inside school-university partnerships: successful...

B U I L D I N GE D U C AT I O N A L

S U C C E S ST H R O U G H

COLLABORAT ION IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Inside School-University Partnerships:Successful Collaborations to Improve

High School Student Achievement

Melissa Friedman MacDonald and Aimée Dorr, UCLA

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Inside School-University Partnerships:Successful Collaborations to Improve

High School Student Achievement

Melissa Friedman MacDonald and Aimée Dorr, UCLA

A Resource Guide Inspired by the Work of Six Successful Partnerships

Educationalpartnershipsbetweenpublicschoolsandinstitutionsofhighereducationprovide

apowerfulmeansforenhancingstudentachievementandcultivatingcollegegoingcultures.

ThroughoutCalifornia,manyschool-universitypartnershipscurrentlyexistandareworkinghard

toclosetheopportunityandachievementgapsthatseparategroupsofstudents.

SponsoredbytheBuilding Educational Success Through (BEST) Collaboration in Los Angeles

County initiative,thispracticalguideismeanttoserveasaresourceforeducatorsinschool-

universitycollaborationsfocusedonimprovingthecollegereadinessofhighschoolstudents.

Thebestpracticesdescribedherecamefromparticipantsinsixsuccessfulcollaborationswho

attendedthe“TogetherforHighSchoolSuccess:LearningfromOurPartnerships”conference

held in November 2005. Conference participants also identified the collaborations that are offered

hereassuccessfulmodelsofpartnershipwork.

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Building a Foundation for Successful Partnership Relationships

Thereisnouniversalrecipeforbuildingschool-universitypartnershipsthatsustainthemselvesand achieve their goals. Best practices are site specific and are developed progressively over time. Thereare,however,severalkeyelementstobuildingasolidfoundationforsuccessfulpartnerships,includingthefollowing:

• Trust Developingasenseoftrustamongschoolsitestaffandallexternalpartnersincluding

institutionsofhighereducation,businesses,andcommunityorganizations

• Shared vision Ensuringthatallmembersofthepartnershipshareacommonvisionandareaccountablefor

achieving mutually identified goals

• Explicit assessment and accountability Devisingformativeandquantitativeassessmentstomeasureachievementand,equally

important,establishingadocumentationsysteminordertoaccountforanddemonstrateoutcomes

• Communication Creatingasustainablecommunicationsystemacrossalllevels(e.g.,withintheschool,

betweenschoolandpartners,withthedistrict)asameansofpreventingalossofcommunicationduetofrequentstaffturnover

Best Practices for Achieving Educational Goals

Bestpracticesarethestrategiesandactivitiesthatareeffectiveingivencontextsinaccomplishingpartnershipgoalsand/oraddressingpartnershipchallenges.Includedinthissectionarestrategiesandactivities that conference participants identified as best practices for achieving three important goals thatwillimprovehighschoolstudentachievementandcollegegoing.Foreachgoal,anexistingprogram model that exemplifies a best practice is described.

Goal 1: Develop and Implement a Relevant, Preparatory Curricular Model

Educatorsshouldfocusondesigningacurriculumthatissociallyrelevantandpreparesstudentsforsuccessincollegeandtheprofessionalworld.Goodcurricularmodelscreatelong-termacademictrajectoriesforhighschoolstudents.TheRobertA.MillikanHighSchoolPEACEAcademyanditsELEVATE Program are a fine example of an effective small learning community that provides such a curriculum.


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Developing an Integrated Curricular Approach: A Small Learning Community Program

RobertA.MillikanHighSchoolPEACEAcademyandELEVATEProgram

The PEACE (Personal success through Empowerment, Academic achievement, Conflict resolution,andEthicsinaction)Academyisaninternationalnegotiationsandleadershipsmalllearningcommunitythatpreparescriticalthinking,community-minded,collegeboundstudentstomakeanimpactontheirworld.Thisacademyengagesstudentsinlearningthroughsimulationsand games (Contemporary World Project through Stanford University and InternationalNegotiations through Whittier College), community service, field trips, student government, mentoring,anddebates.PEACEstudentslearnabouttheworldthroughhands-onlearningandrealworldexperiences.

