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Featured Program of the Day

The Project Citizen

This civic education program is administered with the assistance of a national network of state and congressional district coordinators in every state and is conducted with the assistance of the National Conference of State Legislatures. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Education by act of Congress. Additional funding at the state level is also provided by an increasing number of state legislatures.

(See video clip of this exciting program)

Governor's Signing of Important Education Technology Bill

The Governor signed Senate Bill 1637 extending the sunset of the regional California Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) and the Statewide Educational Technology Services (SETS) program from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2014.

"These programs represent the backbone of education technology in California and significantly have increased and enhanced the use of education technology in the classroom since their creation in 1998," O'Connell said. "CTAP and SETS both play a critical role in helping California narrow the achievement gap by integrating new and relevant ways to increase academic rigor in the classroom through technology. I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for signing this bill that will ensure that valuable education resources remain available to those students who need it the most."

Bibliography for our data study for Getting Down to Facts

Armstrong, J. & Anthes, K. (2001, November).  How data can help [Electronic version].    

         American School Board Journal, 188(11), 38-41.

Benadom, Erika (2005, January/February). How ‘smart data’ helps English

          learners [Electronic version].  Leadership, 26-27.

Celio, M.B. & Harvey, J. (2005, January).  Buried treasure: Developing a management

        guide from mountains of school data.

Seattle

: 

University

of

Washington

, Center on

Reinventing Public Education. Retrieved from http://www.wallacefoundation.org/NR/rdonlyres/FD8C137C-EF16-41B3-A13F-B375BF3DB3EB/0/Buried_Treasure.pdf

Cromey, A. (2000).  Using student data: What can we learn from schools?

Dougherty, C. (2003). Nine essential elements of statewide data-collection

          systems.  Retrieved February 6, 2006, from the Education Commission of

          the States web site: http://ecs.org/clearinghouse/45/87/4587.pdf.

Duffy, F.M. (2004, Summer). The destination of three paths: Improved student, faculty

          and staff, and system learning [Electronic version].  The Educational Forum, 68,

          313-324.

Golden, M. (2005).  Making strides with educational data [Electronic version]. T.H.E.

         Journal, 32 (12), 38-40.

Farnsworth, C. (2002, April).  Data collection and use in schools.  Retrieved February 8,

         2006 from the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning web site:

         http://www.prel.org/products/fa_/data-collection.pdf.

Halverson, R., Prichett, R., Grigg, J., & Thomas, C. (2005).  The new   

         instructional leadership: Creating data-driven instructional systems in schools

         (WCER Working Paper No 2005-09)

Madison

:

University of Wisconsin

,

Wisconsin

   

         Center for Education Research.  Retrieved from    

         http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingpaper/paper/Working Paper No

         2005 9.pdf 

Hamilton, L.S. (2002).  Benefits of a statewide student identifier system for

California

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         Retrieved February 16, 2006 from the

RAND

web site at 

         www.rand.org/pubs/testimonies/CT197.

Heritage, M., Lee, J., Chen, E., LaTorre, D. (2005).  Upgrading 

America

's Use of  

         Information to Improve Student Performance. CSE Report 661 [Electronic

         version].

National

Center

for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student

         Testing (CRESST).

Ingram, D., Louis, K.S., & Schroeder, R.G. (2004). Accountability policies and teacher   

         decision making: Barriers to the use of data to improve practice

         [Electronic version]. Teachers College Record 106 (6), 1258-1287. 

The James Irvine Foundation, http://www.irvine.org/evaluation/program.shtml.

Johnston, D.A. & Lawrence, J.T. (2004).  Using data to inform instruction.  Leadership,

         34 (2), 28-29, 35.

Khanna, R., Trousdale, D., Penuel, W.R. & Kell, J. (1999, April). Supporting data use

         among administrators: Results from a data planning model. Paper presented at the

         Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association,

Montreal

, 

         

Quebec

,

Canada

.

Kim, J.S. & Sunderman, G.L. (2005, November).  Measuring academic proficiency under    

         the No Child Left Behind Act: Implications for educational equity [Electronic

         version].  Educational Researcher 34 (8), 3-13.

Lafee, S. (2002).  Data-Driven Districts [Electronic version]. School Administrator

         59(11), 6-7, 9-10, 12, 14-15.

Love, N. (2004).  Taking data to new depth [Electronic version].  Journal of Staff

         Development 25 (4), 22- 26.

Mac Iver, M.A. & Farley, E. (2003).  The role of the central office in improving

         instruction and student achievement.  (Rep. No. 65).

Baltimore

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Hopkins

         University, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk

         (CRESPAR).

Marzano, R.J. (2003). Using data: Two wrongs and a right [Electronic version].

           Educational Leadership 60 (5), 56-60.

Mason, S. (2003, April). Learning from data: The role of professional learning American

         communities.  Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Educational Research 

         Association,

Chicago

,

Illinois

.

