Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Implementing the Brazosport Eight-Step Process and Correlates of Effective Schools Research: A case study for effective systems change

Organizational politics have the potential to facilitate or confound the process of leadership.  Given his argument that an unconscious conspiracy exists in contemporary society, which prevents leaders from taking charge and making changes regardless of their original vision, Bennis (1989) contended organizational and social forces are working to prevent change.  However, as noted in the March 2019 blogpost, an effective leader desiring to create an innovative organizational culture understands the existence of a natural resistance to change from individuals and cultures within the organization (Kan & Parry, 2004).
Therefore, a culture of innovation is optimized when the leader uses tactics that create a learning organization.  Creation of a culture sustaining the learning organization both engages and empowers employees.  This strategy gives credence to Tichy’s belief that the best thing a leader can do is be a teacher and develop other leaders while the organization keeps winning (Bettinger & Bettinger, 2006). 
Based on an Eight-Step Process, the reform of the Brazosport Texas school district provides a positive case study for implementation of this approach.  Although problematic state assessment scores and a desire for a positive school classification initially provided the motivation for Brazosport to seek school improvement, its motivation became “to be exemplary in every way and to help each child reach his or her full potential” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, p. 15).  “Hug power”, the result of two or more individuals joining together based on a shared vision and values (Boulding, 1989), provided the motivational model used in Brazosport and other districts that subsequently utilized the Brazosport Eight-Step Process and interconnected correlates of Effective Schools Research to create sustained education reform.  As Brazosport’s effective leader, Superintendent Anderson first built a district-wide vision for school improvement based on identification of problems resulting from analysis of disaggregated data. 
An important realization during the launch of its district-wide school improvement plan was for Brazosport’s stakeholders to admit their expectations were too low.  Their motivation for change then became grounded in accepting they needed to teach the kind of student that they never taught previously and then believing the tools were available to successfully teach them (Davenport & Anderson, 2002).  In conjunction with its stakeholders, the school improvement plan was implemented at the district level and thereafter at the school and classroom level.  The evolving but universal vision was grounded in analysis of disaggregated data down to the student-level, which promoted empowerment and accountability with all stakeholders, including the students by promoting high expectations and aspirations for success of all.  This also promoted more positive home to school relations, which is one of the seven correlates of Effective Schools Research (Lezotte & Snyder, 2011).  The Brazosport Eight-Step Process has proved effective for other school districts as Davenport and Anderson later identified trends that connect educators adapting the system based on identified needs with subsequent student success.
When the vision for change reached the school and classroom level, development and utilization of “academic groupings” and “teacher teams” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, pp. 65-66) created a climate of high expectations for success, which increased the opportunity to learn while promoting student time on task.  In Brazosport, academic groupings were used to develop five levels related to proficiency.  These groupings and teams promoted collaboration and effective communication by promoting common understanding related to student proficiency. 
As a practical, best practice approach, disaggregation of data was not seen as “a problem-solving process but a problem-finding process” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, p. 61).  As another one of the seven correlates for Effective Schools Research, frequent monitoring of student progress is essential.  Disaggregation and reporting of data provided the impetus for discussing improvement of instruction at Brazosport.
The use of data for school reform is well explicated in Effective Schools Research.  Researching this correlate, Bambrick-Santoyo (2008) found given “the proper interplay among interim assessments, analysis, action and data-driven culture, schools can be transformed, and a new standard can be set for student learning” (p. 46).  From using data-driven instruction, another benefit was teacher buy-in was created or increased. 
An analysis of the Brazosport case study (Davenport & Anderson, 2002) found, disaggregation was “a powerful driver for positive change” (p. 62).  Disaggregation of data can be a catalyst when creating a new vision for a district.  In Brazosport, disaggregation of data was used as a benchmark to determine student mastery of essential skills at each grade and then how various subgroups were comparatively mastering those same essential skills.  That practice provided crucial data for professional learning communities to identify and replicate what works or to determine when change was needed.
As implemented by the Brazosport school district, the “Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, p.34) was an evolution of W. Edwards Deming’s Total Quality Management (TQM) system.  TQM was comprised of 14 data driven points that Deming contended “were essential for business success” (p. 33).  Utilization of the Brazosport Eight-Step Process, which integrated the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, promoted implementation of results-oriented and research-based school reform that was subsequently replicated at each of Brazosport’s schools as well as other school districts.  Additional research on school reform by Comer (1998) and Childress (2009), indicates the Eight-Step Process, when integrating the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, and implementing principles of Effective Schools Research in an interconnected approach, has been fruitful. 
By contrast, a school district’s education reform efforts and its continuous improvement would be adversely impacted by the failure to consider the interdependence of the Effective Schools Research correlates and elements linked with reform.  The importance of the interdependence of the seven correlates of Effective Schools and the need to avoid implementing correlates in isolation have been well researched (Lezotte & Snyder, 2011).  Although consideration of each correlate in isolation is effective for becoming familiar with the related research, Lezotte and Snyder are clear that each correlate must be viewed as a necessary, but not sufficient, part of the entire school system’s desire to successfully achieve the learning for all mission. 
Reviewing systems change through the lens of the Brazosport Eight-Step Process, which integrates the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, and implements the interconnected principles of Effective Schools Research, helps to identify what school district initiatives are effective and which are ineffective.  A strong leader makes educational reform a moral journey by making the efforts for followers to join the initiative.  While it can be a detriment to rely on a charismatic leader during reform efforts, this is mitigated by the inclusion of quality principles such as those found in the Brazosport Eight-Step Process.  Therefore, whenever leaders depart reform efforts can diminish or gains may be quickly lost.  However, this potential problem is mitigated when a strong educational leader interconnects the correlates of Effective Schools Research and institutionalizes quality principles.  Such was the Brazosport case, whereby institutionalization was exhibited by analyzing, synthesizing, and implementing Barksdale’s successful classroom approaches through an eight-step process “similar to Deming’s Plan, Do, Check, Act, cycle” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, p. 48).

