Report to the Providence School Board

March 9, 1998

Union/School Board Site Based Management Technical Support Committee (U/BSBMTSC)

Vidal P. Pérez, Chair

School Board

Providence Teachers Union

Introduction:

Definitions:

What is site based management?

Without an emphasis on teaching and learning, site based managed schools may become more efficiently run organizations yet still have little or no impact on student achievement. School leadership or improvement teams should make certain that all meetings and talk end up benefiting students in some important and identifiable way. Agendas should not be crammed with items like lunch duty, arranging school trips, mopping floors, but on what needs to be changed in order to improve teaching and learning. (Ogawa; Wohlsetter; Shanker)

What can it look like in Providence?

• Schools with high mobility rates may decide to create a classroom that transitions transferred students into their new environment, assessing their skills and placing them in the appropriate class and providing the help so that they adjust socially and academically to their new school.
• Schools with high student turnover schools can decide that regardless of where a child moves in the city they can continue their education at the same school through completion stabilizing their education and their lives.
• The school may decide to extend the year to 200 days to allow for increased teacher collaboration, planning time, professional development and teaching time.
• Schools could have their own pool of substitute teachers who know the school, its children and community. Those substitutes will be familiar with the curriculum and fit neatly into the culture of that school allowing permanent teachers to participate in professional development activities that enhance their practice and abilities to work with their students and school community.
• The school may create small inclusive classrooms that integrate special education students with mainstream students and special education teachers with mainstream teachers.
• A school may decide to implement instructional models and frameworks that value a child’s culture and language, that reinforces high expectations over remediation, that emphasizes a child’s strengths and assets over deficits, that makes meaning between instruction and their daily lives.

Schools may adopt research based methods and programs that improve student achievement, teacher performance and parental involvement such as Success for All, Direct Instruction, New American Schools Co-Nect, and others.

The Work of the U/B SBMTSC to Date:

Administrative/Central Office Parameters:

• SBM governance councils would have to follow Affirmative Action/EEO guidelines established by central administration, state and federal laws and regulations.
• SBM governance councils should not unilaterally seek to change systems without prior conversations with central office before making a change. The SBM school should not enter into or create obligations that the entire system would have to carry into the future. This is a necessary step to avoid the mismanagement of resources. For example, they could not obligate the system to construct a new “field house”.
• SBM schools would have to adhere to goal and objectives set for the district as a whole and accept the standards set by the district.
• SBM schools continue to be part of the system, they like any other school, would have to live within their allotted budgets although the school will control spending. SBM schools would get budget increases associated with population increases or other system wide increases.
• Capital Development plans for major building modifications would be beyond the scope of the SBM school.
• SBM schools would have to adhere to district desegregation plans and mandates.
• SBM schools could not make decisions that could lead to tracking.
• Due process regulations as they apply to students cannot be waived.
• Any federal or state laws or mandates must be adhered to unless waived prior.
• SBM School technology must be compatible with that used system wide.
• The SBM school can know its Federal allocation before or while working on its budget.
• All federal dollars need to be justified and accounted for in accordance with federal guidelines.
• SBM schools will be able to select professional and clerical staff. Contract language to that effect needs to be developed. The SBM site council has the right to select, from a pool of screened/approved candidates. SBM site councils should not hire or fire but be able to select from approved candidates. For example, the SBM can obtain resumes of approved candidates from Personnel and select candidates to fill vacancies.
• The SBM school can spend their federal dollars in a way that is different from the rest of the district. For example, they could reintroduce a reading program, although dollars are not being spent that way in the district any longer as long as dollars are spent within the federal guidelines and constraints, and does not exceed the allotted amount for the school.
• Once a SBM proposal and budget is approved, the schools would not then have to go through a redundant approval of expenditures at the central office. The assumption is that everything in the proposal including the budget, once approved by the Technical Support Committee can be moved on without going through a redundant approval process at the central office. For example, purchasing/expenditures will move forward and through the system automatically. Professional development plans will have been approved and not have to go through the centralized approval process again.
• Staff selection should go beyond teaching and for professional personnel and include guidance counselors, social workers, speech therapists, etc. as it is assumed that these schools will be involved in teaming.