Nichols, B.W. & Singer, K.P. (2000).  Developing data mentors [Electronic version]. 

         Educational Leadership 57 (5), 34-37.

Paré, R. & Elovitz, L.H. (2005).  Data warehousing: An aid to decision-making. T.H.E.

         Journal, 32 (9), 32-33.

Schmoker, M. (2003). First things first: demystifying data analysis [Electronic version].

         Educational Leadership 60(5): 22-24.

Thompson, T.J., & Gould, K.J.(2005). A homegrown design for data warehousing: A

         district customizes its own process for generating detailed information about

         students in real time [Electronic version]. School Administrator 62 (4), 16.

Thorn

,

C.A.

(2001, November 19). Knowledge Management for Educational Information

         Systems: What Is the State of the Field? Education Policy Analysis

         Archives, 9 (47).  Retrieved February 8, 2006 fromhttp://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v9n47/.

Thorn

,

C.A.

(2002) Data use in the school and the classroom:  The challenges of

         implementing data-based decision making inside schools (WCER Working Paper

         No 2002-2)

Madison

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,

Wisconsin

Center for Education

         Research.  Retrieved from http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/publications/workingpaper

        /paper/Working_Paper_No_2002_2.pdf

Wayman, J.C., Stringfield, S. & Yakimowski, M. (2004).  Software enabling school

         improvement through analysis of student data (Rep. No. 67).

Baltimore

: Johns

         

Hopkins

University

, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at   

         Risk (CRESPAR).

Wayman, J.C. (2005).  Involving teachers in data-driven decision making: using

         computer data systems to support teacher inquiry and reflection. Journal of

         Education for Students Placed at Risk 10 (3), 295-308.

Wayman, J.C., Midgley, S., Stringfield, S. (2005).  Collaborative teams to support data-

          based decision making.  Paper presented at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the 

          American Educational Research Association,

Montreal

,

Canada

.

Wayman, J.C. & Stringfield, S. (2005).  Teachers using data to improve instruction:

         Exemplary practices in using data warehouse and reporting systems.  Paper

         presented at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research

         Association,

Montreal

,

Canada

.

Nancy Sullivan on the States Data System

Interview with Nancy Sullivan of CSIS

Here is a full transcript of my interview with Nancy Sullivan on the states data system

1. How is the student identifier being used at the state, district, school and classroom levels in such a way that is affecting student progress in the classroom on a daily basis?

Not much impact on the on a daily basis. The state process is now that there is a student identifier number for every student in the state with basic demographic and program significant (spEd, EL, FRL) to build a longitudinal database) it could be leverage to impact the class on a daily basis but down the line. The impact rest at the school and district level in assessing data. Based on their local data management.

·        District Drop out rate. If student now registered in another district, school can know if at home visits find follow-ups drop out intervention. Better focus of resources.

·        25 to 30 % better drop out data for successfully target of high risk students.

·        Probe: district access to data? Digital certificate to authenticate that you are an eligible person. Who receives digital certificate is left to school and district approval. Processes to authorize access to data.

·       

NANCY

SENDING FIELDS

Does not include assessment data

State is developing a database called (CALPAD)

California

people achievement data system. By late 2008. Delay making student assessment data by ID until it can be integrated into CALPADS

data assessable  (csis pushing for earlier benefit to the state and help districts more effectively serve their students ). Schools already have this data for ongoing students in their internal systems, but transfer students will be greatly affected especially wih CELT and high school exit exams to get kids placed into the approprieate level of development program .

2. In what ways does the student identifier make it easier for a state to meet legal   reporting requirements (i.e. NCLB requirements)?  What effect can the tool have when properly implemented?

·        Probe 1: What positive effect can it potentially have on district’s support of the district’s own use of data?

·        8:12 Probe 2: What positive effect can it potentially have on the sites’ use of data when people report on the aggragate they are more likely to guess at reportable data (“we have about this many students”) when you have to report on an individual basis the data becomes much more accurate and you have a way to audit the data to see its true

·        Probe 3: What positive effect can it potentially have on the teachers; use of data? More accurate data. The question is are they putting their local data management practices in place to help ensure the quality of the data. When they get the new reports are they paying attention to the new fields, are they following up on errors- there is no easy button

3. What questions, at the district central office, can be answered by linking individual student records over time, as this is a crucial aspect of a comprehensive accountability system?
   • Please give a few examples
   • Look at cohort of students over time to see how they do. Currently you can compare 4^th grade this year vs fourth grade last year but not follow the student year after year…how well what happends in 1^st grade perdicts what happends in fourth grade.look at subgroups over time to see how different interventions have had and are they truly helping
   • More to tools to see are our interventions, teacher development programs meeting their needs

4. 15:14How can the student identifier help district central offices use data to support EL, Special Education, and FRPL students?

