Completed Projects
South Dakota Board of Regents
In 2010 the
South Dakota Board of Regents undertook an initiative, with all
five public universities and the active engagement of the SD Department
of Public Instruction, to develop a new master's degree in teacher
leadership. The intent of the proposed new degree is to develop the
capacity of a critical core of teachers within districts and schools
across the state who will have the knowledge and skills to work as
teacher leaders in meeting the challenges and opportunities created by
higher standards for student learning and by the increased
diversification and needs of the school population in South Dakota.
Chancellor Jack Warner and system Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
Sam Gingerich kicked off the initial planning meeting in October 2010.
Joining the university faculty and deans from the five campuses (Black
Hills State, Dakota State, Northern, South Dakota State, and the
University of South Dakota) were a number of teachers and principals
from Stanley County. A second planning meeting was convened in December.
The statement of need, program
description, course syllabi and funding model will be presented to the
SDBOR in June 2011 in order to begin offering the proposed master's
degree by summer 2012. TMG partner Charles Coble served as facilitator
of both planning meetings and will continue to assist in moving the
initiative forward, even as the state deals with more restrictive budget
realities.
Wyoming Department of Education
The
Wyoming
Department of Education (WDE) contracted with TMG to assist
in the organization, resource selection and creation of vetting
protocols for an online resource clearinghouse to be located on the
Department’s online Fusion
Portal for school improvement. Via focus groups and an online survey TMG collected feedback from educators and administrators about the
resource needs in schools and districts throughout the state, and worked with WDE staff to design the arrangement of resource portal information
and create descriptions of categories, and then beta test the
organization schema with school district personnel.
Rural Education in Colorado
TMG partners Katy Anthes and Cathy Walker assisted the East Central BOCES in the preparation of a report on rural education in Colorado, based on interviews with superintendents and educators in school districts throughout the state. Colorado has 178 school districts, and most are in rural areas that bring a particular set of challenges to educators and administrators. The final report was submitted to the Colorado Department of Education in early 2011. Shortly thereafter, acting on one recommendation in the report, CDE appointed an Assistant Commissioner for Rural Education, who will work directly with rural superintendents to address the particular needs of rural districts.
Colorado Department of Education (2010)
TMG assisted the newly formed Office of Dropout Prevention, which is supported by ARRA funds, to create a technical assistance framework. TMG facilitated meetings with ODP staff and alternative education stakeholders to ensure that dropout prevention strategies are aligned with other efforts in the state as well as with funding sources. Numerous programs and strategies are employed throughout Colorado to prevent students from dropping out and to intervene when students do not succeed in the traditional classroom. ODP and stakeholders have identified program and funding gaps and will collaborate on finding solutions to the gaps and to better align programs.
Administrative Unit Task Force
TMG completed its work advising and facilitating deliberations of the Administrative Unit Task Force in its charge to develop recommendations for changes to State Board regulations that will improve and enhance services for special education students. In spring and summer of 2010 TMG facilitated several in-depth meetings at which the Task Force defined specific AU components and processes and finalized its report and recommendations to the Commissioner. Task Force members presented their report to the State Board of Education in September 2010.
In December 2009 the Third Mile Group was asked to advise and staff the Colorado Afterschool Network (CAN) as it transitioned to its next incarnation as a network and advocate for out-of-school learning experiences. Created six years ago to work with Colorado communities to build systems, supports and resources for quality out-of-school learning opportunities, CAN’s goal was to connect providers, policymakers and other stakeholders throughout Colorado into a force demonstrating that after-school programs work and are a vital part of community life. CAN represented program providers and key stakeholders and operated as a valuable resource and advocate to engage partners, find solutions and communicate the vision and goals of extended learning opportunities in the state. A key outcome of the work of CAN was the recommendation to the Colorado Department of Education to create the Expanded Learning Opportunity Commission, and to institutionalize and sustain the Commission as an essential guardian of the long-term vision for extended learning and out-of-school programs in Colorado. The Colorado Afterschool Network will now become aligned with the ELO Commission in the form of the ELO Network, and will be housed at the Colorado Legacy Foundation (see Current Projects). Through this reorganization CAN members and ELO stakeholders in Colorado will be able to expand and leverage their work as well as strengthen collaborative initiatives with the Colorado Department of Education. TMG provided assistance to CAN in this transition effort, and also to CAN/ELO Network in submission of a grant application to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Wyoming Afterschool Alliance
TMG
partner Katy Anthes assisted the Wyoming Afterschool
Alliance (WYAA) on sustainability and policy planning to ensure the
viability and stability of the organization, including submission of a
grant application to the Mott Foundation. The WYAA dedicates itself to
ensuring equal access to afterschool programs for all school-aged
Wyoming youth. The goals of WYAA include: (1) creating a sustainable
structure of statewide, regional and local partnerships, particularly
school community partnerships; (2) supporting the development and
growth of statewide policies that will secure the resources needed to
sustain new and existing afterschool programs; and (3) supporting
statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.
