RAND Corporation
Lessons from New American Schools’ Scale-up Phase, 1998
In December, 1997 the RAND Corporation prepared a study for New American Schools (NAS) assessing the ability of each of the design teams to implement its design from 1995 to 1997. Six Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound schools were included in the study, two each in Cincinnati, Memphis, and San Antonio.  The report, based on case studies of 33 schools in seven different districts, all of which were in their second year implementing a NAS design, found that Expeditionary Learning was one of the two most successful designs in promoting and supporting successful implementation. The study focused on two key questions: 1) Did schools implement the design and to what extent, and 2) Are there any patterns indicating why some schools made more progress toward implementation goals than others?
Schools were assessed on the extent to which each of five "core elements" of school transformation was being implemented. The core elements were 1) curriculum, 2) instruction, 3) assessment, 4) student grouping, and 5) professional development. On the basis of interviews, reviews, and school visits, schools were assigned to one of five phases of implementation: no implementation, planning, piloting, implementing, or fulfilling. For a school to be considered in the implementing phase for a core element, the vast majority of teachers had to implement the element. In the fulfilling phase, the core element had to be evident across the school and be fully developed in accordance with the design.
Success in implementation
The report concluded that Expeditionary Learning and Roots & Wings, "show significantly higher levels of implementation than the other teams" (p.60) The two designs stood out in almost every measure of design team capacity and extent of implementation. Expeditionary Learning was the most successful of all teams in implementing the design in middle and high schools.
Expeditionary Learning was successfully implemented in five out of six schools, the second highest rate of successful implementation among the seven design teams, and Expeditionary Learning was one of only two designs with a school that had reached the fulfilling stage
Characteristics of Design Team Success
RAND found five design team characteristics that were related to effective implementation. Teams that were stronger in these factors had greater success implementing their design. The five factors are:
- a stable team with capability to grow and capacity to field qualified personnel to serve schools,
- good initial marketing to schools and the ability to communicate their designs well,
- effective initial marketing to the district and the ability to gain the resource support needed to implement the design successfully,
- emphasis on the core elements of school transformation: curriculum, instruction, assessment, student grouping, and professional development, and
- supports for implementation that included whole-school training, facilitators, and common planning time.
RAND: Design Team Factors Related to Implementation*
| |
1 |
ELOB |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
|
Stability, capable team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effective communication to schools |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effective marketing to districts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emphasis on core elements |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Strong support to schools |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*adapted from RAND study and reproduced with their permission
Expeditionary Learning was ranked strong in four out of the five factors related to successful implementation, one of only two designs that was rated strong in more than two characteristics of effective design teams.  Expeditionary Learning was particularly strong in focusing the change process in schools around the core elements of school improvement: curriculum, instruction, assessment, student grouping, and professional development. Of all the design teams, Expeditionary Learning was the only one that was found to have a clear focus on the five core elements in all of the schools studied.
The RAND Corporation continues to evaluate the New American Schools effort, and will prepare future reports as outlined in "Assessing the Progress of New American Schools: A Status Report" (1999). Analyses will include:
- An examination of trends in implementation to understand the degree to which key design team features become integral components of the schools
- A report on trends in school performance indicators as provided by districts in their public reports about the schools’ test score performance, absenteeism rates, and disciplinary problems
- Explanations for school performance trends within the participating districts.
The complete report, in book form, can be ordered from Amazon.com
|