·        Please give a few examples

·        Look in system for student classifacation for transfers in their previous school

·        New Fed requirenment phased in approach direct certifacation of eligability to use health and social services records to deturmine who is elegable so districts don’t have to get info from parents. (csis applied for fed grant ) to include this data in large districts as early as summer ’06.

5. I light of all you’ve said here, what are three key challenges to be met to achieve optimal use of this new resource?

(Devils in the details)

• Report, maintaining, and sharing data

Implement local practices to graph analize data

Discussion within a district around how do we use this data in a meaningful way.

• Leadership is more that simply complying with state mandates it looking at what the reporting is trying to uncover (appropreate reources to manage data, taking error reports seriously, comittment to having clean data)

Helping teachers and proicipals to use data and to give support to help thier understanding what that means and how to use it in conjunjions with best pratices that other districts have and envision things happening differently than they are in the environment right now

Resources dept of ed proposed (state budget process)funding levels of $5.00 per student for all districts in the state to help support data management. Cuts happened here

6. We’ll be speaking with District practitioner experts; are there any other questions you would ask them?how are they connecting there student information system to student acheivement? are they using state ID number? Are they developing practices that make it easier to use State ID number?

Thank you for your time.

Supporting Sustainable Education Reform

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the nation's second-largest teachers union, said it will offer $1 million in support and seek additional philanthropic funding to help school systems try "sustainable, innovative and collaborative reform projects" developed by AFT teachers over the past several years. One effort the money will support is peer-review teacher evaluations, such as those developed in Toledo, Ohio. Under the peer-review process at Toledo Public Schools, a team of master teachers monitors and evaluates teachers on how they prepare, plan and present lessons; how well they know the material they teach; and how they engage and discipline students. A team of administrators and master teachers meets annually to discuss teachers who have been deemed incompetent. The AFT also will support union-run charter schools similar to those in New York City and pay-for-performance plans as developed in Denver.

Sources: www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-09-10-aft-plan_N.htm
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91327130

A Conversation with Jim Hollis

This is a Conversation with Sacramento's Capital Public Radio show Insite, about the state of California schools.

Download data_hollis_interview.m4a

Students Who Use Clickers Score Better on Physics Tests

Hand-held electronic devices called clickers are helping college students learn physics better, according to a series of research studies conducted at Ohio State University. Clickers, also known as "student response systems (SRS)," are wireless devices that resemble small calculators. In "clicker classes," multiple choice questions appear on a large screen at the front of the lecture hall. Students "click" their answers based on their understanding of the part of the lecture just given. A computer registers all student responses, and a bar graph shows the percentage of students voting for each answer. 

Students at the university who used the devices to answer multiple-choice questions during physics lectures earned final exam scores that were about 10 percentage points higher - the equivalent of a full-letter grade - than students who didn't use clickers. The clickers also appear to level the playing field between male and female students. In clicker classes, male and female students performed equally well. In the traditional non-clicker classes, male students outperformed their female counterparts. According to researchers, the results suggest that clickers could potentially encourage more women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines.

Source: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/clickers.htm 

Wonderful Graduate Program that Antisipates the Future

                                                   

The Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSE&IS) at UCLA combines two distinguished departments whose research and doctoral training programs are committed to expanding the range of knowledge in  education, information science, and associated disciplines. School of Education and the School of Library and Information Science were encorporated into the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies in 1994. It's the only program I know of that combines the two disciplines in the United States. Together, the two departments embody the school's commitment to understand and improve educational practice, information policy, and information systems in a diverse society.

Anti-violence group urges youth funding

Members of the Youth Violence Prevention Coalition at a news conference last week urged the Union City, City Council to commit to funding youth violence intervention services through parcel tax revenues.

The coalition of community clergy and labor leaders called on the city to include specific language in its parcel tax proposal that would fund youth programs throughout the tax's 20-year duration. The city has baulked at pinning revenues to specific initiatives related to youth intervention programs from the tax on a year-by-year basis.

The coalition wants the city to include funding for data and crime analysis, street outreach workers, counseling services and more after-school programs. By leaving the proposal language general, coalition members said, the city is not committing to funding these programs.

Recent shootings at local schools has renewed political interest in this issue. Many of the cities intervention programs reside with the police department. One of the coalitions contentions is that targeting youth within the school and community organizations will be more effective than housing them within the police department where the recidivism rate is high.

What really happens in classrooms of color

This disturbing report comes from a Texas school district where a teacher is caught on tape berating a class of Latino elementary school children. Children will fulfill any aspiration we have of them, even the negative ones.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=6673814

Budgetary Shock and Awe

Over the past several months, The Governor has threatened to slash the education budget. Whether political fare fair or sober fiscal tea leaf reading, it has severely spooked superintendents all over the state. Not only do they now face the constant ranker of late budget woes, now those woes are exacerbated by across the board cuts. I have had numerous discussions with school leaders throughout the California and this currently is their greatest challenge. To help them meet this challenge, I have identified some of the most flexible categorical with respect to resource allocation.  For more information on resource allocation training contact me.