DAT Final Report
DAT Final Report
DAT Final Report
Outline
1. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. 2
2. Gold Standards
(a) Knowledge is Power Schools (KIPP) ........................................................................... 3
(b) King Solomon Academy (KSA) .................................................................................... 5
(c) Yes Prep Schools (YES) .............................................................................................. 7
3. Teacher Quality
(a) KIPP ............................................................................................................................. 8
(b) YES Prep ...................................................................................................................... 9
(c) Chicago Public Schools (CPS) ................................................................................... 11
4. Recommendations for Ensea Chile ...................................................................................... 14
5. Implementation Hurdles .......................................................................................................... 18
6. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 19
7. Appendix ..................................................................................................... Separate Document
Executive Summary
The purpose of this project is to (1) identify the gold standards of success used by highachieving example schools, (2) identify how example schools measure and improve teacher
quality, and (3) formulate specific recommendations for Ensea Chile for gold standards,
metrics, and best practices for success.
Ensea Chile provided the DAT team with a list of leading schools that it viewed as relevant role
models. The DAT team evaluated the (1) Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), (2) the King
Solomon Academy (KSA), and (3) the YES Prep School. The following document identifies the
gold standard that each organization uses to measure its own success and the theory of change
for why that standard is used. It then identifies specific metrics along with a list of the
organizations best practices designed to reach the gold standard.
As for teacher effectiveness, research shows that the quality of an education system cannot
exceed the quality of its teachers. The DAT team includes relevant best practices that (1)
Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), (2) YES Prep, and (3) Chicago Public Schools use to
define and measure teacher quality. The DAT team emphasizes the role of tutors in improving
teacher training and also compares the effectiveness of select teacher evaluation programs.
The DAT team recommends that Ensea Chile use the following gold standard: Preparing
Students for a Meaningful Future. Implementing this definition of success would allow Ensea
Chile to more clearly measure its own achievement and growth. The gold standard articulates
Ensea Chiles current vision that One day, all the children in Chile will have the ability to
choose their own future. This document includes recommendations for best practices that
Ensea Chile may implement in order to strengthen students chances at achieving a better
future. Specific recommendations regarding university partnerships and other services that
benefit an entire school may also strengthen Ensea Chiles relationship with principals and
national image. Additionally, the DAT team suggests a re-evaluation of the current tutor training
program and the tutor-to-teacher ratio within Ensea Chile, as well as consolidation of its three
observation rubrics. The document ends by identifying hurdles to implementation that will
require particular attention from Ensea Chile.
Gold Standards
Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP)
Gold Standard: C+C (College graduation + Character development)
Theory of Change: Demanding excellence while providing outstanding educational
opportunities will enable all students to achieve the goals of college graduation and character
development.
Metric 1: College Graduation Rates
Best Practices:
KIPP Through College (KTC) Program:
Provide support to eighth graders to apply for admission and financial aid to
competitive high schools
KTC counselors are placed in KIPP schools to advise students throughout high
school, helping them prepare for college entry and understand college financing
Offer leadership workshops, guided visits to universities, summer programs,
enrichment activities, and standardized test preparation classes to high school
students (in addition to the in-school, rigorous college-prep curriculum)
KTC counselors communicate with former KIPP students (who are now in
college) via phone and e-mail and occasionally visit them at college
While the students are in college, KTC continues to offer them support and
guidance regarding academic progress, career options, social pressures, and
financial aid; the goal is to ensure that students have the support system they
need to thrive and graduate from college
After students graduate from college, KTC offers career readiness workshops,
networking events, and continued individual counseling (comprehensive career
services)
Make it understood that ALL students will pursue a college degree
Hang college banners in hallways
Forge partnerships with Universities to ensure students have the resources and support
they need once they arrive on campus (efforts to prevent college dropout)
Take students on field trips, class visits to universities, and out-of-school activities that
promote this college mindset
Metric 2: Character Development, measured by assessments from The Character Lab
Best Practices:
Partnership with the Character Lab to assess student progress using the Character
Report Card
Measure grit, optimism, self-control (school work), self-control (interpersonal),
gratitude, social intelligence, curiosity, and zest
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Teacher Quality
Research shows teacher quality is crucial to improving an education system. This section
provides case studies of effective teacher development and evaluation strategies of KIPP, YES
Prep, and Chicago Public Schools. We emphasize the importance of tutor training on improving
teacher quality and effectiveness.
KIPP Schools
Goal: Excellent teaching means students learn, grow, and achieve transformative life outcomes
Framework for Excellent Teaching: Excellent KIPP teachers are aware that their beliefs and
characters shape how they communicate and are perceived by others. Their framework
revolves around four core competencies:
1. Self and Others: Teachers have the ability and willingness to continue learning, express
communication effectively, are self-aware and able to self-adjust.
