A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Key Features of Successful Schoolwide Programs

Planning and Design

The most basic characteristic is a need for extended planning time before project implementation. Successful projects are founded on at least one and sometimes two years of pre-implementation planning, and project staff actively continue to redesign the project after it begins. These schools didn't simply follow a planning formula, however; their leaders deliberately made planning a central part of the process of change, cultivating ownership by all interested parties to smooth the progression from existing options to long-term goals. The one-year planning cycle at Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in North Charleston, South Carolina, was typical: A committee of faculty and parents collected data, identified problem areas, and designed a project based on proposed solutions; a team of teachers and staff charged with "restructuring" the school reviewed the plan and presented it to the entire faculty; and the faculty attended a two-day retreat to discuss the schoolwide project. Other schools surveyed parents and students while developing their plans, and many included community representatives on planning committees. The size of the committees varied, with some schools designating committees for each component targeted for improvement, and most groups met weekly during the initial planning phase.

District staff play an important role in facilitating planning for successful schoolwide projects. "It is critical that the central office provides support--don't leave them out there hanging," warned one district planner. According to another Chapter 1 director, some of us "use the buzz words but don't know what they mean. The training piece [of the planning process] is invaluable. Many [planners] forget that teachers are not exposed to the various resources that administrators are." Both state and district offices establish planning outlines and suggest alternative strategies for reaching agreement on the program's new direction. (For examples, see Appendix B.)

Project leaders agreed that planning does not end with implementation and that the changes sought are not complete after one three-year project cycle. Schools with successful projects foster a sense that the project continually evolves toward ever-higher goals. "It takes a few years for schools to adapt to a variety of changes," said one Chapter 1 district director. "It's not something that can occur in one year. Schoolwide projects are works in progress. They're not going to be finished."

Because the problems that schoolwide projects seek to solve stem from many needs, successful schoolwides incorporate various approaches from an early stage of planning onward. This may mean simply maintaining enough flexibility in the planning process--by including a range of contributors on planning committees, for example--to allow the school to respond to new directions, needs, or solutions as they occur. It may mean integrating a project with other state and district school reforms, such as site-based management or performance assessment. Or it may mean actively seeking opportunities to parlay the project's advantages into more tangible benefits for the school. "We tried to maximize what we thought of as the spirit of Chapter 1, as opposed to [following] guidelines that were more limiting," explained one principal, who used her schoolwide project to attract foundation grants and partnerships from major businesses. "We did not seek out an extraordinary idea or specialty...[but] if we had it to do over again, we would be even more creative and adventurous."

Behind the best schoolwide project stands a strong, facilitating principal--but exceptional projects also involve planning by a wide base of co-leaders, including teachers, parents, district staff, and business and community representatives. In most cases, other project planners viewed the principal as a necessary catalyst--but viewed diverse planning committees as the tool for change. However, principals are quick to point out that the implementation of a schoolwide project involves so many changes and new options that it can only succeed with broad support.

A successful project also requires consensus among the staff that implements it, so planning means reaching a delicate balance between diversity and unity. One principal ensured consensus by replacing teachers who would not endorse to the new program's direction; many more courted teachers with frequent brainstorming sessions, workshops, or retreats. Principals made a point of including Chapter 1 staff fully in the planning process, realizing that their jobs would change the most. "Chapter 1 teachers sometimes are the schoolwide project's biggest critic, because they've been used to doing things in a certain way," said one district director. "Their transition is based upon particular habits...based on what they think Chapter 1 is."

The actual content of a schoolwide project varies significantly according to a school's specific needs. In several schools, however, project design was deliberately based on approaches frequently used by teachers of gifted or talented students, particularly those emphasizing critical thinking skills. Many were based on effective schools correlates (Bullard & Taylor, 1993; Edmonds, 1979): a clear and focused school mission, a safe and orderly environment, high expectations, an opportunity to learn, strong instructional leadership, frequent monitoring of student progress, and a positive home-school relationship. And although planning for a schoolwide project often began by addressing specific, limited needs--such as "improving math instruction" or "raising student performance to the 80th percentile"--the final design of successful projects eventually expanded to include most of the disciplines in the academic program. But one district director cautioned that project plans must include an adequate structure to serve the most disadvantaged students: "It must still reach the Chapter 1 children." A state evaluator, observing 10 years of schoolwide projects in Austin, Texas, emphasized that "schools must continue to concentrate on basic reading and mathematics or children quickly lose ground in these most fundamental areas of learning."
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[Academic Focus]

[Management and Organizational Structure