Increasing Student Engagement in Low Performing Schools

December 11, 2012

Increasing Student Engagement in Low Performing Schools

Dr. Ryoko Yamaguchi, Moderator President & Chief Scientist Plus Alpha Research & Consulting

Agenda
Purpose of the Webinar Introductions
Dr. Ryoko Yamaguchi, Plus Alpha Research & Consulting
ryamaguchi@plusalpharesearch.com

Dr. Christopher Hulleman, University of Virginia

chris.hulleman@virginia.edu

Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent, Arlington Public Schools

superintendent@apsva.us

Ms. Maureen Nesselrode, Principal, Arlington Public Schools

maureen.nesselrode@apsva.us

Polling Feature during the Webinar Question and Answer Stakeholder Feedback Survey

Poll Question
Which of the following best describes your primary occupation? (Please choose only one)
Local Education Agency State Education Agency

State Government
Other

What is the Regional Education Laboratory?

U.S. Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences REL mission: To provide support for a more evidence-reliant education system REL provides regional support for:
Applied research and evaluation; and Technical support and information sharing to build capacity to use data for improved educational outcomes.

Student Engagement in School: An Introduction

Dr. Chris S. Hulleman Research Associate Professor University of Virginia

Student Engagement in School

40-60% of high school students are disengaged (Klem & Connell, 2005)

Engagement decreases over time (Jacobs et al, 2003)

Engagement is associated with (Allensworth & Easton, 2007; National Research Council, 2004)
GPA Standardized test scores Attendance Reduced discipline referrals and dropouts

Student Engagement in School: What is it?

Attendance and Discipline Social
Participation in extracurricular activities Feeling a sense of loyalty to school

Academic
Being actively involved in learning

Passive vs. Active

Student Engagement in School: What is it?

Attendance and Discipline Social
Participation in extracurricular activities Feeling a sense of loyalty to school

Academic
Being actively involved in learning

Passive vs. Active

Behavioral Engagement
Completing

homework
Asking for help

Trying hard
Persisting in the face of failure
Based on National Research Council (2004); Fredericks et al (2011)
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Cognitive Engagement
Paying attention in class

Problem solving Meta-cognitive strategies

Based on National Research Council (2004); Fredericks et al (2011)

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Emotional Engagement
Enthusiasm

Pride in
accomplishment Interest

Based on National Research Council (2004); Fredericks et al (2011)

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What Leads to Engagement?

Environment Educational Context & Instruction

Psychological I Can (Competence, Control) I Want To (Values, Goals) I Belong (Social Connection)

Academic Engagement

Based on National Research Council (2004)

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Classroom Design Principles for Academic Engagement

Caring teachers Choice High expectations for learning Meaningful curriculum

Challenging work Active involvement Collaborative work Variety of activities Personalized learning (prior knowledge and interest) Work that is meaningful outside the classroom
Based on National Research Council (2004); Klem & Connell (2005)

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Policies That Promote Academic Engagement

Grouping of students
Use group size to promote belonging Group by interest (NOT performance)

Length of classes Common planning times Additional tutoring/support for struggling students Community-based mentors Accountabilitythe double-edged sword!

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Schoolwide Reform Models

Coalition of Essential Schools First Things First Talent Development High School High Schools That Work

Check and Connect

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Student and Classroom Interventions

Growth Mindsets (Dweck, 2007)

Increasing Value (Hulleman et al., 2010; Hulleman & Harackiewicz, 2009)

Reducing Stereotype Threat (Cohen et al., 2006) Promoting Sense of Belonging (Walton & Cohen, 2011) Attributing Failure to Effort (Wilson, 2006) Cognitively Engaging Instruction (Stipek, 2002)

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Limitations and Future Directions

Limitations
Only a few, rigorously tested student/classroom engagement interventions

No tests of schoolwide academic engagement interventions

Current research
Testing additional student/classroom interventions Design and test an Engaged School model
Integrated engagement interventions at the classroom, grade, school, and district level

Partners needed!
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Challenges in Selecting Effective Interventions

Do you have an engagement deficit?
How do you know if engagement is a problem in your school? Assessment!
Surveys Interviews Classroom Observations

If yes, then what type of engagement is lacking in your classroom, school, or district? What resources are available to you? What type of intervention(s) is possible/feasible? How will you know it was effective in increasing engagement?

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Poll Question
I am interested in student engagement for the following reasons: (Check all that apply)
Low student achievement Achievement gap At-risk of dropping out Behavioral/ classroom management Special education Gifted and Talented/ enrichment program Educational interventions on engagement

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Arlington Public School Efforts to Turn Around Schools: Engaging Students and School Leadership
Dr. Patrick K. Murphy Superintendent Arlington Public School

Arlington Public Schools: The Context

Schools in Improvement
3 Title I Elementary Schools identified as Focus Schools 1 Provisionally-Accredited High School (graduation rate)

Building capacity at the district level to provide clear support and accountability for priority schools Build high-impact leadership at schools and the division level

Create conditions to support and sustain transformational change toward effective schools

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Goals of Program
Design and implement shortcycle, formative assessment data systems Identify instructional decisions student-by-student according to performance data Recognize that there is not a single formula for developing and sustaining effective schools
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Build Leadership Team

Superintendent Assistant Superintendent, Instruction Assistant Superintendent, Student Services

Director of Early Childhood and Elementary

Supervisor, Title I Supervisor, ESOL/HILT Supervisor, Mathematics Supervisor, Science VDOE Liaison

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The Process
Monthly individual
meetings with principals

and District Team

Executive Leadership

training for principals

Involve school teams

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Focus on Students
Data walls Formative assessment Parent involvement

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Use the Strategic Plan as Your Focus

Present high and clear expectations for all students and include a consistent guide for the evaluation of student work. Within this framework, APS ensures that a core set of standardsbased concepts and competencies form the basis of what all students should learn.