WithinthePEACEacademy,ELEVATE(EnrichedLearningExperiencesViaAppliedTechnologyEducation) is a collaborative, technology-based program/connection sponsored by Verizon.Thisprogramblendsglobalstudies,environmentalscience,andphilosophy/ethicstogetherinordertoengagestudentsinanenrichedcurriculum.ELEVATEcombinestheeffortsofstudentsfromthreestatestosustainrelevantandresponsiblecommunityinvolvementacrossthenation.MillikanHighSchoolisoneofthreesitesparticipatinginthiscurriculum,withclassroomsinNewJerseyandIndianaalsoinvolvedintheprogram.WeeklyormonthlyTownHallMeetingsareheldviavideoconferencingand the teachersmeet regularly (bothvirtuallyand inpersononceasemesterandoverthesummer)tocoordinatecurriculumandactivities.Monitoredonlinecommunications and collaborations via chat rooms, email, and message boards are used tosustaininteractionsoutsideoftheclassroombetweenandamongstudentsandteachers.

Theprogramisevaluatedinavarietyofwaysincludingtheuseofstudentandteachersurveys,thedegreeofcommunityinvolvementbystudents,attendanceatcommunityinterventions(e.g.,beachcleanups),numberofhitsontheonlinechatroomandmessageboards,andstudentsuccessontheAPEnvironmentalScienceExam.Otherformsofmeasurementincludethenumberofstudentswhocommittovolunteerincommunityenvironmentalagencies,numberofstudentswhopursuephilosophyandethicsincollege,positionpapers/proposalsforcommunityinterventions,financial support from local businesses, student created web sites and other products, and the useofBrowsburg’s“UnderstandingbyDesign”methodtodevelopandaligncurriculumwithassessments.Thecurriculumisdirectlytiedtostatecontentstandardsandisexplicitinhowitmeets each standard. The specific content standards addressed by the ELEVATE curriculum include:PrinciplesofAmericanDemocracy12.2,12.3,12.6,12.10,andReading2.6,Writing1.3,Writing2.6,andListeningandSpeaking1.6,1.0.Instructionalgoalsandcurriculumcontentarealignedwiththesestandards.Further Information:FormoreinformationaboutRobertMillikanHighSchoolvisittheschoolwebsiteat:http://www3.lbusd.k12.ca.us:81/millikan/FordetailsaboutthePEACEAcademyvisit:http://www3.lbusd.k12.ca.us:81/millikan/SmallerLearningComm/Academies/Peace/program.html


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Strategies for constructing effective curricular models include:

•Developingapreparatorycurriculumthathelpsdemonstrateaclearpathtocollege o Createactivitiesthatgivestudentsaconcretesenseofwhattheyneedtodoinorderto

successfullyapplytocollege o Instructstudentsonhowtosetshortandlongtermgoalsandhowtomonitortheirprogress o Sethighexpectationsforstudentachievement o Cultivate aschoolandclassroomcultureinwhichstudentsaretaughtthattheyhavechoices o Teachstudentsexplicitstrategiesformakinginformeddecisionsabouttheirfuture

opportunities

•Implementingasmalllearningcommunitymodel o Fosteranenvironmentforparents,students,andteacherstodevelopclose,longlasting

relationshipsthroughouthighschool o Allowteacherstoworkwiththesamestudentsforfouryearssothattheydevelopintimate

knowledgeofeachstudent’sindividualneeds o Encouragesharedteacherplanningtimesothatastandards-basedcurriculumacrosssubjects

isintegratedandcommonassessmentsaredeveloped o Setrigorousstandardsforstudentperformance o Cultivateaprogramculturebasedonmutualrespectbetweenteachersandstudents

