How Can Autonomy and Choice Bolster Achievement in the U.S.?

1. How Can Autonomy and Choice Bolster Achievement in the U.S.? Dr. Avis Glaze Edu-quest International Inc. August 18, 2011

2. Snapshot – Province of Ontario • Canada - 34.1 million people (2010) • Ontario – 13.2 million (approximately 40%) • 60% of 225,000 immigrants who come to Canada annually • More than 200 languages as “mother tongue • More than 10% of newcomers are school children • Declining enrolment of 4.5% (almost 90,000 students) between 2002-03 and 2008-09

3. Snapshot – Province of Ontario • About 5,000 schools in 72 school districts, plus 30 school authorities • Four education governance systems: • English public and English Catholic • French public and French Catholic • 2.1 million students • Almost 126,000 teachers (unionized teaching and support staff)

4. Snapshot – Province of Ontario • Elected trustees: • Determine board policies and strategic directions • Hire Director of Education (Superintendent) • School board officials • Hire staff • Implement provincial curriculum • Engage in system and school improvement • Ensure that schools best serve the needs of students

5. The Research • Review of 77 studies on site based management by Leithwood and Menzies found: “Virtually no firm research-based evidence of either direct or indirect effects of site- based management on students.” Dillon (2011)

6. The Research In England, Rebecca Allen’s research found no evidence that status as an autonomous school led to higher student performance. Dillon (2011)

7. The Research In the United States, the October 2005 research on charter schools by Zimmer and Buddin fails to show a direct connection between autonomy and achievement. Dillon (2011)

8. The Research “You cant give absolute autonomy to every school.” Dillon (2011)

9. “There is not such thing as isolated autonomy.” Fullan (2008) Schwartz, Levin & Gamoran (2011)

10. The Research • Balance is key • School capacity is the determining factor in giving schools autonomy • What’s needed: a differentiated approach Dillon (2011)

11. The Ontario Approach • “School choice” - not a part of the Ontario strategy • Choice does not bolster achievement • Autonomy can, but not by itself • What’s needed: The right balance of autonomy and system direction

12. The Ontario Approach • The Ontario strategy - a balanced approach • Districts and schools were encouraged to innovate • Failing schools could not go in their own direction • Specific interventions improve the underperforming schools • Ontario works at making every public school a a good school; a school of choice.

13. Autonomy – The Dilemma • Should autonomy be limited to already successful schools, thereby reducing the risk that the schools will crash and burn as they try to govern themselves? Or • Should district use autonomy as a spur to get low performing schools to improve? • Should autonomy be a catalyst or a reward? Dillon (2011)

14. Components of The Ontario Strategy • Dialogue and engagement • − Forging consensus • − Establishing partnerships • − Developing a common sense of purpose • − Building commitment and motivation • Positive pressure and support • Class size reduction • Targeted resources • School improvement planning with SMART goals

15. Components of The Ontario Strategy • School improvement planning with SMART goals • Research-informed, high-impact strategies • Tutoring and other instructional programs • Deep implementation and monitoring • Capacity building at all levels of the system • Teams and networks • Focused intervention programs

16. The Ontario Strategy • Character development • Community outreach and engagement • Assessment of district and school effectiveness • A focus on professional accountability\ • An emphasis on excellence with equity, and • International comparability and benchmarking

17. Global Trends The capacity of countries –both the world’s most advanced economies as well as those experiencing rapid development – to compete in the global knowledge economy increasingly depends on whether they can meet a fast-growing demand for high-level skills. This, in turn, hinges on significant improvements in the quality of schooling outcomes and a more equitable distribution of learning opportunities. Andreas Schleicher (OECD) McKinsey Report (2007) 17

18. “Making public education the best education is the single most important thing that we can do together to build a bright and promising future for all of us.” • “We can build a stronger economy, a stronger society, a stronger Ontario, by strengthening the education and skills of our people.” The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

19. Reach Every Student Ministry of Education Goals • High levels of student achievement • Reduced gaps in student achievement • Increased public confidence in education

20. Key Premises There was a need to: • Eschew the one-size-fits-all orientation • Invoke both bottom-up and top-down strategies • Focus on the moral imperative • Build consensus for change • Adopt an inclusive approach • Build upon the professionalism and good-will of educators

21. The Strategy: Key Implementation Phases 2009-11 2008-09 2007-08 Phase 6 Aligning Our Work 2006-07 2005-06 Phase 5 Consolidating for Deeper Implementati0n Phase 4 Intensifying our Collective Efforts 2004-05 2003-04 Phase 3 Sharpening our Focus Phase 2 Building Capacity Phase 1 Building Consensus Deep Implementation of effective teaching and learning practice and engagement at all levels with a focus on the classroom Creation of The Literacy & Numeracy Secretariat Deepening instructional effectiveness and pedagogy and focusing on professional accountability and networks Personalization, instructional precision and collaborative learning through networks Providing leadership development and increasing instructional effectiveness Providing leadership development and increasing instructional effectiveness Reaffirming our purpose and conveying the sense of urgency Capacity building for continuous improvement

