DESIGNING THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM

Operating Principles	Resources
ELT is a significant opportunity to improve student learning outcomes and to elevate your students’ skills and knowledge, but doing so usually requires “outside the box” thinking -  Think big! Be sure that the students’ needs and interests drive the school design. The design and decision making process should be inclusive without being unwieldy; it should give voice to many perspectives (teachers, parents, students, school partners) without watering down the school’s vision or diffusing its educational program. When redesigning the educational program, be sure to modify curriculum and instruction to best fit the new design and structure.
Action Steps
1.      Develop a process through which decisions on various curricular and other programming options will be decided.  Included in this process should be an opportunity for stakeholders outside the planning team (e.g., parents, students, partners, teachers, school committee members, etc.) to provide feedback on various programming options.
2.      Use data to identify in what areas students in your school need additional support.  Consider conducting a time audit of how instructional time is used and compare this to what you believe students really need.  Be sure to document how much time is recommended by specific curriculum approaches that the school is using.	QS #1*
3.      Convene informal meetings or focus groups of teachers, parents, and others about possibilities for redesigning the school program and what an expanded schedule should offer.  Be sure to let stakeholders know that in this information gathering phase all ideas are accepted and of equal value; no decisions will be made for some time.	Focus group questions
4.      Use information gathered and identified needs to inform a facilitated brainstorming session about what the school could and should offer.  Through this session, develop a guiding vision for what the redesigned educational program can and should provide.  (See “ELT as Opportunity”)	QS #2* QS #3* Self-assessment tool
5.      Arrange for visits of planning team members (and others, if possible) to existing ELT schools and other innovative public schools. (To coordinate requests to visit these schools, contact Beth Herbert at beth@mass2020.org.)
6.     Identify existing resources and curricular and program options that might help to shape re-design (e.g., literacy methods, advisory programs, community partners that could provide enrichment programming, etc.).	Curriculum resources Time and learning research Grants database
7.      Lay out all options for how to redesign the educational program as gathered through stakeholder feedback meetings and site visits.  Consider the feasibility of each option in financial, time-availability and staff-availability terms. Based on this information, develop two to three sample school design scenarios which lay out:	QS #4* QS #5* QS #6*
Student schedule/educational opportunities Teacher schedule/professional development/planning time Staffing Budget Partnerships Use of facilities	Student schedules Teacher schedules Budget
8.     Present design and schedule scenarios to groups of teachers, parents, and school partners and seek feedback and suggestions.  See “Building School and Community Support”.	School Design scenarios
9.     Adjust design and schedule scenarios based on stakeholder feedback.  Decide upon which ONE school design model will work best for your school.  Remember, too, that the school design will change over time.  A simpler design may be best during Year One, with intent to layer in more programmatic elements as the faculty, students and partners become acclimated to the new school design.
10.   Prepare final design around which to build implementation efforts.  (See “Moving Towards Implementation.”)

      Question Set #1: Needs Assessment
        [Back to Action Steps]

• What have you learned about where students need to improve from analyzing MCAS results?  Have you identified which types of MCAS questions students’ tend to have the most difficulty with?
• Have you analyzed results from formative assessments and other class work?
• What does a time audit show about how the whole school day is used?
• What do parents say that they want to see more of in school?
• What do teachers say they do not have sufficient time to cover?
• Have there been classes cut over the last few years?  If so, what kind of programming has been lost?
• What are key barriers to learning that could be addressed at the school through the ELT model (e.g. additional mental health services, new physical fitness programs, etc.)? 

      Question Set #2: Re-Designing What Your School Offers
       [Back to Action Steps]

• What do you feel is missing in the current school schedule?
• Based on the learning standards, what do you want students to learn that they cannot in the current school schedule? What do students need to learn in order to be prepared for their next level (middle school or high school)?
• Are there certain skills (e.g., teamwork, problem-solving, technology) that students need to build?
• In what areas do students need to improve and what is the evidence to support this conclusion?
• Do you need to consider complete restructuring (e.g., mixed-age classes, interdisciplinary classes, etc.)?
• What do you currently teach that you would like to expand upon?  What should no longer be taught?
• What additional opportunities do you want your students to benefit from? What sort of enrichment or extracurricular programs would increase the learning engagement of our students?
• Will students be given the option to choose some programming in the expanded schedule?
• Looking at your School Improvement Plan and mission statement, what areas need more time in order to be addressed effectively?
• How do you challenge students to achieve?  Are there ways to strengthen these efforts?
• Do teachers need more time in small groups with students (e.g. advisory periods)?
• How will you address parental interest in having homework help time during the expanded schedule?

      Question Set #3: Improving Instruction
        [Back to Action Steps]

• Where have you focused professional development activities in the last few years?  Why and what other areas would you like to cover?
• What time do teachers need to collaborate?
• How can professional development take place during the school day?
• How should non-certified teachers/community staff be integrated into professional development and curriculum planning?

• Is there sufficient staff to cover all students the whole day?  Do you need more full-time or part-time teachers?
• Who will coordinate and oversee the implementation?  Do you need a full-time coordinator?
• Will you use partner organizations? How can they help staff the new schedule?
• Can you use any form of flexible scheduling (staggered schedules, job-sharing, shorter and longer schedules, teachers from other schools that teach during expanded time)?
• Will you need additional SpEd and/or ELL teachers?
• Will you need additional support staff (paraprofessionals, nurses, custodians, etc.)?
• How will staff that are shared between buildings be affected?

      Question Set #5: Schedule
        [Back to Action Steps]

• What beginning and ending times fit for children, teachers, and parents?  What are appropriate school time activities for children at their stage of development?
• Are you considering longer days, a longer year or some combination to meet the 25% time requirement?
• How will bus schedules need to be adjusted to accommodate the longer school day/year?
• Are there certain important out-of-school activities that the new schedule should try to avoid infringing upon (e.g., athletics, afternoon religious school)?
• Can certain out-of-school activities be integrated directly into the school day (e.g., musical instrument instruction, dance, etc.)?
• What kinds of scheduling innovations could be integrated (e.g., block scheduling)?
• Are you allowing time for additional snacks and breaks?
• How will transitions be handled?
• Will the schedule and transition from different types of classes appear seamless to students?
• Will longer days in the winter mean that children go home after dark?  If so, how can this be accommodated to ensure safety of all children?

      Question Set #6: Budget
        [Back to Action Steps]

• What does the expanded time cost for the following:

             -  Staffing (admin, regular teachers, SpEd teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff,
                guidance, nursing, partner organization staffing and mental health)
             -  Contracted services (transportation, snacks)
             -  Supplies
             -  Equipment
             -  Professional Development
             -  Other

• Are any financial resources needed beyond the state budget?
• What other sources of funding are available both within the school budget and from government or private grants to support expanded learning time?