ED’S REPORT CARD
A FRAMEWORK FOR DISTRICT PERFORMANCE
BIRMINGHAM EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Capstone
Presentation
D. Lanahan &
J. Weyburn
April 2012
PROJECT GOAL
The Birmingham Education Foundation asked us to
create a report card for Birmingham City Schools.
This project will provide leaders in Birmingham’s schools
and in the community with rich information to help
them better understand the current state of K -12 public
education in the city.
CONTEXT: NATION
 Accountability as a tool for school improvement
“Everywhere you turn--from Congress to the statehouse to local
communities and parent groups—some people are trying to make other
people more accountable for something in education.” (O’Day, 2002)
 Community report cards as a tool for stakeholder buy -in
 Re-emergence of focus on district role in school improvement
 Post-NCLB opportunities to expand indicators of performance
CONTEXT: BIRMINGHAM
 Largest city in Alabama, Jefferson county seat
 City population: 212,237
 Greater metropolitan area, 1,212,848 – ¼ of AL’s population
 City Demographics
 Historical Context
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts;
City of Birmingham website
CITY DEMOGRAPHICS
Poverty Status in the last 12 months
Median Household Income
51,914
26.40%
42,081
17.10%
31,827
13.80%
Birmingham
Alabama
US
Birmingham
Alabama
Geographic Mobility
Unemployment
(% of children 18 and under who have moved)
(% 18 and older unemployed)
US
12.90%
25.30%
8.70%
15.50%
Birmingham
Alabama
7.90%
14.00%
US
Birmingham
Alabama
US
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey
CITY AND DISTRICT POPULATIONS
Birmingham City Population, by Race
Hispanic/La
tino
Asian 4%
1%
BCS Student Population, by Race
Hispanic/L
atino
4%
White
1%
White
21%
Black/Afric
anAmerican
74%
Black
95%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey, BCS
CONTEXT:
BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS (BCS)
Students: 25146
88 % q u ali f y for Fre e /Re duce d Pri ce
L u n ch
Student Enrollment and Percentage of Students
Qualifying for Free/reduced Lunch, 2006-2011
Schools: 51
25 eleme ntar y
11 mid d le s ch ool s
7 K -8 s ch ool s
8 h igh s ch ool s
1 alter n at ive s ch ool
30000
29000
90
28000
85
27000
Teachers: 1711
26000
61% Maste r ’s De gre e or Hi gh e r
93% High l y Q u al ifi e d or Exe mpt
125 Nat ional Board C e r t i fi e d Te ach e rs
25000
$280 million annual budget
95
24000
80
75
2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011
Enrollment
70
FRPL%
Source: BCS
1) FOR WHAT PURPOSES AND AUDIENCES HAVE
EDUCATIONAL REPORT CARDS BEEN CREATED?
2) WHAT MODEL OF REPORT CARD WILL BE MOST
APPROPRIATE FOR BEF AND BIRMINGHAM CITY
SCHOOLS?
3) WHAT DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES WILL MOST
CLEARLY INDICATE THE STATE OF THE DISTRICT?
4) WHAT INPUTS AND PROCESSES INFLUENCE
THESE OUTPUTS?
5) WHAT BEST PRACTICES IN DISTRICT
IMPROVEMENT COULD BE SUGGESTED FOR
BIRMINGHAM?
PROJECT
QUESTIONS
FOR WHAT PURPOSES AND AUDIENCES
HAVE EDUCATIONAL REPORT CARDS
BEEN CREATED?
Question 1
REPORT CARD ANALYSIS
 Matrix Categories
 Produced By
 Intended Audience/Purpose/Scope
 Format
 Key Themes
 Data/Indicators Included
 Pros/Cons
REPORT CARDS ANALYZED
 Nashville’s 18 th Annual Educational Report Card (2011)
 Boston’s Educational Pipeline: A Repor t Card (2008)
 Alabama State Depar tment of Education, System Profile
Report
 New York State District Repor t Cards
 Ohio State District Repor t Cards
 Jefferson County, KY Public Schools Annual Progress Repor t
2010
 San Diego, CA, County Repor t Card on Children and Families
 Fixing the Milwaukee Public Schools: The Limits of Parent Driven Reform
 Programa de Promocion de la Reforma Educative de America
Latina y el Caribe
WHAT MODEL OF REPORT CARD WILL
BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR
BIRMINGHAM?
Question 2
CREATING THE REPORT CARD
What is the best way to show the story of Birmingham City Schools?
Choosing
indicators to
include
Deciding how
best to present
indicators
visually
Borrowing on
ideas from
other report
cards
Negotiating
with
clients/Working
with design
team
WHICH DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES WILL
MOST CLEARLY INDICATE THE STATE OF
THE DISTRICT?
Question 3
OUTCOME MEASURES
Achievement
Indicators
Post-Secondary
Readiness and
Access
Impact
Indicators
• Standardized test scores (AYP)
• Graduation/dropout rates
• In-school student data
• AP scores/participation
• ACT scores/participation
• Post-secondary matriculation/persistence
• Workforce readiness/entrance
• Civic engagement
WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE THESE
OUTCOMES?