•Designingrelevantandengagingcurriculumwithconnectionstotherealworld o Focusonbuildingabridgebetweenacademiclearningandprofessionalopportunities o Collaboratewithcommunitypartnersinordertodevelopinternshipsthatallowstudentsto

applytheirclassroomlearning o Planjobshadowsinwhichstudentscanapprenticewithaworkingprofessionalforadayor

portionoftheday o Developproject-basedactivitiesthatincorporaterealworldissuessothatstudentscanapply

theiracademicknowledgeandseeitsrelevance

•Makingexplicithowthecurriculumandlearningactivitiesrelatetostatecontentstandards o Identifytheexactcontentstandardstobedirectlyincorporatedinthelesson o Setexplicitgoalsforlearningoutcomesbasedontherespectivecontentstandard o Createrelevantcurriculum,learningactivities,andassessments o Evaluatestudentlearningonaregularbasisandadjustthecurriculummodelaccordingly

•Engagingincollectivegoalsettingandcurriculumdevelopment o Collaboratetosetandachievereasonableinstructionalgoals o Provideconsistentcommonplanningtimesothatteacherscanbuildintegratedunitsacross

academicdomainsandcreatecommonassessments o Developevaluationstrategiesandcollaboratetoassesscurriculumeffectivenessandidentify

areasforimprovement

Goal 2: Provide High Quality, Relevant Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers

Itisimportanttoprovidequalityprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforbothexperiencedandnoviceteachers.Professionaldevelopmentshouldoccurregularlyandshouldbedirectlyrelevanttoteacher interests. The UCLA Center X instructional coaching model is a fine example of high quality, relevantprofessionaldevelopmentwithteachersinLocke,Jordan,andFremontHighSchoolsintheLos Angeles Unified School District.


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Teacher Professional Development: An Instructional Coaching Model

The UCLA Center X - LAUSD Partnership In Fall 2001 a School-University Partnership was established between what was then LosAngeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Local District I, and what is now LAUSD Local District7,andUCLACenterXinorder tosupport literacyacrosssubjectmatterareas.ThepartnershipbringstogetherLocalDistrictteachers,administrators,andparentleaders,andCenterXprofessionaldevelopers,teachereducators,andteachers.Thepartnershipfocusesoncontentliteracy,standards-basedinstruction,andinstructionalleadershipthroughon-goingprofessionaldevelopmentandcoaching.TheoverallgoalistodevelopacollaborativerelationshipbetweenCenterXandtheLocalDistrict’ssecondaryteacherssuchthatbothpartiesengageincontentliteracy-focusedprofessionaldevelopmentasapartofteachers’ongoingworkanddosoinawaythatimpactstheliteracyachievementofhighschoolstudentsintheLocalDistrict.

AsapartoftheCenterX–LAUSDLocalDistrict7partnership,UCLAsubjectmattercoachesarepairedwithLocke,Jordan,andFremontHighSchoolssothattheEnglish,Mathematics,SocialStudies,andSciencedepartmentsateachsitehaveongoingprofessionaldevelopmentsupport. As a part of the professional development work, the UCLA coaches at each sitespend time supporting teachers in their classroom work as they make sense of using theseliteracystrategies.Inaddition,contentprofessionaldevelopersworkwithteachersoutsidetheirclassroomsonedayamonthoncontent literacy.Allprofessionaldevelopmentoccursat theschool site and is specific to the needs of the teachers in a given content area at a specific site. A unique aspect of the partnership is that the professional development sessions take placeduringthework-dayratherthenafterschooloronSaturdays.Teachersaresubbedoutofclassesmonthly toparticipate inprofessionaldevelopmentaround literacystrategiesandstandards-basedinstruction.

Inaddition,eachcontentareaateachschoolhasdesignatedacadreleaderresponsibleforleadingandsupportingthecontentliteracyworkofcolleaguesinherorhisrespectivedepartment.CadreleadersandCenterXcoachesworkcloselytogethertoensurethattheneedsofteachersaremetbyprovidingbothexpertisewithcontentandliteracyandalsoresourcestosupporttheirwork.CenterXcoachesandcadreleadersmeetonceamonth(rotatingschoolsitesformeetings)toexaminestudentworkandinstructionalpractices,discussingthechallengesandsuccessestheyhaveencounteredthroughoutthepreviousmonth.

Further Information:FormoreinformationvisittheUCLACenterXwebsiteat:http://centerx.gseis.ucla.edu/[email protected].


