Case Studies of the Implementation of Small Learning

Case Studies of the Implementation of Small Learning Communities in Three Urban High Schools Eric Barela, Ph. D. Partners in School Innovation Nada Rayyes, Ph. D. Berkeley Policy Associates American Evaluation Association Anaheim, CA November 3, 2011

SLC Research Urban high schools suffer from high drop out rates, with students unprepared for college and the work force (Rumberger, 2004) § Small, personalized learning environments more effective, particularly for underserved or marginalized students (Fine & Sommerville, 1998; Lee, Smerdon, Alfeld-Liro, & Brown, 2000) § § Small Learning Communities (SLC) = converting large high schools into schoolswithin-schools

SLC Research establishing academic benefits of SLCs is new and mixed (Lee & Ready, 2007) § Demonstrated benefits: higher attendance, improved school climate (Wallach & Lear, 2005) § Challenges: ensuring equity, link to academic achievement (Shear, et al. , 2008; Lee & Ready, 2007) § § When implemented under the right conditions, SLCs can be successful (Cotton, 2001)

Study Question § What practices and conditions exist in 3 large urban high schools that support or impede SLC implementation?

Case Study Method § Three case studies § Multiple case studies = more compelling evidence than single case studies (Yin, 2003) § Cross-case analysis o allows for similarities and differences between the cases to emerge while ensuring that findings also speak to the larger phenomenon under investigation (Stake, 2006) o Evaluating implementation as it occurred in representative sample of schools o Apparent benefits (e. g. , increased personalization) not necessarily best measured by quantitative means

Sample § Large urban school district 83% underserved minorities o 74% free/reduced lunch eligible o 69% graduation rate o 2009: 380 SLCs in over 60 HS o § Three high schools All low-performing, high minority, high poverty o High/Medium/Low levels of SLC implementation o

Data Collection and Analysis § Data Collection 52 teacher interviews 25 administrator interviews 64 meeting observations: meetings, PD, school site, parent council, awards, events o Observations of facilities, school environment o o o § Data Analysis o o Atlas. ti Focused on district’s seven attributes of SLC implementation

Seven District Attributes of SLC Implementation 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Unifying vision and identity Rigorous and standards-based curriculum, instruction & assessment Equity and access Personalization Accountability & distributed leadership Parent and community engagement Professional development

Findings Three different stories… similar themes

Unifying Vision and Identity § Supports Well-articulated visions, missions and themes o Many strategies to deal with SLC identity (e. g. , continuous space, logos, SLC pride, thematic integration) o § Challenges o o o Staff buy-in Physical space Tension between SLC vision and schoolwide vision

Standards-based Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment § Supports o § All students expected to complete college prep graduation requirements Challenges Thematic, integrated curricula implemented with variation o Math and science teachers had most difficulty with integration o • • Adapting to block scheduling Cross-discipline instruction planning

Equity and Access No support structures evident § Challenges § Students AND teachers inequitably placed o Choice was limited and sometimes conflicted with equity o Heterogeneity can spread EL and Special Ed. services too thin o

Personalization § Supports Physical spaces Higher proportion of students engaged in instruction o Mental and emotional health needs of students revealed o More personalized curricula o Decline in discipline/improvement in behavior o o § Challenge o Configuration of physical space tough in already overcrowded schools

Accountability and Distributed Leadership § Supports SLC lead teachers effective with a strong principal who also provided autonomy o Staff buy-in was also critical o § Challenges o SLC leads ineffective with a weak or controlling principal (especially evident in schools with AYP sanctions)

Parent and Community Engagement § Supports o o o § Student-led conferences Regular positive communication with parents Community liaison Challenges o o Parent engagement was a challenge for all Lack of knowledge about why parents were not involved and what strategies to use

Professional Development § Supports o § Weekly PD in SLCs Challenges Structured PD offered by the district was department-based o No PD on thematic integration or teaching mixed-ability groups being offered o

Recommendations from Cross-case Analysis § § § Work to ensure equity in student placement and course offerings. Encourage “personalized” personalization strategies. Provide teachers with adequate and relevant PD. Support principals to provide sufficient autonomy and distributed leadership. Streamline competing SLC/school/district policy demands.

Contribution of Case Studies Methods In-depth understanding of each school’s implementation and challenges § Ability to detect variation and commonality among unique cases § Allowed for relevant and timely ‘lessons learned’ to emerge § Importance of collecting multiple sources of qualitative data (observation, interview) in understanding complex process of school conversion §

For a copy of our slides or for more information, please contact: ebarela@partnersinschools. org THANK YOU