Interview with Evidence Soup

Here is a recent interview I completed with Evidence Soup. Check out the other interviews for an interesting look at how different evaluators think about data.

http://www.evidencesoup.com/canopener/2011/03/interview-elizabeth-oyer.html

Supporting Innovation

Hello! I am back from a short hiatus where I was graced with the opportunity to read the biography of John Atanasoff, The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff, Digital Pioneer, written by Jane Smiley (2010). John Atanasoff was one of what Smiley calls the “digital pioneers” who blazed the trail for the blessing and curse that is the current computer.  Smiley tells the story of how mathematicians and scientists from all over the globe worked to solve computing problems in their respective fields. Spurred by World War II, these pioneers overcame a variety of intellectual, economic, institutional, and social barriers to ultimately achieve a breakthrough that without a doubt has changed life as we know it.

Aside from the interesting story of how these scientists worked to achieve these breakthroughs in computing, this book also brought to mind a series of questions for me related to our own field of education.

Nurturing innovation

Using the platform of Nancy Andreason’s Creative Brains (2006) to examine John Atanasoff, Smiley describes how some of the most important breakthroughs came in a period of mental rest. In short, brain research shows how innovation and creativity happens — but not when we are intensely grappling mentally with a problem whose solution is evading us. Our memory just doesn’t work that way to build neuron pathways needed with innovation.

So here’s the question — how are we nurturing this with our AP/IB-packed extra-load recess-malnourished schedules? Who has the nerve to suggest these kinds of breaks much less test different models to take our mentally exhausted students down a new path? Remember Theodore Sizer and Horace’s Compromise (1984)? The concepts of coaching, constructivism, and student-centered instruction are now common-place. Student inquiry is also becoming part of the regular dialogue of the 21st Century schools. However, the institutions that nurtured Horace’s Compromise are very much in place with very little modification. Are these the vehicles to deliver the promises of the 21st Century student? Are we spitting in the ocean with our intense focus on the teacher level professional development without really deconstructing the system that has been at the heart of our problems? Do our current models for comprehensive reform go far enough to create a foundation with agility and responsiveness we need for our students? As Smiley puts it, are we giving our students “license to be weird” or are we stifling noncomformity by the very nature of our institutions and thus stifling innovation and creativity?

The dollars of innovation

Another interesting twist in Anastanoff’s story relates to the funding he did (and didn’t) receive in the process of overcoming the fundamental theoretical and mechanical barriers to the computer. His work was not backed by large grants — many times competing (and unsuccessful) alternatives were supported instead. However, this reality was at the root of his thoughtful progress. He frankly couldn’t afford to squander the opportunities he was given. (By the way, this is similar to the story of the Wright Brothers – their failed competition was heavily funded by a government grant).

So, in this world of grant-funded education research, are we good stewards of our opportunities? Does our grant system require the kind of accountability and investment from our funded partners that brings the committment needed to capitolize on the resources? Are we perpetuating mediocrity with our grant system or funding innovation? What policies and systems are needed to nuture rather than bureaucratize the process of investing in the public good through education? For instances, Smiley’s book emphasizes how the Land Grants for higher education paved the way for providing Antanasoff access to education. Are we thinking about the most effective financial models for supporting innovation in public education? What are the “Land Grant” opportunities that we are missing because we can’t see the forest for the trees?

Leadership for innovation

Another theme in Smiley’s account of Antanasoff’s professional life highlights the critical (and critically short-sighted) decisions made by leaders at various higher institutions along the way. Missed opportunities for patents, for grants, for hiring promising talent litter the path to realizing the dream of the computer. This brought to my mind my own experiences with Presidents, Provosts, and Deans throughout my career and it occurred to me that I haven’t done a lot of thinking about accountability systems and models for our higher education leaders. What are the standards and models for agile, responsive, collaborative, effective leadership? What are the career trajectories of these leaders and what kind of preparation is needed to cultivate a leader who promotes and fosters excellence and innovation educationally, administratively, and institutionally? How does an institution create an environment to support the leadership needed?