2. Classroom Culture: Teachers understand they must create a tangible and intangible
environment in the classroom that fosters joyous engagement and student ownership on
their individual and collective successes. They set clear expectations for students and
help them invest and work towards their college and life dreams.
3. Teaching Cycle: plan and execute rigorous and engaging lessons. They use student
data to move towards certain objectives. KIPP teachers recognize that even the smallest
details can have big impacts on students.
4. Knowledge: Ultimately, teachers must know and master what they are teaching. They
must be aware of a childs development range and what children are able to accomplish.
Additionally, the teachers must be able to differentiate know the strengths and
weaknesses of each individual student
Leadership Competency Model: Teachers are not born, they are made. Its not about
hiring the best teachers but about developing them. Leaders (principals or tutors) teach by
example. They have often taught in rough communities and have helped students with high
disadvantages achieve high standards
Resources:
http://www.kipp.org/files/dmfile/KSLP_Brochure_2014.pdf
www.yesprep.org
http://www.bridgespan.org/Publications-and-Tools/Education/YES-Prep-Introduction.aspx#.VHTO1fF_pY
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Theory of Change: More effective evaluations of teachers will lead to a better understanding
on how to improve teacher quality; improving teacher quality will directly result in improved
student learning outcomes.
Definition of Success: Evaluation methods should be deemed effective if they fulfill the
following two goals:
Differentiation: Typically, the distribution of evaluation scores looks one of two ways: (1)
all teachers receive the same good but not great score in every category; (2) half the
teachers receive the best score in every category and half the teachers receive the worst
or 2nd worst score. This is a problem. In reality, teachers scores should vary across
categories and be more greatly differentiated. Satisfied by REACH: YES1
Primary Evaluation Method: Observation of Teachers based on the Danielson Framework for
Teaching (D-FfT). Please see the full breakdown of the D-FfT in the Appendix.
Pre
ObservaLon
Conference
(PrOC)
Classroom
ObservaLon
(CO)
Post
ObservaLon
Conference
(PoOC)
Throughout
the
Course
of
the
Year
Under the evaluation system prior to D-FfT, the percentage of teachers in CPS receiving a 3 or 4 evaluation score
was around 93% (CCSR). Under D-FfT, only about 5% of teachers actually deserve a 4, with 40% deserving a 3,
40% deserving a 2, and the final 15% deserving something below a 2 (Telephone Interview)
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According to studies by both the CCSR and the MET, teacher ratings provided by the Danielson Framework for
Teaching (D-FfT) are highly correlated to students year over year (YOY) performances in reading and math. Refer to
Appendix: Document 3 for more details (ASCD Presentation)
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Student achievement (standardized and performance tests) also factors into a teachers final
evaluation score with student surveys serving as a supplement to this score. However,
observation accounts for 75% of this score for core subject teachers and an even greater
percentage of this score for non-core subject teachers.
Best Practices:
Incorporation of Teacher Input in the Creation of the Evaluation Processes: REACH
represents a collaborative effort between teachers, the CPS, the Chicago Teachers Union
(CTU), and third party consultants, including Charlotte Danielson, founder of the Danielson
Framework for Teaching. During the four months it was being drafted, the CPS and CTU met
over 30 times for a total of over 90 hours, and, to this day, they are still meeting, continually
negotiating how it can be improved. Because teachers had and still have a say in its creation,
they more easily buy into it, as evidenced by the statistics in the CCSR study.
Formal Mandatory Trainings for Observers (Tutors): It is imperative that observers are well
trained and certified on the procedures and performance of evaluation. As Charlotte Danielson
warned, effective observation of teachers requires a great deal of time and resources, and,
unless observers are properly trained and on the same page, it is not worth pursuing. Ms.
Danielson credits observer training as the main reason her framework for teaching has been
successful in CPS. CPS currently outsources training of classroom observers to a third party
company called Teachscape.
The training includes:
Multiple Short Teacher Observation Sessions rather than a Single Long Teacher
Observation Session: This particular best practice originated from the MET study, conducted
by the Gates Foundation. According to the study, the greater the number of observations, the
less likely that the evaluation is biased by extraneous variables, such as the mood of the
evaluator, the interest level of the material, the mood of the students, etc. In 2012-2013, each
tenured teacher received at least four formal observations while each non-tenured teacher
received at least one (CCSR). These numbers should increase over time.
Mix of Both Formal and Informal Teacher Observation: Formal Observation enables you to
evaluate a teachers preparation leading up to classroom instruction while Informal Observation
enables you to capture a more candid, everyday representation of a teachers instructionone
that is not sugar-coated or improved simply to impress observers. Unlike formal observations,
informal observations are unannounced without a pre observation conference, usually last only
15 minutes, and forward results electronically rather with a post observation conference.