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Use the Strategic Plan as Your Focus

Create engaging and motivating educational program choices that prepare students to achieve college and career aspirations. These choices provide opportunities for students to:
explore, discover, and optimize their individual strengths; recognize and help them overcome their weaknesses; and be evaluated and benchmarked against the best educational systems nationally and internationally.

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Use the Strategic Plan as Your Focus

Create an environment where all students feel challenged, supported, and accepted as they learn. Such an environment puts students needs, abilities, and interests first. Learning styles are central to students decisions on what they learn and how they learn it.

Students are active and responsible participants learning.

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Standards Of Learning Pass Rates

100

80 % Passing SOL

60

Asian Black

40

Hispanic
White

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Student Engagement in a Focus School

Ms. Maureen Nesselrode Principal Campbell Elementary School

Campbell Elementary School

Urban environment outside Washington, D.C. 418 students Public school Lottery with preference granted to certain neighborhoods Approximately 60% free/reduced lunch 45% receiving second language services 15-18% receiving special education services 6-8% receiving gifted services Expeditionary Learning School (national organization) Focus on the Outdoor Environment Developmental Appropriateness is a core value

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Defining Student Engagement

Students are invested in their own learning Students initiate tasks or extensions of classroom tasks Students are active participants in school activities

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Relationships
Looping with teachers Minority role models (staff and volunteers) Home visits Morning meeting Responsive classroom approaches Long-term relationships with students and families
PreK-5th grades

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Parent Involvement
Lottery for admission to the schoolparent investment Parent conferences three times a year Parenting programs in Spanish Students demonstrate learning to parents (Showcases) Parent helpers in classrooms Book Buddies program School-wide initiatives (Wetlands)

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Honoring the Cultures of Our Students

Students and parents share cultural experiences (songs, dances) Diversity is part of the curriculum Spanish program during the school day PTA meetings are potluck, multicultural dinners

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Designing Learning that Increases Engagement

Final products/projects are authentic and have an audience Students become the experts in case studies Students know the learning objective (called learning target) Student choice and/or student-directed projects Learning is hands-on and in small groups Students unpack vocabulary

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Measuring Student Engagement

CLASS tool (UVA)
Campbellmean of 6.0 (7.0 is the highest)

Teacher evaluation: observations Learning Walks: can students articulate what they are learning? Parent and student surveys Increased accountability for students on the watch list
Watch list is a list of students identified for intervention and/or remediation based on assessment data
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Supporting Teachers
Scheduling Planning time Resources Staff development Feedback on student engagement through formal observations

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Our Focus Going Forward

Strength: engagement in science, social studies, and writing Area for continued growth: engagement in reading and math

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Questions & Answers

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REL Appalachia Tools & Resources

Online Resources
Website: http://www.relappalachia.org/

Events information: http://www.relappalachia.org/news-events IES REL Website: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/

Monthly newsletter: To received our newsletter, email: RELAppalachia@cna.org (Subject: Subscribe)

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Stakeholder Feedback Survey

Please take a moment to answer the survey, rating the quality of the webinar.

Your feedback is important to us!

Your responses will help us improve our webinars to continue to meet your needs. Your responses will be kept confidential.

Thank you!
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References
Allensworth, E. M., & Easton, J. Q. (2007). What matters for staying on-track and graduating in Chicago Public High Schools. University of Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research. Appleton, J. J., Christenson, S. L., & Furlong, M. J. (2008). Student engagement with school: Critical conceptual and methodological issues of the construct. Psychology in the Schools, 45(5), 369-386. Cohen, G., Apfel, J., Apfel, N., & Master, A. (2006). Reducing the Racial Achievement Gap: A Social-Psychological Intervention. Science, 313, 1307-1310. Dweck, C. S. (2007). Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.

Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. (2004). School engagement: potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74, 59-119.
Fredricks, J., McColskey, W., Meli, J., Mordica, J., Montrosse, B., and Mooney, K. (2011). Measuring student engagement in upper elementary through high school: a description of 21 instruments. (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2011No. 098). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs. Hulleman, C.S., Godes, O., Hendricks, B., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2010). Enhancing interest and performance with a utility value intervention. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 880-895.

Hulleman, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2009). Promoting interest and performance in high school science classes. Science (326), 1410-1412.
Klem, A. M., & Connell, J. P. (2005). Engaging youth in school. In L.R. Sherrord, C. Flanagan, R. Kassimir (Eds.), Youth Activism: An International Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Co. National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. (2004). Engaging schools. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. Stipek, D. J. (2002). Motivation to Learn: Integrating Theory and Practice (4th edition). Pearson. Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011). A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science, 331, 1447-1451. Wigfield, A., & Cambria, J. (2010). Students achievement values, goal orientations, and interest: Definitions, development, and relations to achievement outcomes. Developmental Review, 30, 1-35. Wilson, T. D. (2006). The power of social psychological interventions. Science, 313, 1251-1252. Yeager, D. S., & Walton, G. M. (2011). Social-psychological interventions in education: Theyre not magic. Review of Educational Research, 81, 267-301.

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