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Effective teacher professional development can be achieved by:

•Increasingteacherinvestmentinprofessionaldevelopmentbyimplementingworkthatemphasizesleadershipskillsforteacherso Encourage teacherstoleadtrainingsessionsandserveasfacilitatorsinworkshops •Ensuringthatprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesconveyclear,concreteimplicationsfor

instructionalpractice

•Offeringprofessionaldevelopmentthatfocusesoncreatingwaysforteacherstocollaborateinasupportive,teacher-drivenenvironment

•Providingnoviceteacherswithpreliminarytrainingandstudentteachingopportunitiesthataresituatedwithintheschooland/orinthecommunitywheretheteacherintendstoworko Haveteachereducationprogramsholdcorecoursesatschoolsitesandincorporateunique

issuesfacingtheschoolsandstudentsinthecommunity

•Expandingprofessionaldevelopmenttoincludeteachersobservingotherclassroomso Have teachers use the observations to refine their own instructional practices and pedagogy

Suggestions for the timing, content, and structure of professional development include:

•Conductingprofessionaldevelopmentonaweeklyandmonthlybasis

•Holdingcontent-basedsessionsduringtheschoolday

•Schedulingcommonplanningtime

•Providingteacherswithasubstitutesothattheycanplanwithintheirspecialtyandgradelevel

•Conductinggrade-levelafter-schoolplanningsessionsonaweeklybasis

•PlanningSaturdayworkshopsthatincludeavarietyofactivitieso Analyze student assignments from the previous months as a process for reflection on teacher

andstudentworko Collaborate to create and refine standards-based unit planso Evaluatetestresultstodecidewhatishappeningwithstudentlearningo Developorreview/reviserigorousculminatingtasks

Effective one-on-one coaching in a teacher’s classroom includes:

•Providingreal-timefeedbackonexistinginstructionalpractices

•Developingstandards-basedlessons,culminatingtasks,commonassessments,andtestpreparationmodules

•Observingunitsmodeledbythecoachintheteacher’sclassroomroom

•Employingcoacheswhoareseenascrediblebytheteachersandschoolstaff

•Havingcoachesseentobeadvocatesforandalliesoftheteachers


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•Havingcoachescollaboratewithstaffonprogramdevelopment o Supportschoolanddistrictliteracygoals o Takealeadershiproleintheschoolliteracycommittee o CollaboratetodevelopCAHSEE/CSTtestpreparationmodulesthatsupportschool-wide

effortstopromotetestreadiness

•Havingcoachesfacilitatecommunicationbetweenhighschoolfeederschoolsandtheninthgradeteachers.

Goal 3: Provide Parents with the Means to Support Partnership Work

Parentsplayessentialrolesinensuringthesuccessofpartnership-inspiredactivitiesattheschoolsite.Inordertosupportpartnershipgoals,parentsneedconsistentinformationabouttheirchildren’sacademicexperienceandcollegegoingneeds.Moreinformedparentstendtobemoreinvolvedparents. The UCLA Parent Curriculum Project is a fine example of a successful parent participation program.

Parent Involvement: Leadership Development for Parents

UCLA Parent Curriculum Project TheUCLAParentCurriculumProject(PCP)isaprofessionaldevelopmentprogramforparentseagertoensurethatallstudentshaveequalaccesstoeducationalopportunities.PCPaimstobuildtheknowledgeandleadershipofparents,toincreasetheirinvolvementinschools,andtocreatea neutral and supportive environment in which parents can reflect on education, schooling, and reform.Parentsdevelopleadershipskillsincommunicationandmediationtoassistotherparentsinconnectingwithcounselorsand teachersso thatallparentscanhelpnavigate theirchildrenthroughtheschoolsystem.

