DOCUMENT RESUME UD 033 327 ED 438 362 Johnson, Joseph F., Jr., Ed.; Asera, Rose, Ed. AUTHOR Hope for Urban Education: A Study of Nine High-Performing, TITLE High-Poverty, Urban Elementary Schools. Policy Studies Associates, Inc., Washington, DC.; Texas INSTITUTION Univ., Austin. Charles A. Dana Center. Department of Education, Washington, DC. Office of the Under SPONS AGENCY Secretary. ED-OUS-99-2 REPORT NO 1999-00-00 PUB DATE NOTE 169p. EA94053001 CONTRACT ED Pubs, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Tel: AVAILABLE FROM 877-433-7827 (Toll Free); Fax: 301-470-1244; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html. For full text: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/urbanhope/index.html. Research (143) Reports PUB TYPE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Academic Achievement; Accountability; Asian Americans; DESCRIPTORS *Educational Change; Educational Environment; Educational Improvement; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; Federal Aid; Federal Programs; Hispanic Americans; Instructional Leadership; Minority Group Children; Parent School Relationship; *Poverty; Principals; *Slum Schools; Teaching Methods; Urban Education African Americans IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This report tells the stories of nine urban elementary schools that served children of color in poor communities and achieved impressive academic results. All of the schools used federal Title I dollars to create Title I schoolwide programs. In these schools, many important change efforts were enhanced through Title I education resources. Though Title I supported the change efforts, however, it was not the catalyst for change. The true catalyst was the strong desire of educators to ensure academic success for all students. Teams of researchers visited the schools to interview campus and district administrators, teachers, parents, and other school personnel. They observed classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and meetings. They also reviewed school documents and achievement data. Results indicated that the schools were different in important ways. The differences suggest that many urban elementary schools serving poor communities can achieve high levels of student achievement, with successes being achieved through different means. There were also important similarities. The report presents findings and recommendations based on the findings. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. PLANNING AND EVALUATION SERVICE Hope for Urban Education: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty,. Urban Elementary Schools. 1999 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement illCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY Doc #99-2 c<> BEST COPY AVAILABLE 0 O 2 HOPE FOR URBAN EDUCATION: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty, Urban Elementary Schools The Charles A. Dana Center The University of Texas at Austin 1999 3 U. S. Department of Education Richard W. Riley Secretary Office of the Under Secretary Marshall S. Smith Under Secretary Planning and Evaluation Service Alan L. Ginsburg Director Elementary and Secondary Education Division Valena Plisko Director This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U. S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, Hope for Education: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty, Urban Elementary Schools, Washington, D.C., 1999. This report is also available on the department's web site at: www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/eval/elem.html. On request, this publication is available in alternative formats, such as braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department's Alternate Format Center (202) 205-8113. This report was prepared under subcontract to Policy Studies Associates, Inc., contract #EA94053001; Task Order #56. The views expressed herein are those of the contractor. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred. Copies of this report are available by contacting the U.S. Department of Education's Publication Center in the following ways: Toll-free phone calls to 1-877-4ED-Pubs (1-877-433-7827), TTY/TDD call 1-877-576-7734. If 877 is not yet available in your area, call 1-800-USA- LEARN (1-800-872-5327), TTY/TDD call 1-800-437-0833; via internet at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html; via e-mail at [email protected]; via fax to 301 -470- 1244; and, via mail to ED Pubs, Education Publications Center, U.S. Department of Education, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. CONTENTS iv Tables Acknowledgments vii Executive Summary HOPE FOR URBAN EDUCATION: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty, Urban Elementary Schools 1 2 Background 6 Differences among the Nine Schools 10 Improvement Strategies 22 Recommendations 26 Bibliography Case Studies: 27 Harriet A. Baldwin Elementary School 40 Baskin Elementary School 57 Burgess Elementary School 70 Centerville Elementary School 83 Goodale Elementary School 97 Hawley Environmental Elementary School 110 Lora B. Peck Elementary School 125 Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School 139 James Ward Elementary School 155 Report Conclusion i5 TABLES Table 1: List of Nine Schools Studied 4 Table 2: Data Collection Strategies at Each of the Nine Schools 5 Table 3: Student Demographics 7 Table 4: Stanford 9 Achievement at Baldwin Elementary versus Scores for Boston Public Schools, Percentile Scores 30 Table 5: Percentage of Baskin Elementary Students Passing All Three Sections of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills 43 Table 6: Percent of Burgess Elementary Students Scoring at or above National Average on Iowa Test of Basic Skills 59 Table 7: Percentage of Centerville Elementary Students Meeting or Exceeding State's IGAP Goals 72 Table 8: MEAP Reading and Mathematics Performance at Goodale Elementary 85 Table 9: MEAP Science and Writing Performance at Goodale Elementary 85 Table 10: Percent Proficient on Wisconsin Reading Comp. Test at Hawley Environmental School 99 Table 11: Hawley Environmental School Students at or above Proficiency Level in Reading and Math 99 Table 12: Percentage of Peck Elementary Students Passing All Three Sections of Texas Assessment of Academic Skills 112 Table 13: Percent Spellman Elementary Students at or above Satisfactory Level 127 Table 14: State vs. Percent Spellman Elementary School Students at or above Satisfactory Level 127 6 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was based on a study of the following nine urban elementary schools: Harriet A. Baldwin School Boston Public Schools, Boston, Mass. Suzanne Lee, Principal Baskin Elementary School San Antonio Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas Carmen Payne, Principal Burgess Elementary School Atlanta Public School District, Atlanta, Ga. Gwendolyn Carter, Principal Centerville Elementary School Cahokia School District #187, East St. Louis, Ill. Burnett Butler, Principal Goodale Elementary School Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, Mich. William Batchelor, Principal Hawley Environmental Elementary School Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, Wis. Robert Helminiak, Principal Lora B. Peck Elementary School Houston Independent School