So, from my mind to yours, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Supporting High Quality Programs – Program Coherence

My colleague, Jim Salzman, inspired me to write this blog about program coherence. As part of my work with the Illinois Mathematics and Science Partnership, I developed a short seminar on the issues of logic models, implementation fidelity, and program coherence. This conversations targets program coherence.

Fred Newman, BetsAnn Smith, Elaine Allensworth, and Anthony Bryk co-authored an excellent summation of the issues related to program coherence to guide school policy (Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 2001, http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/publications.php?pub_id=39). They outline two key issues related to program coherence: 1) Too many unrelated, unsustained improvement programs; and 2) Scaling up beyond current participants to more fully incorporate the attitudes, knowledge and norms. Eleven years later, I still see local grant programs realized as some kind of educational practice soup kitchen. The fiscal agent (whether it be a regional office of education, a state board of education, or a federal program) hands out the resources, the district feeds the few teachers who are participating, then continues on with no interest or capacity to fully realize the potential of the program.

What are the policies at the federal, state, and local level that perpetuate this clearly ineffective implementation model? How can stakeholders provoke change in such an entrenched system? I propose that minimally, evaluators working with districts can “slay the beast” locally, if not nationally. Here are some practical steps to consider:

1) At the proposal writing stage, encourage your clients to incorporate collaborative activities that create meaningful connections between the grant work and the existing improvement and accountability initiatives.

2) Encourage clients to go beyond the “Report Card Needs Assessment” to hold at least one short meeting (virutally or face-to-face) to get stakeholder feedback on their needs as well as how this new initiative can complement and even support existing goals. Help them draw the connections between full participation and alignment with existing requirements.

3) Build in formative communication to stakeholders into the evaluation framework — make stakeholder participation matter to the progress of the grant.

There are often many untapped resources for aligning common goals locally as well as with state accountability requirements. The better informed stakeholders at all levels–from the classroom, to the district office, to the community — the more leverage and momentum for sustained improvement your grant will have.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. When considering the start-up of these posts, I was really attracted to the idea of communicating with my peers regularly, but informally. Often, our work restricts our contact to the business of the day or the brief encounters at national conferences. The conversations with my colleagues are always valuable to my professional life and I hope this blog serves as a platform to continue (and expand) our dialogue. While I am initiating these topics, I hope they serve as a tool to promote and support our community.

Please share your comments on my posts!

Supporting High Quality Grant Programs – Identifying Key Components of PD

This blog comes courtesy of a recent black-out of technology at my office. No internet, no technology. Just the rather daunting stack of journals that I have yet to read, so for that, I am eternally thankful for the storm!

In my rather large stack of Educational Researcher journals, I found an awesome resource by Laura Desimone (Educational Researcher 38(3): 181-199, 2009) that highlights several critical features of successful professional development:

1) Focus on content knowledge
2) Active learning by participants (e.g., observation, interactive feedback, participant-led discussions) with limited lectures
3) Coherence of knowlege with teacher beliefs
4) Duration of at least 20+ hours per semester
5) Collective participation to achieve a critical mass from the same department, grade, school, or district.

Dr. Desimone has a focus on policy to increase teacher effectiveness — http://www.gse.upenn.edu/faculty/desimone – her work is definitely a great resource!

Of course, I have reduced a thoughtful article to five points, but they are very much the core of what, as an evaluator, I can work with my clients to incorporate into their programs, timelines, and logic models to inhance the impact and sustainability of their initiatives.

What has been your experience with these elements? In my work, I can see that some of these are apparent and prescribed by federal program guidelines (like a focus on content), while others are left much more to the design of the local program. What is nice about these areas is that they do not complicate an already rich program narrative — rather they provide the needed scaffolding to plan for the implementation, support, and recruitment decisions that are key to any management plan. What have your experiences been?