Question 4
FRAMEWORK
Inputs
Processes
Outcomes
Inputs
Student Demographics
Community
Demographics
Processes
Strategic
Leadership/Governance
Quality Instruction
Outcomes
Achievement Indicators
Post-Secondary
Readiness and Access
Impact Indicators
Resources
Professional
Development/Capacity
Climate/Culture
Community Engagement
METHODS FOR DATA COLLECTION
 Consultation with client
 Collection of descriptive measures
 Qualitative analysis
 Interviewee selection (maximum variation sampling)
 Development of interview protocols (standardized, open -ended
questions, based on Framework processes)
 Field Notes
 Document review
 Coding data, finding patterns, labeling themes (Patton, 2002)
 Limitations to consider
QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS
Individual
Interviews
•District
Administration
(Central Office, Board)
Focus
Groups
•Teachers
•Parents
•School
Administration
•Community
Leaders
48 Total
FINDINGS
FINDINGS: DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES
Data show a district with
significant challenges to
overcome, given student and
community demographics
BCS is a poorly performing
district, lagging behind the
state on all measures
BCS does not collect several
important measures
MORE FINDINGS: DESCRIPTIVE MEASURES
District is not meeting AYP largely
because of special education
subgroup
Some improvement in math
achievement scores
High school faces additional
challenges, not only special
education, but also reading
More students are taking AP and ACT
exams, but scores remain very low
QUALITATIVE THEMES
Current Conditions and Persistent Obstacles
Looking back and
moving forward
“The Birmingham
Bubble”
“It’s a different
world….”
QUALITATIVE THEMES
Moving the District Forward
The page is
turning
It’s gotta be
the leadership
You are not in
it alone
Retooling
teachers
The homeschool
connection
BIRMINGHAM VOICES
The Freedom March generation is literally dying away—just like
Fred Shuttlesworth. They’ve lost power…that whole history is
dying, and that is very difficult for the ones that were there and
are now watching those strong leaders die. But simultaneously,
it is opening a huge opportunity for the next generation to step
up and say, ‘We’re going to honor Fred Shuttlesworth, we’re
going to honor Martin Luther King, we’re going to honor
everything that you folks stood for, and we’re going to use all the
positive things to move it forward.”
“
Looking Back and
Moving Forward
The airport that is in Atlanta, they wanted to build in
Birmingham. Folks said no…because they didn’t want things to
change. That’s our history.”
“
BIRMINGHAM VOICES
“The Birmingham
Bubble”
“The ‘Birmingham bubble’ gets formed around the school
system. They run the school system. They don’t want a lot
of outside help. Most of the ideas have to come internally.
It makes it very difficult for outside stakeholders to be
involved, or to want to be involved in the decision-making
process. Corporate leaders around the city have tried,
hard, unsuccessfully, to help, to be a part, to help that
along. There is a general reluctance to be open to that
support….”
“People say, ‘This is Birmingham…we’re different. It’s like
we have to create our own wheel.’”
BIRMINGHAM VOICES
“It’s a different
world….”
“[Students in an urban district] are dealing
with different life situations than they’re
dealing with in Homewood, Vestavia, and
Mountain Brook. It’s a different world, and
you have to treat those kids differently.”
“The truth of the matter is, if you live in
Birmingham, you’re going to send your kids
to a private school.”
BIRMINGHAM VOICES
Strategic
Leadership and
Governance
Quality
Instruction
Community
Engagement
• “Our city is going to die, our city will be dead, if the
Birmingham Board of Education does not stabilize
what we have.”
• “The administration misses out on a lot of important
knowledge and information that they can get from the
teachers. They just throw things at us. If they would
empower the teachers to help with the programs, to
implement the programs, we could get a lot done.”
• “It takes a lot of work to be a welcoming school for
parents who might not have had the greatest
experience in schools themselves.“
WHAT BEST PRACTICES IN DISTRICT
IMPROVEMENT COULD BE SUGGESTED
FOR BIRMINGHAM?
Question 5
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BCS
Strategic Leadership and Governance
• Expand data collection to include other measures of quality/success
Quality Instruction
• Develop coherent instructional program, especially for AP
Professional Development and Capacity
• Evaluate impact of current professional development initiatives
Culture and Climate
• Implement school climate surveys for students, parents, and teachers
• Consider use of on-track data and early warning indicators to identify struggling students and
personalize supports
Community Engagement
• Improve communication and collaboration with teachers
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEF
Ed’s Report Card
 Identif y specific measures and
benchmarks of success for BEF
strands
 Determine measureable goals for
successful parent engagement
 Continue and expand
conversations about most
important indicators to include in
Ed’s Report Card
 Assist the district with data
collection and program evaluation
to determine progress
The Foundation’s Role
 Continue to clarif y BEF’s role in
relation to BCS
 Consider “Reform Support
Organization” strategies ( C o h e n ,
2000)
 Champions of reform -- sharpening vision
and focusing efforts
 Educators -- providing training and
assistance
 Program developers -- investigating new
ideas
 Management coaches – assisting
implementation challenges
 Political advocates -- pressuring systems
to be more hospitable to reform
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
ShortTerm
To what extent
Question will this report
card be utilized
for district
improvement?
LongTerm
What are the
Question most effective
levers for district
improvement?
QUESTIONS?