Steve Kukic, PhD VP, Strategic Initiatives Cambium Learning stevan.kukic@voyagerlearning

1. Building the Context of Excellence for All, Some, AND Few:Using Response to Intervention (RtI) as a Catalyst for Improving Outcomes Steve Kukic, PhD VP, Strategic Initiatives Cambium Learning stevan.kukic@voyagerlearning.com

3. Let’s Get Serious!A Blog on www.rtinetwork.org

4. Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Mark Twain

5. We can, whenever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far. Ron Edmonds, 1982

7. THE THREE CONSTANTS • CHANGE • PRINCIPLES • CHOICE

8. Change is good. You go first! Judy Elliott, 2004

9. Policy is not based on research. Policy is based on values. Research challenges us to question; tests us to change. Barbara Keogh, 1992

11. THE THREE CONSTANTS • CHANGE • PRINCIPLES • CHOICE

12. The Truth: Part 1 Every organization is perfectly aligned for the results it gets.

13. The Truth: Part 2 Every person is perfectly aligned for the results he/she gets.

14. SEE GET DO

15. Covey, 2004

16. Lesson 1: You can’t mandate what matters. The more complex the change, the less you can force it. Lesson 2: Change is a Journey, not a Blueprint. Change is non-linear, loaded with uncertainty and excitement; and sometimes perverse. Lesson 3: Problems are our friend. Problems are inevitable and you can’t learn without them. Lesson 4: Vision and strategic planning come later; Premature visions and planning blind. Lesson 5: Individualism and collectivism must have equal power. There are no one-sided solutions to isolation and groupthink. Lesson 6: Neither centralization nor decentralization works. Both top-down and bottom-up strategies are necessary. Lesson 7: Connection with the wider environment is critical for success. The best organizations learn externally as well as internally. Lesson 8: Every Person is in a change agent. Change is too important to leave to the experts. Personal mind set and mastery are the ultimate protection. New Paradigm of Change Fullan, 1993

17. Complex Change Lessons • Moral purpose is complex and problematic. • Theories of change and theories of education need each other. • Conflict and diversity are friends • Understand the meaning of operating on the edge of chaos. • Emotional intelligence is anxiety provoking and anxiety containing. • Collaborative cultures are anxiety provoking and anxiety containing. • Attack incoherence: Connectedness and knowledge creation are critical. • There is no single solution: Craft your own theories and actions by being a critical consumer. Fullan, 1999

18. It Takes a Whole Village To Raise a Child

19. How many children does it take to raze a village? Williams, 1992

20. Desegregation will break down the legal barriers and bring men together physically, but something must touch the hearts and souls of men so that they will come together spiritually because it is natural and right…True integration will be achieved by true neighbors who are willingly obedient to unenforceable obligations. Dr. Martin Luther King

21. A New Definition for Inclusion: Inclusion is a shared value which promotes a single system of education dedicated to ensuring that all students are empowered to become caring, competent, and contributing citizens in an integrated, changing, and diverse society.

22. 8 New Lessons for Complex Change Lesson 1: Give up the idea that the pace of change will slow down. Lesson 2: Coherence making is a never-ending proposition and is everyone’s responsibility. Lesson 3: Changing context is the focus. Lesson 4: Premature clarity is a dangerous thing. Lesson 5: The public’s thirst for transparency is irreversible. Lesson 6: You can’t get large-scale reform through bottom-up strategies—beware of the trap. Lesson 7: Mobilize the social attractors—moral purpose, quality relationships, quality knowledge. Lesson 8: Charismatic leadership is negatively associated with sustainability. Fullan, 2003

23. Raise the Bar & Close the Gap…WITH A VENGEANCE! A deliberate strategy… Fullan, 2003

24. Critical Change Agents • Knowledge and skills • A plan of action • Strategies to overcome setbacks • A high sense of confidence • Monitoring progress • A commitment to achieve • Social and environmental support • Freedom, control, or choice Hattie in Fullan, 2010

25. Elements of a Successful Reform:All Systems Go! • A small number of ambitious goals • A guiding coalition at the top • High standards and expectations • Collective capacity building with a focus on instruction • Individual capacity building linked to instruction • Mobilizing the data as a strategy for improvement • Intervention in a nonpunitive manner • Being vigilant about “distractors” • Being transparent, relentless, and increasingly challenging Fullan, 2010

26. If it works, don’t break it. If it doesn’t work, break the sucker! Kukic, 1993

28. Make students at risk A priority in the school Take a comprehensive approach Invest in staff development Raise expectations for students at risk Intervene early Coordinate instruction for each student Provide more quality time WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO FOR STUDENTS AT RISK

29. Characteristics of Effective Schools

30. The single greatest determinant of learning is not socioeconomic factors or funding levels. It is instruction. A bone-deep, institutional acknowledgement of this fact continues to elude us. Schmoker, 2006