TheUCLAOutreachParentLeadershipInstituteisanimportantcomponentofPCP.UCLAsubject-matterprojectconsultants,EAOPadvisors,andparentleadersprovideparentparticipantswiththeopportunitytoexperiencelearninginastudent-centeredclassroomenvironment.Thisleadershipinstituteenablesparentstomakesenseofthecomplexitiesinvolvedinpreparingurbanstudentsforcollege. Inaddition toanovernight residential retreaton theUCLAcampus, this thirteen-week institute consists of standards-based instruction in language arts, science, social studies,andmathematics.Parentsalsolearnaboutthehistoryofeducation,assessments,rubriccreation,and testing. Parents have the opportunity to participate in outdoor activities, communicationworkshops, and college preparatory coursework.Another crucial part of the institute involvesparentsapplyingwhattheyhavelearnedbycreatingtangibleplansforparentinvolvementattheirschool.

Further Information:FormoreinformationonPCPvisithttp://www.idea.gseis.ucla.edu/projects/parentproj/index.htmlorcontactLailaHasanathasan@gseis.ucla.edu.TolearnmoreaboutParentU-Turn,agroupofLynwoodparentactivistswhocompletedthePCPprogramandcontinuetobeinvolvedinadvocacyandreform,visithttp://tcla.gseis.ucla.edu/rights/features/7/parents/index.html.


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Educators can enhance parent involvement through:

•Holdingregular(bimonthly)parentmeetingsattheschoolsite o Considerparentworkscheduleswhenplanningthesemeetings o Providechildcareand/ortransportationtoandfrommeetingswheneverpossible

•Providingparentswithopportunitiestounderstandtheirchild’sacademicexperience o GiveparentsinformationaboutSATs,collegeadmissionsprocesses,andeffectivestudyskills o PlanSaturdayparentseminarsattheschoolsitewhereparentscanparticipateinmockSAT

testsandothersimulatedcollegepreparatoryactivities o Invite parents to attend college-related field trips and plan a wide range of field trips that vary

intermsofduration,date,andtimesoastoaccommodateparentworkschedules

•Informingparentsaboutlocalparenteducationprogramsthataresponsoredbyuniversitiesandcommunityorganizations

• Conducting home visits in order to create a new space for parent-teacher interaction and redefine normsforparentalinvolvementinstudentachievement

o Schedulethevisitaroundparentalworkschedules o Participateinfamilymealsorotheractivitiesasaspringboardtomeaningfulconnections

betweentheschoolandhomecontexts o Reducediscomfortparentsmayexperienceatschoolbyhavingtheteacherbecomeafamiliar

figure before the first school visit

Best Practices for Enlarging the School-University Partnership

School-universitypartnershipsaregreatlyenhancedwhencommunityprogramsandorganizationsandlocalbusinessesjoininthecollaboration.Outreachtocommunityandbusinessorganizationsisanimportantaspectofgoodpartnershipwork.Partneringwithexistingcommunityprogramscansavetimeandresourceswhileexpandingtheopportunitiesandprogramsavailabletosupportstudents.Buildingpartnershipswithlocalbusinessesisaneffectivestrategyforacquiringprogramresourcesandcreatingpowerfulstudentopportunitiessuchasinternshipsandjobshadows.TheRobertA.MillikanHighSchoolELEVATEprogramisanexcellentexampleoftheopportunitiesforlearninganddevelopmentthatcommunityorganizationsandbusinessescanprovideinapartnership.


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Partnering with Community Organizations and Businesses: Resources and Student Opportunities

RobertA.MillikanHighSchoolELEVATE(EnrichingLearningExperiencesViaAppliedTechnologyEducation)

Within the PEACE academy, ELEVATE (Enriched Learning Experiences Via AppliedTechnology Education) is a collaborative, technology-based program/connection sponsoredbyVerizon.ELEVATErepresentsasuccessfuleffort to integratecommunity resources inatangiblewaytopromotestudentachievement.Thisprogramhasbuiltrelationshipswithlocalbusinessesandcommunityorganizationsallofwhichhaveprovidedfundingand/orprogramsupport in the form of guest speakers and other student opportunities. The following listdescribeseachpartneranditscontributionstothisintegrativeprogram:

• Verizonhasprovidedfacilitiesandtechnicalsupportintheplanningand implementationphase.