Resources:
Telephone Interview with Charlotte Danielson, founder of the Danielson Framework for
Teaching used in the REACH program. 31 Oct. 2014.
Email: charlotte_danielson@hotmail.com
Mobile Number: 609-468-7695 (Email first)
ASCD Presentation. Found at the bottom of the right hand column of The Danielson
Group website under the tab framework.
http://danielsongroup.org/framework/
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diffusing tensions between ECh teachers and students and those not provided with such
support. Various partner-relationships could include:
Universities
University representatives (or current University students) coming into the
schools (in which ECh works) to talk about opportunities and preparation for
college. They would present to all students, not just to those in ECh
classrooms.
Forging relationships with universities could give students a support network
once they enroll, giving them resources and a go-to person (liaison between
ECh and the university) in case they need guidance. This may also reduce
dropout rates (which KIPP has experienced when implementing a similar
initiative)
Visits to local universities could be used as an incentive or reward for
students who perform particularly well or demonstrate excellent effort in class
Corporations
College may not be for everybody, particularly for students who attend
vocational high schools. Ensea Chile could forge partnerships with
corporations or local businesses in fields in which EChs vocational students
specialize.
This could lead to internship, job placement, or further training opportunities.
Corporate partnerships could also bring volunteers, resources, and attention
to Ensea Chiles fine work.
Motivation: If students are going to perform well in any academic context, particularly a
rigorous one, they must be motivated to do so. By implementing a few simple practices, Ensea
Chile can foster a culture in which students and teachers are motivated to achieve excellence
and work toward the gold standard of ensuring that every student is prepared to succeed in the
next step of his or her life. Ways to achieve this culture of motivation include:
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Place Greater Emphasis on Teacher Training: This is perhaps the most crucial step.
Study Teachscape and chapter 3 on training in the CCSR study (link is in the resources
section of CPS). Then, re-evaluate your own training program for observers to assure
that is effectively preparing them to make unbiased, accurate assessments based on the
observation rubric. Conclude training with a pass/fail certification examination, which
may be re-administered annually or as deemed necessary.
For the training, our research shows that one effective approach is to have the observers
grade actual videos of various teachers lessons in the company of specialists, people
considered masters of classroom observation. Specialists then compare the grades
awarded by observers with the grades they awarded themselves. Any discrepancies in
scoring are explained to the observers by the specialists and corrected.
*If recommendations are adopted, a follow up study should be performed to measure their
effectiveness, as defined by the REACH programs definition of success above (differentiation,
consistency).
Overall, Ensea Chiles Framework for Excellent Teaching (leading in the classroom, the
community, and within oneself) parallels KIPPs framework, which defines the classroom, the
system, the self, and ones own knowledge as crucial dimensions for effective teaching.
Similarly, Ensea Chile demonstrates similar interests in personality traits when compared to
YES Preps list of core competencies, except for the two newer trial additions, Grit and Growth
Mindset.
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Implementation Hurdles
The function of counselors, as recommended in the first Best Practice section, will be
different for vocational high schools. Rather than emphasizing college readiness, Ensea
Chile can evaluate suitable alternatives such as career counselors or internship/job
placement services. This aligns with the recommendation to pursue partnerships with
corporations.
Since Ensea Chile does not operate entire schools, it may be difficult to implement some of
the best practices that KIPP, KSA, and YES Prep use to organize their schools. We have
tried to accommodate for this by tailoring our recommendations for Ensea Chiles specific
context. Nonetheless, ECh should anticipate potential backlash if they provide privileges and
opportunities not available to other students and teachers. On the other hand, providing
services that benefit the entire school would strengthen Ensea Chiles relationship with
principals.
KIPPs Lab Report Card does not include growth mindset, an important criteria for Ensea
Chile. After discussing this with Stephen Zerfas, we are confident that the Report Card will
still serve Ensea Chiles needs and can easily be tailored as needed. A key step towards
implementation will be training teachers to accurately evaluate students according to the
Report Card.
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Conclusion
The DAT team hopes that Ensea Chile can use the case studies and recommendations
provided to better understand how leading schools are internally measuring success and
obtaining top reputations in education. We recommend that Ensea Chile articulates a gold
standard of Preparing Students for a Meaningful Future. If Ensea Chile would like more
information on any of the case studies or recommendations, please feel free to contact the DAT
team (Majak: nanyieth@nd.edu; Matt: mpinover@nd.edu; Maggie: mguzman3@nd.edu; Zoe:
zrote@nd.edu; CJ: cpine@nd.edu).
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