicators of a school context that supports change and provides advice from educators who have successfully implemented improvements.
This review presents three roles that effective school superintendents play, and presents three strategies that effective superintendents use to improve teaching.
This paper focuses on the interactions and six behaviors of principals and teachers who work to change and improve schools for children at risk.
This paper defines site-based decision-making, looks at new roles developed when site-based decision-making takes place, and explains how site-based decision-making is linked to learner outcomes.
This paper focuses on two important questions that you need to answer when implementing successful school change: What exactly is the innovation? What happens to the educators who implement new programs and ideas in their schools and classrooms?