Board of Regents, University System of Georgia
TMG
partner Charles Coble completed his scope of work with the Board of Regents
of the University System of Georgia on its strategic plan goal to
produce 80% of the state’s need for new teachers by the year 2020.
Coble made numerous trips to Georgia to meet with system staff as well
as university representatives to provide consultation and expertise in efforts
to (1) expand the number of USG institutions offering teacher
preparation; (2) define more specifically what the supply and demand
for teachers throughout Georgia and align programs to help address
those needs; (3) assist in the development of proposals to help build
campus capacity to address specific needs for teachers.
National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (NCTAF)
As
part of the National Commission on Teaching for America’s Future
(NCTAF) project on teacher pension plans and school staffing policies
(supported by the Gates Foundation), TMG completed an examination and
comparison of pension plans and policies from 15 states as well as case
study reports on five states (Georgia, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio
and Texas), focusing particularly on incentives and implications for
early retirement and for retirees returning to teaching. The research
will inform NCTAF’s efforts to create cross-generational learning
teams, as well as an understanding of pension components that encourage
teachers to persist in the profession and barriers to retirement
flexibility. NCTAF presented the project findings in Washington,
DC in January 2010.
Wyoming Department of Education
TMG
completed a scope of work for the Wyoming Department of Education
At-Risk Task Force, including production of a policy brief on dropout
prevention and research and data on other states’ efforts for
decreasing the dropout rate and increasing high school completion
rates. The task force was seeking to create a continuum of support
services for at-risk students that will be considered by policymakers
in 2010. A number of states and/or cities have implemented similar
ideas, sometimes called “collaborative management programs,” that
encourage partnerships among schools and human and social service
providers, maximize resources and promote comprehensive policies for
children and youth. TMG Partner Katy Anthes provided the task force
with expertise and assistance on crafting policy recommendations for
consideration by the Wyoming legislature.
Education Commission of the States
TMG
assisted the Education Commission of the States (ECS) in launching a
teaching quality and leadership initiative. The first step was a
meeting held in March 2009 of the “strategy team,” a panel of national
experts on teaching programs, practices, systems, and student
assessment. The team engaged in a day-long discussion about the most
effective teacher competencies, past efforts and initiatives and key
levers for improving teacher quality, creating political and public
will on teacher education, and data and other system needs for moving
forward. The overall objective of the national project will be to
demonstrate the fundamental connection between the quality of the
teachers in the classroom and the preparedness and capability of school
leaders, and translate that connection into effective educational
policy and practice in the states. ECS has prepared a concept paper
describing the overall design of a pilot project, including
expectations and requirements for participating pre-service
organizations and preparation programs.
Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA)
The Third Mile Group, as a subcontractor with Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA), conducted an evaluation of the Ritchie Program for School Leadership. The program represents a unique partnership between Denver University (DU) and Denver Public Schools (DPS) to train principals as instructional leaders for the urban school district. The Donnell-Kay Foundation of Denver supported this evaluation to determine the success and sustainability of the program. We interviewed current students, graduates of the program who are sitting principals, mentor principals, faculty and administrators at both DU and DPS. Our final report, presented to the DPS superintendent in October, outlined the strengths of the program – a rigorous selection process, robust and relevant curriculum, strong faculty and community of practice – and offered recommendations for improving specific areas. In September 2008, DPS received a five-year federal grant that will help support the internship and mentoring components of the Ritchie Program.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA)
In
1992, CASA created the program model for CASASTART and set this bold
new program into motion. CASASTART (Striving Together to Achieve
Rewarding Tomorrows) is a community-based, school-centered substance
abuse and violence prevention program aimed at high-risk
8-to-13-year-olds and their families, and the neighborhoods in which
they live. CASASTART brings together key stakeholders in schools, law
enforcement agencies, social service and health agencies, and uses
intensive case management to work with youth. The Third Mile Group was very successful in connecting CASA with several education policy
organizations toward the goal of developing and sustaining partnerships
in the education sector.
In September 2008 TMG Partner Katy
Anthes and CASA Vice President Lawrence Murray traveled to the San Luis
Valley in Southern Colorado to visit two sites that operate the
CASASTART program. The program has shown many positive outcomes for
middle school students including, better grades, higher test scores and
lower dropout rates. The site visit was an effort to learn how
CASASTART operates successfully in rural Colorado, and they coincided
with informational and community meetings in Denver to discuss ways in
which CASA START might be expanded to other areas in Colorado.