Contractual/Collective Bargaining parameters:

• The transfer list does not apply. The SBM school will post, interview and select, but cannot cause others in the system to be fired or laid off. As these are new vacancies in the school this should not be an issue. Seniority rules only when there is a recall list and there currently is not a recall list.
• Given the anticipated teaming that may take place in SBM schools these schools would have to devise a system that would clearly track the accrual of SWACs.
• Class size is to be determined by the SBM Governance Council, as long as they maintain a staffing level in the building that keeps the student to teacher ratio 26:1.
• School opening and closing times and school year may be subject to modification and a change in contract language or waiver would be sought to allow for that. Teachers/ personnel applying for jobs need to be told “up front” that the school year is 200 days, and that opening and closing times are different.
• The creation of a substitute pool specifically for the SBM schools by the SBM school.
• Grievances would be settled at the building level. SBM management councils should be able to resolve problems at the Level 1 step procedure outlined in the contract.
• SBM schools cannot change salaries, rates of pay, benefits.
• Teachers selected to work in SBM schools need to be allowed an “opt out” provision.
• It is the School Board that hires and fires, SBM schools selects candidate that are determined qualified.
• Evaluations and assessments of staff do not differ from that for the district as per contractual language and process.
• Language changes or waivers that would allow for flexibility in assigned planning periods so that elementary schools can benefit as secondary schools do from language that allows for 1 planning period per day or 5 per week. Currently language for elementary school teachers is “1 planning period per day”.

Core Principles for Site Based Management:

School Leadership Teams

The following principles have been drafted based on the experiences of successful teams research and feedback received from many groups.

Note: This document uses the term "school leadership teams." However, there are many other terms that mean the same thing. Some of these other terms are: site-based decision making, school-based management, shared decision making, school councils, school improvement teams, and school planning teams.

Basic Beliefs

1. All children can learn at higher levels if they are provided with a high quality education.
2. Those in the school community closest to children can make the best decisions about the educational choices that will improve their students’ achievement. The school community includes teaching staff, administrators, support staff, parents, students, the community school board, the district office staff, and local community organizations.
3. School leadership teams are a way that the school community can work together to make the best educational choices. For a team to succeed, all members must agree that their goal is to improve the quality of their students’ education.
4. School leadership teams may operate in many different ways. No one way is right for every school.
5. Schools are now at different levels of readiness. All city schools, in time, will have school leadership teams operating successfully.

Core Principles Related To School Leadership Teams:

1. Core Principles Related to Schools

 
1. Educational focus: Leadership teams will focus on the issues that affect children's learning.

 
2. Composition of team: Each school will have a leadership team that is representative of the school community. The team will include administrators, parents, teachers, other school personnel, and (in middle and high schools) students. By contractual agreement, School Leadership Teams will be comprised of 51% teachers. Leadership teams will have a balance of school staff and parent members. School leadership teams may include representatives of community-based organizations or local businesses or other community members.

 
3. Team leadership: Any member of a school leadership team may serve as chair.

 
4. Responsibilities of the team: The duties of the school leadership team are to: determine the educational needs of students, make decisions to meet those needs based on the best available information, ensure that resources support the improvement of teaching and learning, and evaluate the effect of its decisions. All members of the team share responsibility for these duties.

 
5. Role of the principal: The principal is the administrative and instructional leader of the school and responsible for its day-to-day operations. The principal is ultimately held accountable for the performance of the school.

 
6. Resolution of conflicts: School leadership teams are responsible for resolving internal conflicts and coming to decisions. If conflicts cannot be resolved, the team is expected to seek outside help.

 
7. Coordination: The school leadership team coordinates the work of other teams, subcommittees, and task forces in the school.

 
8. Compliance with state and federal laws: A school leadership team may not make decisions that violate any federal or state laws related to consultation with parents and teachers, planning processes, parent involvement, or contracts. A school leadership team may seek waivers from regulations in order to execute its duties as described above.

 
9. Support: Successful teams require preparation and planning, ongoing skills training, and adequate time to conduct team business.

 
10. Communication: Each school leadership team must keep the school community regularly informed of its discussions and decisions.

---

2. Core Principles Related to the District Office

 
1. Support: The District superintendent and staff will provide ongoing support to school leadership teams. This support will include the revision of administrative policy and practice to facilitate site based management, professional development, and resource development and acquisition.

 
2. Continuous improvement: The District superintendent will track the progress of school leadership teams for all schools and the effect of school leadership actions on student achievement. When necessary, the superintendent will work closely with the Union /School Board Site Based Management Technical Support Committee (U/B SBMTSC) and school leadership teams to guide improvements.

 
3. Communication: The District superintendent will provide the information that schools need to successfully operate school leadership teams. This information will include how other leadership teams in the district are working.

 
4. Resolution of conflicts: The District superintendent will work together with the U/B SBMTSC and schools to establish a fair means for resolving conflicts within school leadership teams.

---

3. Core Principles Related to the U/B SBMTSC

 
1. Support: The U/B SBMTSC will provide ongoing support to the district for school leadership teams.

 
2. Continuous improvement: The U/B SBMTSC will oversee the district’s progress in establishing and maintaining effective school leadership teams in all schools, and, when necessary, work closely with district and schools to guide improvements.

 
3. Communication: The U/B SBMTSC will make available the information that district offices and schools need to successfully operate school leadership teams. The U/B SBMTSC will identify and share good practices.