22. Student Success: Learning to 18 (Secondary) 2006 to present 2004-2006 Phase Three 2003-2004 • Investment in leadership at the classroom and student level • Provision of new and varied learning opportunities for students, including: • expanded co-op • Specialist High Skills Major d • Dual credits • Bill 52, the Education Amendment Act (Learning to Age 18); • Student Voice • Professional Learning strategies • Differentiated Instruction: • Math and Literacy Phase Two Phase One • Investment in leadership capacity at the school level; • Student Success Teachers • Student Success Teams Investment in leadership capacity for secondary school reforms at the district level Identifying Student Success Leaders in each school district Capacity building for continuous improvement

23. The Strategy: Elementary Schools • Identify teams at all levels to drive continuous improvement in literacy and numeracy • Reduce class sizes in the primary grades to a maximum of 20 students per class by 2006 • Set targets with district school boards • Allocate resources to support target setting and improvement plans • Build capacity to support student learning and achievement • Mobilize the system to provide equity in student outcome • Demonstrate a commitment to research and evidence-based inquiry and decision making • Embark on a process of community outreach and engagement to build support for the literacy and numeracy initiative • Establish a growing presence on the national and international scene

24. Strategies to Improve Student Achievement • Laser-like focus on student achievement • Clear curriculum choices • Frequent assessment of student progress and multiple opportunities for improvement • An emphasis on non-fiction writing • Collaborative scoring of student work (Douglas Reeves)

25. Establishing the School as a Professional Learning Community • Action-based and results-oriented • High tolerance for the truth • Collaborative and collegial • Teacher moderation of student work • Case management models • Focus on strategies to improve student achievement • Data-driven • Assessment informs instruction

26. Identifying “Non-Negotiables” • Balanced literacy program • Uninterupted blocks of time for literacy and numeracy • Higher order thinking skills • Non-fiction writing across the curriculum • Early intervention of learning difficulties • Teaching math content though problem solving • Differentiated instruction • Common assessments

27. Overall Elementary EQAO Results The Drive to 75

28. Closing the Gaps Percentage of schools with less than 34% of students achieving levels 3 and 4 in Grade 3 Reading

29. The Globe and Mail, November 29, 2007

30. Ontario’s International Standing “Ontario is among the few jurisdictions in the world that demonstrate both higher achievement in reading and a smaller performance gap between high- and low-income students when compared to the OECD average. This is a characteristic of education systems that deliver both excellence and equity ...” The Education Quality and Accountability Office,(2010)

31. Equity of Outcomes: Selected Results English-language Learners • Improved 26 percentage points in Writing • Improved 18 percentage points in Reading Students in Special Education Programs • Improved 22 percentage points in writing • Improved 17 percentage points in writing

32. The Four “Pillars” for Student SuccessImproving Results in Secondary Schools • Literacy • Numeracy • Program Pathways • Community, Culture and Caring • (A focus on student well-being)

33. The Secondary Strategy 1. Investment in leadership capacity for secondary school reform at the school district level • Student Success Leaders 2. Investment in leadership capacity at the school level • Student Success Teachers and Student Success Teams 3. Investment in leadership at the classroom and student level • Board improvement plans and the School Effectiveness Framework

35. Accomplishments • Progress on all three goals • Better outcomes • Reduced inequities • Increased public confidence • Every student outcome has improved • Proportion of students performing at level 1 or lower - down by 50%+ • Number of very low achieving schools - down by 75% • English Language Learner (ELL) gap dropped sharply • Students in special education program - gap also smaller • High school graduation rates increased significantly (52,500 more graduates) • Improvement in many ancillary areas – health, safety, character… • Students across the entire spectrum are achieving at a higher level

36. The Role Teachers Instruction, itself, has the largest influence on achievement. Schmoker (2006)

37. The Role of School Leadership School leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning. Leithwood et al. (2006)

38. Alignment and Coherence • Alignment of actions at the: • the provincial level • the school district level • the school level • the classroom level

39. Student Engagement “A student’s “functioning in school is inextricably linked with his or her sense of belonging and connection to the school environment and his or her relationships with peers and teachers within it.” K.A. Schonert-Reichl (2000)

40. Parental Engagement Research clearly indicates that many benefits accrue when parents are involved in their children’s education

41. The Moral Imperative “At the school level, the moral imperative of the principal involves leading deep cultural change that mobilizes the passion and commitment of teachers, parents, and others to improve the learning of all students, including closing the achievement gap.” (Fullan, 2002. p. 41)

42. Excellence with Equity “We can, whenever and wherever we choose, teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to know to do that. Whether we do so or not will ultimately depend upon how we feel about the fact that we haven’t done so thus far.” Edmonds (1979)

43. Re-affirming Our Mission • Democracy and education • Our future health, prosperity, wellbeing • Our unrelenting sense of purpose • The country we wish to sustain • Educators alter destinies • Educators create an enduring legacy

44. A Clarion Call for Excellence Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of focused intention, sincere effort, and intelligent, skillfulexecution. It represents wise choices among many alternatives. Albert Einstein

45. Closing the achievement gaps, and Achieving excellence with equity... Education is the ultimate tool of empowerment

46. Make it Happen! • This is the Golden Age of Education! • A time for revitalization and re-commitment • A time to re-engage system partners • A time to put all that we know into practice • A time to ensure that schools serve the needs of students • A time to regain public confidence in public education