McREL calls for new, balanced approach to
school improvement

March 16, 2006

The current conversation regarding school improvement appears to be divided between those who advocate for prescriptive models for reform and those who call for less-directive, ‘systemic’ approaches to improving schools,” write the authors of the report, titled Success in Sight: A Comprehensive Approach to School Improvement.

In the coming months, schools and districts across the nation will potentially face severe sanctions — including closure, state takeover, or conversion to charter status — for failing to make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. To improve student achievement and avoid such sanctions, the McREL authors write that educators need to balance the “science” of effective schooling with the “art” of creating school communities that are truly focused on creating high achievement for all students.

In the first year of the contract, the regional educational laboratory at McREL will examine the existing body of research on several topics identified to be of critical concern to educators in the region. These will include how schools should allocate their resources, which instructional strategies are most effective for at-risk high school students, and how schools can better engage American Indian parents.

“Education has had more than its fair share of false dichotomies — whether it’s the debate between whole language and phonics or direct instruction versus constructivist instruction techniques,” said Dr. Lou Cicchinelli, McREL’s Executive Vice President. “Current approaches to school improvement are no different. School leaders are encouraged, on one hand, to adopt one-size-fits-all-programs that fail to take into account local context or implementation issues. On the other hand, they are told they must engage in continuous improvement or systems change, but aren’t given concrete guidance for what exactly they should do to raise student performance.”

“At McREL, we believe that schools need both research-based guidance on how to raise student achievement and also practical wisdom for managing the complexities of systems change,” said Cicchinelli, who directs the Central Region educational laboratory at McREL, which developed the Success in Sight approach.

McREL researchers have captured the “science” of effective schools through a series of five major research studies that identify school, leadership, and teacher practices that positively influence student achievement. At the same time, McREL spent five years working with schools and districts in Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota to develop and field test a process that captures the “art” of managing change and identifying the right school improvement “levers” to pull at the right time. The result of this effort is Success in Sight, a school improvement process that helps schools apply six key principles for improvement identified in the report:

• Principle 1: Use standards to create high expectations. Schools that successfully raise student achievement understand that standards are not simply “one more thing to do,” but rather are at the heart of everything they do.
• Principle 2: Look to research. Successful schools use research to ensure that their improvement efforts are focused on changes that make a difference for students.
• Principle 3: Get “hooked on data.” Effective schools create a culture of data, in which staff members use data to answer, Is this working? and How do I know it’s working?
• Principle 4: Keep the focus on student learning. Successful schools constantly ask themselves, How is what we are doing going to help students achieve high standards for learning?
• Principle 5: Think systemically, act systematically. Effective school improvement efforts are at once focused and systemic. That is, they systematically address specific short-term strategies as part of a larger, long-term effort to create lasting systemic change.
• Principle 6: Manage the implications of change. Any change worth making is difficult. School leaders need to understand how provide the support and leadership teachers need to implement difficult changes.
• Principle 7: Keep success in sight. Schools should begin with the end in sight. That is, leaders should articulate a compelling vision for change and find ways to sustain and build on their successes.

McREL is currently helping schools across the state of Missouri and in Memphis, Tenn. use Success in Sight to improve student achievement. Plans are underway to help state departments of education in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota bring the process to schools in those states. More information about Success in Sight, including stories of schools that used the Success in Sight approach to raise student achievement are available online at www.mcrel.org/successinsight.

McREL is a nationally recognized, private, nonprofit organization located in Aurora, Colo., dedicated to improving education for all students through applied research, product development and service. Its staff of highly respected educators and researchers focuses on providing educators and policymakers with the highest quality, field-tested, research-based products and services available in PreK-16 education.