 
4. Resolution of conflicts: The U/B SBMTSC will work together with the district superintendent and schools to establish fair means for resolving conflicts within school leadership teams.

---

4. Core Principles Related to Support by Others (examples: LAB, CBOs)

 
1. Support: The effectiveness of school leadership teams is enhanced by the support they receive from professional associations and community organizations. This support may include:
• professional development,
• group facilitating,
• sharing information on team progress and best practices,
• informing the community about team principles and progress,
• data analysis and planning support.

Progress on site Based Management Proposals and Prototypes:

Prototype Schools

Existing Site Based Management Proposals

Mr. DiRobbio and Ms. Tennian met with representatives from Veazie Street Elementary School and communicated the areas of the proposal in need of revision to those representatives. The other two proposals and the revised Veazie Street School proposals were not formally reviewed by the Technical Support Committee until the fall of 1997.

The Alternate Learning Project (ALP) submitted a proposal in October 1997. This proposal was also reviewed in the fall of 1997.

A technical and critical review of the proposals submitted by the Windmill, Veazie Street, Fox Point/Gregorian and ALP schools found that although these schools shared a commitment to undertaking site based management they lacked the knowledge on planning for the implementation of site based management in their schools. We did not find in our review that they lacked the ability but how to put their skills to work on this task.

Likewise, the work at the Lima and Fortes schools indicated that they have made progress in the planning of their site based managed schools. However, the “newness” of the faculty, students, and facilities have slowed things down. In effect they have been getting to know each other as a faculty, as a school, and as a community and developing a school culture that includes shared decision making. They are moving forward and in the last month our work with them is beginning to bear fruit.

In consideration of the above the LAB staff devised a plan to move these six (6) schools toward site based management in a comprehensive and coordinated way.
The LAB at Brown will initiate a professional development process that when completed will result in the above named schools (and possibly one more) designation as site based managed by the Technical Support Committee by June of 1998. Participation by the leadership teams or governance councils of the above schools will be required.

The Superintendent must actively support and facilitate the active participation of these teams. Policies and procedures that impede the execution of the professional development series and the development of site based management at the above named schools must be revised so as to facilitate not impede this transition.

The Professional Development series and associated themes is outlined below. Participants will engage in skill development through hands on work on actual school specific issues and on lecture reading and study groups.

Session 1 - Overview of Active Site Based Decision-Making
Theme: “Actively restructuring schools used their decision making authority to create meaningful changes in teaching and learning. Authority and power are widely distributed throughout the school”.

Session 2 - Communication and Information
Theme: “Actively restructuring schools, collect lots of information and use it to meet school priorities. They have multiple mechanisms for communicating information to all stake holders”.

Session 3 - Knowledge and Skills
Theme: “Knowledge and skills development in actively restructuring schools is an ongoing process oriented toward building a school wide capacity for change, creating a professional learning community and developing a shared knowledge base. Actively restructuring schools strategically link professional development to the schools reform agenda”.

Session 4 - Proposal Writing 101
Theme: “Actively restructuring schools must be able to produce concise written plans that express the breadth and depth of the schools reform agenda to a broad audience of stake holders”.

Session 5 - Instructional Guidance Mechanism
Theme: “Actively restructuring schools have an active live vision, stated learning goals, curriculum frameworks and materials, and accountability assessment systems.”

Session 6 - Leadership
Theme: “Leadership in actively restructuring schools is shared and often a cadre of teacher leaders emerge to take on the various governance issues surrounding site based management. Principals move toward the role of managers and facilitators of change and work hard to foster a strong sense of a school learning community”.

Session 7 - Resources
Theme: “Actively Restructuring schools cultivate resources from outside the school through involvement in professional networks and entrepreneurial activity in the local business community”.

In addition to the professional development series described above, the LAB at Brown will also provide:

• Ongoing technical assistance to schools designated or in the process of designation as site based managed.
• An assessment of school readiness for site based management development activities and implementation capabilities.
• Technical review of site based management proposals.
• Materials, meeting space and other support as necessary.
• Quarterly progress reports to the School Board.

• A senior level administrator that will be the liaison between the LAB, the School district and the schools that will troubleshoot problems and issues on the Central Office end and ensure the participation of school based and district personnel.
• Provide the logistical and structural support necessary to effect the transition to site base management and to navigate the central office bureaucracy.
• Lead the transition of the central office to service oriented from a mandate making role.
• The superintendent must clearly delineate the authority of this administrator in the effort and communicate that to the district office and school based staff.

• A staff member that will be the liaison between the LAB, the Union delegates and the membership, who will troubleshoot problems and issues related to contractual matters and ensure the participation of building delegates.
• Provide the logistical and structural support necessary to effect that transition to site based management and to navigate the collective bargaining agreement.

The ongoing strategy: