Strategies for Improving Schools
Improving the educational opportunities of youth nationwide depends on access to strong schools at all levels. At RFA we are committed to understanding what it takes to cultivate, construct, and sustain high-quality schools. Our work shows that leadership matters, that teaching matters, and that political, policy, and community contexts matter.
High School Research
Supporting and improving our public high schools is one of the most critical goals, as well as one of the most daunting challenges. High schools bear the responsibilities of supporting and retaining those students most at risk of dropping out, providing all of their students with adequate preparation for college and career success, and guiding their students through some of their most difficult transition years.
For these reasons, as part of RFA’s mission to strengthen public schools and improve the outcomes of urban youth, we have committed to grappling with some of the most challenging areas of high school reform. Through extensive use of quantitative and qualitative data, we seek to understand how district and school policies influence student success, and how community organizations and partnerships can play a role in improving the outcomes of high school-aged youth.
School Choice and Diverse Providers
One of the most important trends in educational policy over the last two decades has been the introduction of reforms focused on school choice and privatization. Much of this trend, however, has been driven more by theory than by a reliance on research. To fill this gap, RFA has conducted comprehensive research in Philadelphia and elsewhere on topics including charter schools, public high school admissions policies, and the Philadelphia school district’s diverse provider model.
Selected Activities
- Chair, Mayor’s Education Data Work Team – Philadelphia, PA
- Member, School District of Philadelphia’s Taskforce on Secondary Education – Philadelphia, PA
- Member, Cross City Campaign for Education Reform – Philadelphia, PA
- Member, Pennsylvania Gear Up Research Advisory Board – Harrisburg, PA
Selected Projects
This is a national, multi-site examination of how teachers, students, schools, districts and others educational entities develop, respond to and/or utilize new assessment tools. Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, RFA is working with a team of researchers to study how the new tools are utilized in the classroom; and how an array of supports, including professional development and new technology platforms, affect the implementation and utilization of the new tools.
This study, commissioned by the Accountability Review Council of the School District of Philadelphia, focuses on the early months of Superintendent Ackerman’s Renaissance Schools Initiative, which is designed to turn around chronically low-performing schools. Thirteen schools are included in this initiative during the 2010-2011 school year, split between two strategies—external (charter) management, and internal (district) management. RFA’s research focuses on the role that community members play in the reform effort for each school; as well as changes in school climate, and staffing and school leadership.
RFA's study on high school choice builds on the "Learning from Philadelphia's School Reform" study and turns RFA's attention to the improvement of Philadelphia's high schools - a focus that was not part of the previous study and one that is sorely needed given the dire statistics on the city's youth. Philadelphia's system of comprehensive high schools has undergone dramatic change in the past several years. In this study, we use qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the district's approach to creating good high school options for all students, and we investigate neighborhood high schools from the perspectives of students, parents, and staff.
RFA is leading "Learning from Philadelphia's School Reform," a comprehensive, multi-year study of Philadelphia's complex and radical school reform effort. RFA researchers worked with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania, Montclair State University, Swarthmore College, and the Consortium on Chicago School Research to examine the impact of state takeover, the efficacy of a diverse provider model, the success of district-level leadership in managing a complex set of reforms, the engagement of civic and community groups with district policy and school improvement, and the key factors influencing student outcomes under various school conditions and school management models. "Learning from Philadelphia's School Reform" included a multi-faceted, vigorous public awareness component that engages leaders and citizens in the process of educational change, and informed and guided the national debate on school reform. RFA continues to disseminate information broadly through public speaking and the RFA website.
RFA examined the planning and early implementation of the School District of Philadelphia small schools strategy for high school reform, focusing especially on the significant role of public/private sector collaboration in developing and carrying out this strategy.
RFA participated in a study of the impact of a mathematics curriculum reform in 10 districts in the Philadelphia area.
This large-scale, randomized trial funded by IES involves 13 school districts, 48 schools, hundreds of teachers, and thousands of students. The first strategy involves assigning students to a two-semester Algebra course, allowing time for teachers to help students catch up on intermediate mathematics skills on an as-needed basis; the second strategy assigns students to a structured catch-up curriculum (the Johns Hopkins Transition to Advanced Mathematics curriculum) during first semester, followed by Algebra 1 during the second semester. Findings about impact will be available in Spring 2011.
