leading education reform in an era of limited resources
DESCRIPTION
This presentation was used in a session at the Policy Leadership Academy hosted by Leadership for Education Equity, a political organization that mobilizes, supports and trains Teach for America alumni.TRANSCRIPT
Rethinking Resources for Student Success
Leading Education Reform in an Era of Limited ResourcesLEE Policy Leadership AcademyJuly 28, 2012
Education Resource Strategies 2
Education Resource Strategies: Who we are
ERS is a non-profit dedicated to helping school systems spend and organize time, talent and technology to create great schools at scale
Education Resource Strategies 3
Public Ed budget gaps will continue
2012
-13
2013
-14
2014
-15
2015
-16
2016
-17
2017
-18
2018
-19
2019
-20
$500,000
$550,000
$600,000
$650,000
$700,000
$750,000
$800,000
$850,000
Budget Gap by 2017 is 9.1%
Current spending trajec-tory Likely revenues
Source: Marguerite Roza, Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington's College of Education and Senior Scholar at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. November 2011; Current spending trajectory assumes no incremental reforms and spending growth of 4%
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Why?
Increasing:
• Teaching salaries
• Benefits
• Special Ed programs
• COLA (cost of living adjustments)
Declining:
• Tax revenue
• Enrollment
• Federal Funds
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23%
21%
19%
10%
26%
Growth in Per Pupil Expenditure(1970-2005)
Increase # non-teachers (excl SPED)
Increase # of teachers (excl SPED)
Increase # SPED staff
Increase Benefits Rate
All Other
We have created a labor intensive public education system – salaries and benefits increase every year
Source: The Parthenon Group, 2007 from NCES; Educational Research Service; Parthenon Analysis
Almost 75% of growth in spending came from salaries and benefits
Salaries & Benefits
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Public education jobs continued to grow through recessions
Source: Marguerite Roza
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Typical responses preserve current structures and attempt to do less with less
Furlough days
Frozen salaries
Across the board cuts
Incremental staffing ratio adjustments
Education Resource Strategies 8
Identify new funding sources
Restructure & re-imagine
what is possible
Pray for economic recovery
1. © Funny Times2. © Original Artist. Reproduction rights obtainable from cartoonstock.com3. © http://employee-rewards-incentives.blogspot.com/2009/02/employee-meetings.html
1 2 3
Where do you look to begin addressing the gap?
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Why is restructuring difficult?
Input Discrete Subject
Requirements
Time Requirements
(Carnegie Units)
Teacher Certificatio
n
Class Size
Desired Outcome
College and Work ready HS graduate
Subject matter proficiency
High quality instruction
Individual Student Attention
Currently “Inputs” are dictated to schools……But schools are accountable for “outcomes”
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Who is dictating the inputs?
School
Federal
State
Union
District
Com-munity
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1. Restructure teaching job and compensation structure
2. Rethink standardized class size model
3. Shift special education spending
4. Optimize existing time and extend where needed
The four highest priorities for restructuring:
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A typical district devotes 1% of teacher compensation spending to reward increased contribution
$500 Million
42%
7%
27%
24%
>1%
Benefits
Increased Contribution
Longevity
Education
Base
Source: ERS Analysis
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
$35M
Education Resource Strategies 13
How can teachers increase their contribution?
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
Individual and team-based
measurements of student growth
Innovate better ways to deliver instruction and improve student outcomes (academic,
behavioral)
Assume a leadership role in the school and/or
district
Take on larger class sizes or more
challenging classes
Take on a position in a high-priority
school
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Typical districts have opportunities to target class sizes to priority subjects and students
*Core class defined as ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Languages; Non-core defined as Art, Computer Literacy, Vocational, Source: District T and District P high school course data (internal – Resource Mapping presentation); District P 8th grade state standardized test scores
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
Avg Class Size by Subject AreaDistrict T
27
18
0
10
20
30
9th Grade Core ClassSize
12th Grade Non-CoreClass Size
Avg 9th Grade Math Class Size by Student Performance Group
District P
2624 25
27
0
10
20
30
Repeaters DoubleBasic
One Basic Proficient&
Advanced
Low Performers High Performers
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Special Ed is often used as a catch-all program
Low In-
come
African Amer
Male LI AA Male0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
10%9% 9%
16%
4%5%
4%5%
Special Ed Enrollment in “Softer” Cat-egories as Percent of Subgroup
Example urban district
SubgroupOther
Source: Example district student database
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
“Softer” Special Ed categories include Emotional Disabilities, Mild Intellectual Disabilities and Specific Learning Disabilities.
“Harder” Special Ed categories include Deaf-Blindness, Developmental Delay, Hearing Impairment, Multiple Disabilities, Orthopedic Impairment, Intellectual Disabilities – Moderate and Severe, Traumatic Brain Injury (TB) and Visual Impairment
This is Expensive – Spending per pupil for Special Ed is typically 2X – 4X
compared to Gen Ed
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Spending on Special Education has increased significantly
*Sources: “Rethinking Special Ed Spending” by Frederick Hess, Education Next, 6/16/2011; 2006 U.S. Budget, Historical Tables; “The Dropout Rate of Special Needs Students” by Finn Orfano 10/26/2010 in Bright Hub quoting statistics from the US Dept Of Education
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
Special Education spending has grown from 4% to 21% of
total school spending between
1970 and 2005
Federal Grants to States for Special Education
<$250M
>$11 Billion
Is the increased spending worthwhile?