District, Houston, Texas LaWanna Goodwin, Principal Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School Prince George's County Public School District, Cheverly, Md. Janet Lopez, Principal James Ward Elementary School Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, Ill. Sharon R. Wilcher, Principal conduct interviews Each of the nine schools allowed a team of researchers to visit their school, and students and make observations. The school personnel, parents, community members, Their passion for generously gave of their time so that others could learn from their experiences. excellence and dedication to children was the inspiration for this project. v7 This study was greatly enhanced by the expertise and wisdom of Charles Fisher from the University of Michigan, Willis Hawley from the National Partnership for Excellence in Teaching and Accountability, and Chris Dwyer, from RMC Research Corporation. Their guidance was helpful in conceptualizing, organizing, and focusing this study. Similarly, thanks are due to Daphne Hardcastle and Valena Plisko of the Planning and Evaluation Service at the U.S. Department of Education. Without their leadership, encouragement, patience, and support, this report would not exist. Editors Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. Rose Asera, Ph.D. Research Staff and Contributing Authors Kimberly S. Anderson Rose Asera, Ph.D. Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. Brent C. Jones, Ph.D. Hsin-Tine Tina Liu Richael D. McClure, Ph.D. Evangelina Morales-Orozco Mary A. Ragland Janine Saunders Jerrylin B. Schmidt Pamela A. Smith Juanita Wagstaff, Ph.D. Reviewers Carolyn Robinson Darlene Yariez Emily Johnson Transcribers Paula Correa Sharon B. Gibbs Elizabeth S. Hargrove Judy D. Hubble The Charles A. Dana Center The University of Texas at Austin Philip Uri Treisman, Ph.D., Executive Director Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D., Director, Collaborative for School Improvement Rose Asera, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation Mary Ragland, Project Director Carolyn Robinson, Administrative Associate 8 vi HOPE FOR URBAN EDUCATION: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty, Urban Elementary Schools Executive Summary This report is about nine urban elementary schools that served children of color in poor communities and achieved impressive academic results. These schools have attained higher nation. They have levels of achievement than most schools in their states or most schools in the schools. achieved results in reading and mathematics beyond that achieved in some suburban This report tells the stories of these schools and attempts to explain how these schools changed themselves into high-achieving schools. These All nine of the schools used federal Title I dollars to create Title I schoolwide programs. school schools are a powerful affirmation of the power of Title I to support comprehensive through improvement efforts. In these schools, many important change efforts were enhanced supported the change the use of federal education resources. On the other hand, although Title I desire of efforts, Title I was not the catalyst of the change effort. The true catalyst was the strong educators to ensure the academic success of the children they served. Each of the nine public elementary schools selected had the following characteristics: The majority of their students met low-income criteria (i.e., they qualified for free or reduced-price lunch). In seven of the schools, at least 80 percent of the students met low- income criteria. policies. The school was located in an urban area and did not have selective admission of all Student achievement in mathematics and reading was higher than the average 50th percentile if a nationally-normed assessment schools in the state (or higher than the data were available to gauge the school's was used). At least three years of assessment progress. from There was not evidence that the school exempted large percentages of students participation in the assessment program because of language proficiency or disabilities. The school and district leaders consented to participation in the study in a timely manner. Boston, Mass.; The high-performing, urban schools selected were Harriet A. Baldwin School, Atlanta, Ga.; Baskin Elementary School, San Antonio, Texas; Burgess Elementary School, Detroit, Mich.; Centerville Elementary School, East St. Louis, Ill.; Goodale Elementary School, Elementary School, Hawley Environmental Elementary School, Milwaukee, Wis.; Lora B. Peck metropolitan Houston, Texas; Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School, Cheverly, Md. (in Washington, D.C.); and James Ward Elementary School, Chicago, Ill. vii 9 HOPE FOR URBAN EDUCATION Executive Summary Teams of researchers conducted two-day visits to all nine schools. During the visits, the researchers interviewed campus and district administrators, teachers, parents, and other school personnel. They observed classrooms, hallways, playgrounds, and various meetings. Also, they reviewed various school documents and achievement data. From these data, case studies were written for each of the nine schools. The nine schools were different in important ways. These differences suggest that many urban elementary schools serving poor communities can achieve high levels of student achievement. Also, the differences suggest that schools may be able to achieve academic successes through different means. Some of the differences observed included the following: Among the nine schools, there were schools with small and large enrollments. Enrollments ranged from 283 students at Baldwin Elementary to 1,171 students at Goodale Elementary. Although all of the schools served elementary grades, they had different grade level configurations, starting as early as pre-kindergarten at Hawley, Peck, and Ward and ending as late as grade eight at Ward. Student demographics varied. At six of the nine schools, most students were African American. At one school, most students were Hispanic, and at another most were Asian American. Only two of the schools used nationally-known comprehensive school reform models. One used the Accelerated School Program and another used Success for All. Even though none of the schools would have been considered high-performing based on achievement data from five years ago, some of the schools made dramatic improvement over a three or four-year period, whereas others took five years or longer before experiencing dramatic gains in student achievement. In a few cases, the district office played a major role in the school's improvement efforts. In contrast, there were other cases where the district played a modest role in the improvement process. A few of the schools managed to make dramatic improvements without great turnover in teaching personnel. In contrast, some schools experienced substantial teacher turnover during the reform process. Beyond these differences, there were important similarities in the strategies used to improve academic achievement. The following strategies were used by many of the nine schools: School leaders identified and pursued an important, visible, yet attainable first goal. They focused on the attainment of this first goal, achieved success, and then used their success to move toward more ambitious goals. 1 viii