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Improving Central Office Practices and Operations


FEATURE

BEYOND TEST SCORES: LEADING INDICATORS FOR EDUCATION

cover > Download Report [PDF: 30 pages]
> More information about the study

“Leading indicators” in education — as in economics — can provide early signs of progress toward academic achievement and thus help district leaders and other stakeholders make informed decisions about efforts to improve student learning — before the test results come in. A new study by the Annenberg Institute, Beyond Test Scores: Leading Indicators for Education, looks at four districts — Chattanooga, Montgomery County (MD), Naperville (IN), and Philadelphia — that have developed leading indicators and seeks to expand the notion of these difficult-to-quantify but important measures, such as student engagement and central office practice. (2008)

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COMPLETE LIST    


improving central office supports for schools and students
BEATING THE ODDS: How thirteen NYC Schools Bring Low-Performing Ninth-Graders to Timely Graduation and College Enrollment

cover > Download Report [PDF: 25 pages]
> More information

A report on a qualitative study of thirteen NYC high schools that are successfully preparing low-performing ninth-graders for timely high school graduation and enrollment in college. The study identified four key strategies used by these schools and offers recommendations for systemic support to maintain and scale up their success. (2007)

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Central Office Review for Results and Equity

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign [9 pamphlets, $35]
> More information
   [results from districts, CORRE as an inquiry tool,
   CORRE in practice, FAQ]

This tool enables districts to evaluate the capacity of the central office to support schools in improving instruction. Districts determine the current state of student results, assess the effectiveness of district policies and practices, and develop action steps to strengthen their capacity for supporting schools. (2002)

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Learning Environments: Voices in Urban Education 19

> Order Print Copy [48 pages, $10]
> VUE 19 online
   [Includes articles, excerpts, audio clips, resources, author bios]

Although it is rare in this era of test-based accountability, there is a growing recognition that learning takes place in a context and that the environment in which students learn makes learning possible. An effective environment is safe and welcoming for students, expects high quality, and provides necessary supports. This issue of Voices in Urban Education examines the ways schools and their partners create environments that make student learning possible — or impede it. Articles by Robert Rothman, Judith Johnson, Prakash Nair and Annalise Gehling, Kathleen Nolan, John M. Beam, Chase Madar, and Deinya Phenix, and Carol Ascher and Cindy Maguire. (Spring 2008)

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Teaching and Learning Review

> Description, district results

The Teaching and Learning Review is a comprehensive set of tools and processes for looking at opportunity to learn, quality of instruction, and the expectations that educators have for their students. The T&L Review gives a community a realistic picture of the assets and shortcomings of its educational program. The process of the T&L Review is designed to create a body of shared knowledge and to nurture a positive, problem-solving culture. The findings from a T&L Review help the school community design a workable strategy for raising student achievement, addressing inequities in outcomes and services for different groups of students, and building the capacity of all educators to provide quality instruction.

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human resources
Commentary: The Human-Resource Factor

By Joseph DeStefano & Ellen Foley
Education Week (April 16, 2003)

> Read Commentary

Getting–and keeping–good teachers in urban districts. The piece highlights the work of the School Communities that Work task force and the concerted efforts and strategies of Boston, Houston and Montgomery County districts on developing aspects of their human resources environment to “create the context for success.”

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Find, Deploy, Support, and Keep the Best Teachers and School Leaders

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign [9 pamphlets, $35]
> Download Report [PDF: 11 pages, 94 KB]

This framework describes a comprehensive human resources system that enables schools to attract and retain high-quality teachers and school leaders. The paper describes many of the ways quality is unevenly distributed among schools and looks to the private sector for suggestions on how districts can develop more equitable systems. (2002)

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Framework for Human Resources Systems

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign [9 pamphlets, $35]
> Download Report [PDF: 2 pages, 118 KB]

This framework treats two aspects of human resource systems in school districts: the enabling environment and the operating environment. (2002)

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finance and facilities
Assessing Inequities in School Funding Within Districts: A Tool to Prepare for Student-Based Budgeting

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign
   [9 pamplets, $35]
> Download Text Version
   [PDF: 15 pages, 126 KB]

This tool provides a step-by-step guide for school and community leaders to analyze funding inequities that exist among schools in their district. It includes illustrative examples from Cincinnati Public Schools. (2002)

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Assessing Patterns of Resource Distribution

> Online Tool
> User's Guide [9 pages]
> Text Version
   [PDF: 15 pages, 126 KB]

This free online tool allows district officials and other stakeholders to compare district spending for schools with different students and programs, pinpointing possible inequities. The user enters publicly available data on spending and enrollment and the tool does all the calculations.

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First Steps to a Level Playing Field: An Introduction to Student-Based Budgeting

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign
   [9 pamplets, $35]
> Download Tool [PDF: 15 pages,117 KB]

This tool describes the current inequities in funding among schools within districts and proposes alleviating these disparities by allocating funds based on student needs. Using examples from three districts that have moved to student-based budgeting, the paper outlines the practical and political challenges such a shift entails. (2002)

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The Life Cycle in Charter School Facilities Development

by Carol Ascher
[Charter School Review, Fall 2007, Vol. 1, Issue 02: pages 31-35]

> Order article online

This paper, based on interviews with charter school operators and the finance community involved with charter schools in 15 states, investigates the stages of facility needs that charter schools move through during their first five years. (2007)

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Moving Toward Equity in School Funding Within Districts

> Available in print as part of the
   Portfolio for District Redesign [9 pamphlets, $35]
> Download Report [PDF: 42 pages, 281 KB]

This analysis provides a way of comparing differing expenditure levels among schools within districts. It explores the difference in spending across schools and students in three mid- to large-size districts. It shows how traditional budgeting practices lead to substantial inequities among schools and examines the data for each district after the new budgeting policies were implemented, and explores the changes that take place with this bold strategic move. The analysis is in presentation format, so districts can use it to describe the advantages of student-based budgeting or as a template to create their own presentation on their own district funding. (2002)

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