This project relates to the following ED Priorities:

  • Turning around the lowest-performing schools
  • Identifying and scaling up innovative approaches to teaching and learning that significantly improve student outcomes

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Texas Reward School Case Studies


In September of 2013, Texas secured a conditional waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for specific provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). In the conditional waiver, the requirement for Distinguished School identification was replaced by the High Performing and High Progress Reward Schools designation for Title I schools. In accordance with the waiver, the state is celebrating and recognizing schools designated as "Reward Schools." In Year 3, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and TXCC collaborated to implement an initiative designed to recognize 11 Reward Schools through best-practice case studies wherein Reward Schools and districts shared their success stories with the state and other Local Educational Agencies (LEAs). Based on the success of the first round of case studies, TEA and TXCC recognize that the Reward Schools case studies can and should play a more central role in guiding and supporting schools in the school improvement process. In Year 4, the Reward Schools project team is revising the case study format to provide more specific descriptions of best practices as well as a more expansive and strategic dissemination strategy. Additionally, TEA and TXCC will coordinate with the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) and other educational service center partners to recruit a new cohort of Reward Schools to participate in the case studies and serve as lab sites for schools in need of improvement.

Previous Work Updates

2016

July

The Reward Schools team, in collaboration with Texas Education Agency (TEA) colleagues, is organizing a panel discussion at the Advancing Improvements in Education (AIE) conference in October featuring principals from the Reward Schools that participated in this year’s study. The principals will share their success stories and best practices with the audience, and the TXCC and TEA team will develop questions and facilitate the discussion. In addition, team members are writing the reports to share findings from this year’s study with broader audiences.

June

No new update.

May

The TXCC and TEA teams are in the process of analyzing the data collected during the case study site visits. Both teams plan to complete data analysis and begin report writing in June 2016.

April

TXCC researchers and partners from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) started coding and analyzing data gathered during the case study site visits. The teams met to discuss plans for reporting and disseminating the findings. We anticipate sharing the case study methodology, processes, and preliminary findings with education service center staff from around the state during train-the-trainer professional development sessions scheduled in June.

March

TXCC researchers and partners from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) completed field work in March. The field work consisted of campus site visits and data collection activities. TXCC and TEA or TCDSS staff interviewed principals, district staff, and students and conducted focus groups with teachers during the site visits. In March, the team also developed coding structures and analysis plans for the data gathered from the site visits. The TXCC team invited an AIR colleague and Nvivo expert, Brenna O’Brien, to provide our TEA and TCDSS colleagues training on Nvivo software, which is used to code and analyze qualitative data. During that session, the teams live coded data collected from the case studies and discussed plans for reporting and disseminating the findings.

February

TXCC researchers and partners from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) began field work by visiting several campuses in the study sample in February. TXCC and TEA or TCDSS staff interviewed principals, district staff, and students and conducted focus groups with teachers during the site visits. Data collection from the site visits will be concluded in mid-March once team members have visited all of the Reward Schools in the sample. In March, the team will begin to develop coding structures and analysis plans to analyze the data gathered from the site visits.

January

TXCC researchers conducted phone interviews with the principals from the Reward Schools selected to participate in the 2015-16 case study project to learn about their perceptions on which Critical Success Factors (CSFs) they believe are influencing the success of their campus. The team will use the data from these interviews to determine which protocols to use at each particular campus (i.e., which CSFs to focus on). The TXCC team collaborated with colleagues at the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) in the development and refinement of the data collection tools that will be used with this year’s cohort of case study sites.

2015

December

The TXCC team met with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) to draft the case study protocols and plan for the campus site visits. The team implemented a timeline to conduct the case studies in February and March 2016 at the seven schools selected to be in this year’s cohort of Reward School case study sites. The team agreed to use a modular approach for this cohort of case studies. The one-on-one interview and focus group protocols and other data collection activities will be customized for each campus. Before the campus visit, TXCC researchers will conduct phone interviews with the campus principals to learn their perceptions about which Critical Success Factors (CSFs) they believe are influencing the success of their campus. The team will use the data from these interviews to determine which protocols to use at each particular campus (i.e., which CSFs to focus on).

November

The TXCC team collaborated with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) to build a school recruitment process and to develop case-study protocols and tools. The team created a project scope and timeline to conduct the case studies at seven schools selected to be in this year’s cohort of Reward School case study sites.

October

The TXCC team collaborated with TEA and the Texas Center for District and School Support (TCDSS) to discuss the selection process for the next cohort of Reward Schools case study sites. Using geographic and state accountability data, the team selected seven schools to participate in the case study sites by strategically selecting areas and regions where Reward Schools are in close proximity to Improvement Required schools. The team will now begin the school recruitment process and development of case study protocols and tools.