The drop out rate for students with disabilities is two times
that of general education students
--U.S. Dept of Education
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Typical schools allocate time in rigid blocks that don’t change based on need or priority
Core class defined as ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies;, Foreign Languages ; Non-core defined as Art, Computer Literacy, Vocational Source: District P HS Course Schedule Data SY0910, ERS HS Resource Use Analysis
All 9th Graders Repeaters Double Basic 1 Basic Proficient/Advanced0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
70% 69% 75% 72% 67%
29% 28%24% 27% 32%
9th Grade Student Time by Student Performance Category
District P
Core Non-Core Support & Enrichment
9th Grade Student Performance Category
% o
f In
str
ucti
on
al
Tim
e1. Restructure teaching
compensation 2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
Low Performers High Performers
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How can schools transform how time is used?
vs.
Larger Class
Larger Class
Larger Class
1. Restructure teaching compensation
2. Rethink class size model 3. Shift special education
spending 4. Optimize use of time
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What can districts and schools do to optimize use of resources?
1. Restructure Teacher Comp•Limit teacher compensation directed towards steps and lanes•Build new evaluation systems to accurately measure teacher effectiveness•Compensate for increased responsibilities & contribution
4. Optimize Use of Time• Longer blocks in key subjects for
struggling students• Regularly adjust time and staffing
according to student progress• Leverage technology to redefine
instruction
3. Shift Special Ed Spending•Reduce Special Ed spending on subscale programs•Move away from class size mandates•Invest in early intervention•Integrate special ed with gen ed as much as possible by employing dual certified and teacher teams
2. Rethink Class Size Model• Strategically raise class sizes
where appropriate• Highlight class size vs. teacher
quality trade-off
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Trade-offs for Transformation
For the same cost a typical 25,000 student urban district can:
ERS’ District Reallocation Modeler (DREAM)
Reduce class sizes grades 4-12 by 2
Pay the top contributing 15% of teachers $10K more
OR
Give all teachers annual step increase
Allow benefits spending to increase
by 10%OR
Provide half-day pre-K for 50% of
incoming Kindergarten
students
Add 60 minutes to the school day in the
25% lowest performing schools
OR
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Hold ‘Em Experience
Ga DOE + 5 districts
Rochester, NY
Duval County, FL
Prince George’s County,
MD
Memphis, TN
Cleveland, OH
Aspen CFO/CAO network
Council of Chief State
School Officers
PIE Network
Now it’s time to play …
School Budget Hold’em
An interactive game to help districts make thoughtful trade-offs as part of the budgeting process
Encourages transparency and accessibility
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Why a card game?
Allows you to put on the hat of school district leaders and understand the tough choices they must make
Removes us from the traditional budget process of fighting for resources within silos
Focuses on investing in district priorities by freeing resources from low value- added “historic” uses
Enables teams to engage in open exploration of a range of options available to the district in a low stakes environment
Builds understanding of relative size of different options
Playing cards frees “non-spreadsheet” types to interact in new ways with the budgeting process
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ERS Resources:School Budget Hold ‘Em is more than a game …
... it's an interactive exploration of the thoughtful trade-offs school administrators have to make in these challenging
budget times.
Description of savings or investment option
Explanation
FYI: Additional information
Class Size 2.0%Category Investment or Savings as % of
budget
What is a Hold ‘Em Card?
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Education Resource Strategies 24
The Object of the Game Use the Hold’em cards provided to create a “hand” of investment and savings options to create a budget that moves toward improved district performance while still meeting a budget reduction target of 5%.
Instructions
How to play:
Step 1 Assign Roles and Review Process (score keeper, task master, speaker for share-out)
5 min
Step 2 Read: Quickly read through the sample deck and create piles for “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” for each option.
10 min
Step 3 Review priorities and select your investments: As a group review the scenario and priorities presented and then identify the top investments you would like to include in your hand.
15 min
Step 4 Finalize your hand: Identify new budget total and find savings to meet it.
10 min
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Imagine you are the Superintendent of District X:Enrollment/Size: Mid-Large size district with recent enrollment declines
Budget: Current gap is 8%; in fourth year of budget cuts – already cut central office and other operations
Demographics: 45% F&R, 15% Special Ed, 6% ELL
Student Performance: Low in reading/avg in Math – low performers concentrated at 25% of schools
Teacher Comp: 90% of increases over base due to education/ experience
Teacher PD: 4 staff days/year; 75 min daily prep; 45 min collaborative planning
Teacher Evaluation: Not historically rigorous
Setting the Context
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Select cards carefully – not all the choices are strategic; larger hands mean more initiatives in place
Consider inter-relationships – Not all choices are independent of each other. Some choices may reduce the value of other choices – you can choose one or the other or make a rough estimate of additional changes.
Accept approximation – The budget percentages are estimates built from averages and including high-level assumptions. They are meant to be directionally correct, but actual district results could vary widely.
Budget cutting in education means cutting staff positions – there will be pain, the question is whether there are ways to leverage it to accelerate the freeing of resources from unproductive structures
Things to consider…
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1. What were the biggest insights and/or surprises regarding opportunities for district transformation during budget-cutting times?
2. What particular investments or savings would be feasible or challenging in your state?
3. What role can school boards, state legislators or other elected officials play to achieve desired investments and savings?
4. What action will you take?
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Discussion Questions
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Play Hold’em: holdem.erstools.org– Encourage your network to consider a new conversation
around trade-offs
– Facilitators’ Guide allows groups to play independently
– Online version allows you to share your hand
Use your role to advance reform– Change the debate over how to navigate tough times
– Continue to advocate for changes in state laws that limit effective resource use
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Take Action
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1. Play using the complete deck with 60 cards
2. Play online at holdem.erstools.org
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Want to play again?
Please return the “mini-decks” to us!
1
2
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Please return the “mini-decks” to us!