• TheLongBeachEducationFoundationhasprovidedpartofthefundingand continuestoadvocatetheprogramatthedistrictlevel

• TheKiwanisofLongBeacharecurrentlyworkingwithAudioVisualIntegration SystemstofurtheradvancethetechnologyofferingsinELEVATE

• CILC(CenterforInteractiveLearningandCollaboration)inconjunctionwith Rockmanetal.researchesprogramprogressandmonitorstheuseofVistas(an onlinecollaborativethatallowsteacherstopostlessonsanddiscussmattersrelevant tothecurriculum)

• LBUSDTechnologyCurriculumLeaderalsoprovidesfundingandsupport

• CTAP(CaliforniaTechnologyAssistanceProject)hasalsofundedportionsofthis reformandcontinuestoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities

• HealTheBayhassentguestspeakerstohelptheprogramsolidifycontentknowledge andincreaseservicelearningeffortsinthecommunity.

Further information:FormoreinformationaboutELEVATEvisit:http://www3.lbusd.k12.ca.us:81/millikan/SmallerLearningComm/Academies/Peace/program.html

Incorporating community and business organizations effectively into partnerships can involve:

•Collaboratingwithleaderstobuildrelevantprogramsforneighborhoodyouth

•Recruitingpartnersbycommunicatingconcreteplansforhowtheircontributionswillimpactstudentexperiences

•LeveragingexistingprogrammodelsandtailoringthemtotherespectivestudentpopulationoAVID,EAOP,GEARUP,andMESAprogramsareexamplesofexistingmodelsthatare

easily adaptable to specific school needs


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•Developingconcreteplansforhowanycontributionsfromcommunityandbusinessorganizationswill be used (e.g., specific equipment, instructional materials, field trips)

•Establishinggoalsforhowcontributionswillimproveprogramoutcomes o Usecontributions,wheneverpossible,inwaysthatresultintangiblestudentlearningand

developmentoutcomes

•Creatingassessmentplansthatmeasureoutcomesandincludeaccountingforallcontributions o Establishexplicitmeasuresanddatacollectionplansinordertoensurethatrelevantdataare

availableforreportingpurposes

•Includingpartnersinprogramactivitiessotheycandirectlyobservehowtheircontributionsareimprovingeducation

o Havethemparticipateinschoolevents,visitclassrooms,andinteractwithstudents

•Maintainingregularcontactwithpartnerssothattheyareconsistentlyinformedofprogramprogress

o Preparemonthlynewsletterstocommunicateimportantprogramaccomplishments

•Providingappropriatedocumentationtocommunityandbusinesspartners o Writeregularreportstopartnersthatdescribetheallocationofresourcesandwhatimpactthe

contributionsaremakingonstudentachievement o Bepreparedandwillingtoanswercontributors’questions


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Acknowledgements

This resource guide reflects the hard work and insightful participation of all attendees at the “TogetherforHighSchoolSuccess:LearningfromOurPartnershipsConference”onNovember10,2005.Thesixcollaborationsthatattendedthiseventandcontributedimportantsuggestionsforgoodpracticeinclude:AntelopeValleyUnionHighSchoolDistrict,AntelopeValleyCollege,CSU Bakersfield, and UC Los Angeles; Centinela Valley Union High School District and UC Los Angeles; Compton Unified School District, Compton Community College, and UC Irvine; Long Beach Unified School District, CSU Long Beach, and Long Beach City College; Los Angeles Unified School District Local District 7 and UC Los Angeles; and Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLocalDistrict7andtheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia.ProgramdescriptionswereprovidedbyconferenceparticipantsfromUCLAandMillikanHighSchoolinLongBeach.Aspecialthank you to the steering committee which consisted of Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE)SuperintendentDarlineRobles,LACOEDirectorofCurriculumandInstructionalServicesRaynetteSanchez,UCLACenterXExecutiveDirectorJodyPriselac,andUCLACo-ChairofAcademicPreparationandEducationalPartnershipProgramsandDeanoftheGraduateSchoolofEducation&InformationStudiesAiméeDorr.Financialandin-kindsupportwasprovidedbyLACOE,UCLA,andallinstitutionsthatwhosememberspreparedforandparticipatedintheconference.


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