September

The TXCC team began planning with TEA colleagues the selection of the next cohort of Reward Schools case study sites. Using geographic data, the teams began discussing how to allocate resources, in this case the case study sites, by strategically selecting areas or regions where Reward Schools are in close proximity to Improvement Required schools.

August

The TXCC team collaborated with TEA colleagues to design heat maps of the state of Texas to show where campuses designated as Reward Schools are located in relation to Improvement Required campuses. Using 2014–2015 accountability and GIS data, the TXCC team developed heat maps that were presented and used as resources in meetings with TEA to discuss selection of the next cohort of Reward Schools case study sites.

June

In June, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) published findings from the Reward School case studies, which include a statewide report and 11 individual campus reports. These documents are available on the TEA website. TEA’s press release about the case studies noted the collaboration between TXCC and TEA staff in designing and implementing the case study project for the first cohort of Reward Schools.

May

In May, the TXCC team reviewed and provided feedback on the final, individual campus reports and statewide summary drafts of the reward school case studies. Staff collaborated with TEA staff to edit and format all the reports so they were consistent in terms of content and format. The TXCC and TEA team have started discussing plans for the next round of case studies.

April

In April, the TXCC team reviewed and provided extensive feedback on final drafts of reports produced by the field researchers. Staff collaborated with TEA staff to finalize the 11 campus reports, which included editing and formatting all reports so they were consistent in terms of content and structure. TXCC staff also led a synthesis of findings from the campus studies to produce a statewide summary report.

March

Field researchers contracted by TEA have completed final drafts of the individual campus-level reports on findings from the case studies they conducted. The TXCC team has reviewed and provided extensive feedback on all drafts of reports produced by the field researchers and is collaborating with TEA staff to synthesize findings from the campus studies to produce an Executive Summary and statewide report. The TXCC is also supporting TEA by providing quality assurance review of the final versions of the school reports and the statewide report.

February

All of the 11 schools selected as part of a 2014–2015 cohort have participated in the study. Data collection has ended and field researchers are finalizing their reports. The TXCC team has reviewed and provided extensive feedback on drafts of reports produced by the field researchers. The TXCC team will collaborate with TEA staff on synthesizing the findings from all of the sampled schools to produce a statewide report. The TXCC is also supporting TEA by providing quality assurance review of the final versions of the school reports and the statewide report.

January

The 2014–2015 Reward Schools Case Study project is almost complete. All of the selected schools have participated in the study, data collection has ended, and field researchers are finalizing their reports. The TXCC team collaborated with TEA to decide on a format and content of the case study reports; reviewed and provided extensive feedback on drafts of reports produced by the field researchers; and conducted an in-depth qualitative analysis of case study data from Blackshear Elementary, one of the sampled schools (data consisted of principal interview and teacher focus group). TXCC staff has begun drafting the report on the Blackshear Elementary case study findings and will collaborate with TEA on synthesizing the findings from all of the sampled schools (n=11) to produce a statewide report.

2014

December

In December, TXCC staff analyzed data collected during the Reward School case study of an Austin ISD school, Blackshear Elementary. TXCC and TEA reviewed and discussed qualitative analyses of the principal interview and teacher focus group data. The project team also met to discuss the project status, timeline, and techniques to organize, synthesize, and present the case study findings.

November

In November, TXCC and TEA staff conducted the Reward School case study of an Austin ISD school, Blackshear Elementary. Team members interviewed the principal in depth about schoolwide practices that led to Blackshear becoming a Reward School, conducted a focus group with teacher leaders and other staff, and observed staff and student interactions during the site visit. Additionally, a cohort of field researchers replicated the case study protocol in 10 other Reward Schools from across the State. TXCC staff and the field researchers have started analyzing these data sets and are currently writing the case studies for TEA review.

October

TXCC and TEA staff have collaboratively recruited and trained 10 field researchers to conduct on-site data collection and complete the Reward School case studies. TXCC staff was instrumental in finalizing the case study tools and processes and co-facilitating training for the field researchers. On-site data collection will begin in early November.

September

TXCC staff collaborated with key Texas Education Agency personnel to define a process for recognizing the strengths of Reward Schools – schools that have sustained high progress and high achievement with traditionally underserved student populations. The Reward School project team crafted a process for identifying approximately 10 Reward Schools to highlight, designed the content and mechanics of a comprehensive case study, and began to define how the case studies and schools might be leveraged to support the larger school turnaround effort. TXCC and TEA staff also collaborated on the design of case study protocols, data collection instruments, and finalized agreements with ten external research consultants who will conduct the Reward School case studies. TXCC staff will co-facilitate the training for the external researchers in early October.