Following the success exhibited by the Brazosport school district, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) advanced the utilization of disaggregated data as a powerful motivator for change and school improvement.  While NCLB has been criticized for promoting teaching to the test, the Brazosport Eight-Step Process promoted and sustained success through effective school-wide management of focused learning goals.  Yes, a majority of time was spent on “direct teaching of the Texas Essential Knowledge Skills” (Davenport & Anderson, 2002, p. 90).  However, once foundational skills became observably mastered, teachers were empowered to assign projects that encouraged independent learning and that demonstrated mastery of content.   Therefore, from an educational reform perspective, any district implementing a system that replicates the Brazosport Eight-Step Process and the interconnected correlates of Effective Schools Research, should be more likely to experience success in its systems change initiative.  For students and other stakeholders within such a district, that research-based initiative becomes a win/win opportunity.  

To Cite:

Anderson, C.J. (April 30, 2019) Implementing the Brazosport eight-step process and correlates of
Effective Schools Research: A case study for systems change [Web log post] Retrieved


References

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Bennis, W. (1989).  Why leaders can’t lead: The unconscious conspiracy continues (1st ed.).  San
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Childress, S.M. (2009).Six lessons for pursuing excellence and equity at scale. Phi Delta Kappan, 91(3), 13-18.

Comer, J. P. (1998). Educating poor minority children. Scientific American, 259(5) 42-48.

Cortiella, C. (2010)  No Child Left Behind and Students With Learning Disabilities: Opportunities and

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Lezotte, L. W. & Snyder, K. M. (2011). What effective schools do: Re-envisioning the correlates. Bloomington,                   IN: Solution Tree Press.

Taylor, B. O. (2002). The Effective Schools Process: Alive and Well. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(5),  375.


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