31. “A fundamental responsibility of teachers is to create and sustain conditions that will promote learning for each and all of their students. They assume that every student is capable of learning. This is both a pedagogical and moral imperative. To meet this responsibility, teachers plan, decide, create, and reflect on conditions of learning. The basic learning conditions include motivation and encouragement, knowledge of subject matter, opportunity to learn, time, space, appropriate curricular materials, clear instruction, and methods of measuring student learning progress.” Goodlad, Moral Dimension pg. 261

32. Instructional Design Questions • What will I do to establish and communicate learning goals, track student progress, and celebrate success? • What will I do to help students effectively interact with new knowledge? • What will I do to help students practice and deepen their understanding of new knowledge? • What will I do to help students generate and test hypotheses about new knowledge? • What will I do to engage students? • What will I do to establish or maintain classroom rules and procedures? • What will I do to recognize and acknowledge adherence and lack of adherence to classroom rules and procedures? • What will I do to establish and maintain effective relationships with students? • What will I do to communicate high expectations for all students? • What will I do to develop effective lessons organized into a cohesive unit? Marzano, 2007

33. Socio Economic Status may create a problem, but it doesn’t prohibit the solution. Dr. Larry Tihen, 2008

34. Teaching had 6 to 10 times as much impact on achievement as all other factors combined. Mortimore & Sammons, 1987

35. The Stretch Culture The Professional Learning Community model is based on the premise that all student benefit when placed in a challenging and supportive environment. The staff of a Professional Learning Community attempts to create a culture that stretches all students beyond their comfort zone and then provides the support to help them be successful in meeting the challenge. DuFour, et al., 2004

36. RtI Questions for Discussion • How would outcomes and practice be affected if we made educational decisions based on student outcome data vs. tradition? • What would happen if we focused our school reform efforts on the needs of students at risk rather than on the needs of students who don’t need effective instruction to learn proficiently? • How important is the context of school structure for intervention success? • What should be the balance between academic and behavioral intervention? • What’s your action plan for RtI?

37. The Findings • Districts had the courage to acknowledge poor performance and the will to seek solutions. • Districts put in place a systemwide approach to improving instruction—one that articulated curricular content and provided instructional supports. • Districts instilled visions that focused on student learning and guided instructional improvement. • Districts made decisions based on data, not instinct. • Districts adopted new approaches to professional development that involved a coherent and district-organized set of strategies to improve instruction. • Districts redefined leadership roles. • Districts committed to sustaining reform over the long haul. Beyond Islands of Excellence, Learning First Alliance, 2003

38. The 4 Roles of Leadership

39. Context is everything! Donnalyn Anton, LAUSD, 2007

40. THE THREE CONSTANTS • CHANGE • PRINCIPLES • CHOICE

41. Wisdom In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. Yogi Berra

42. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Professor Albus Dumbledore Headmaster, Hogwarts School of Magic

43. Brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. Randy Pausch, 2006

44. A Call to ActionThe relentless pursuit of excellence:Thriving on CHAOS! Collaboration with one purpose, to improve achievement Hierarchy of tiered, effective, academic and behavioral interventions implemented with fidelity All, Some, AND Few as the consistent focus One child at a time, instructional decisions based on progress monitoring data Systems change with coherence to Close The Achievement Gap C – H – A – O – S –

46. A Call to ActionThe relentless pursuit of excellence:Thriving on CHAOS! Collaboration with one purpose, to improve achievement C – H – A – O – S –

47. Bonding Bonding depends upon everyone being bound to a set of shared purposes, ideas, and ideals that reflect their needs, interests, and beliefs. Sergiovanni, 2000

48. 40 Developmental AssetsSearch Institute www.search-institute.org Family support Positive family communication Other adult relationships Caring neighborhood Caring school climate Parent involvement in schooling Community values youth Youth given useful roles Service to others Safety Family boundaries School boundaries Neighborhood boundaries Adult role models Positive peer influence High expectations Creative activities Youth programs Religious community Time at home Achievement motivation School engagement Homework Bonding to school Reading for pleasure Caring Equality and social justice Integrity Honesty Responsibility Restraint Planning and decision-making Interpersonal competence Cultural competence Resistance skills Peaceful conflict resolution Personal control Self-esteem Sense of purpose Positive view of personal future External Assets Internal Assets

49. A Call to ActionThe relentless pursuit of excellence:Thriving on CHAOS! Collaboration with one purpose, to improve achievement Hierarchy of tiered, effective, academic and behavioral interventions implemented with fidelity C – H – A – O – S –

50. Is your school really a PLC? Four Critical questions: • What is it we want all students to learn—by grade level, by course, and by unit of instruction? • How will we know when each student has acquired the intended knowledge and skills? • How will we respond when students experience initial difficulty so that we can improve upon current levels of learning? • How will we respond when students learn more quickly than we expect? DuFour, et al., 2004