The Wallace Foundation/Council of Chief State School Officers
Our two-year project with The Wallace Foundation on developing effective leadership systems - managed by the Council of Chief State School Officers - ended in August 2008. The culminating conference for the Leadership Issue Groups (LIG) on Governance, Resource Allocation and Incentives, and Data-informed Decisionmaking was held in early May in Atlanta, at which we showcased the work and products developed over the past three years of the project. We are continuing to work with some of the state departments and districts in organizing a Professional Learning Community (see PLC above). The website for the Data-informed Decisionmaking LIG is available via the CCSSO website. As a community of practice, the LIGs conduct action research, study best policies and practices, and implement changes to their education systems according to the new lessons they have learned.
Colorado Department of Education (2007-2009)
TMG worked on several fronts for the Colorado Department of Education. When the Department launched its Forward Thinking strategic plan in fall 2007, TMG partners facilitated and summarized a series of meetings around the goals of the plan. We also completed research and analysis for the Department on a number of issues; worked with staff to coordinate alignment of education initiatives and projects among the governing entities of the state; and facilitated strategic planning with the State Board of Education.
TMG also has worked with the Legacy Foundation, a non-profit, independent entity created by the Colorado Department of Education, to launch the Foundation’s Legacy Scholars Program. This multipart strategic initiative aims to recruit the best and brightest minds in Colorado to serve as teachers. The strategies will include, but are not limited to: a marketing and public relations campaign around the profession of teaching; a systemic recruitment plan for getting young students interested in teaching as well as re-engaging mid- and post-career citizens to teach; a clearinghouse of information and pathways into teaching; and engaging the business community much more meaningfully in the recruitment, preparation and experience of teaching. In addition, this initiative seeks to ensure that the various well-meaning teaching reforms across the state are mutually supportive, directed toward the same education vision and clear to practitioners in districts and schools. In addition to assisting in the preparation of a concept paper, TMG helped organize and facilitate six focus groups of key education leaders, practitioners and stakeholders to vet the plan and goals. Following a series of discussions with national experts, TMG assisted in preparation of a draft report that outlines the first steps for launching the program.
Professional Learning Community
In summer/fall 2008, the Third Mile Group worked in partnership with JM Armstrong and Associates and Targeted Leadership Consulting to develop, convene and implement ongoing professional networking and learning activities for a group of states, districts, and strategic partners that wish to engage in and maintain a Professional Learning Community (PLC) on key issues facing school and district leaders in the areas of data-informed decisionmaking and resource allocation. The PLC was created out of the Leadership Issue Groups, a three-year project sponsored by the Wallace Foundation and managed by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The first meeting of the PLC took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October 2008. The objectives of the group are to provide interested school and district leaders a venue to advance and deepen their work by collaborating with other sites working on the same issues; convene meetings and provide ongoing facilitation through an online community of practice; facilitate brokering and connectivity of the issue group participants to other experts and organizations who can provide assistance; and to coordinate or participate in writing materials and publications that track, analyze and communicate the work being conducted by participants to constituents across the country.
American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE)
From January through May 2008, TMG Partner Charles Coble facilitated the Accreditation Task Force convened by AACTE. The charge of the task force was to outline a vision of accreditation in educator preparation that provides common ground to guide accreditation, identify building components that would serve this vision, and recommend next steps and implementation needed to achieve these accreditation goals for the education profession. Members of the task force represent AACTE, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. The Task Force's final report is available on the AACTE website.
Learning Point Associates (LPA)
The Third Mile Group most recently produced a policy brief for LPA on the latest news in human capital resource allocation in the education sector and also in creating a written summary of LPA’s resources and “Tips and Tools on increasing the effectiveness of leadership quality.
In collaboration with LPA leaders, TMG led the process for designing and delivering a new initiative on education leadership. TMG conducted research and policy analysis on state- and district-level non-degree-granting leadership programs to identify where gaps exist and where additional attention and resources are needed. TMG then facilitated multiple staff meetings to determine how these gaps might translate into a new initiative for LPA. LPA used this information to host a national summit conference – designed and facilitated by TMG – on the "next wave" of education leadership.
TMG also has worked with LPA’s National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality (NCCTQ) to develop a survey for district superintendents and school board chairs to gather information on how to better harness the power of the media to support local education goals. LPA and NCCTQ asked education leaders about local and national media coverage of education issues to determine how to both educate the media and improve coverage. This information will be used to craft workshops and information sessions for the education media in order to draw a stronger, more productive connection between schools and the media. The survey results will be presented in an article planned for this fall.
LPA, a national non-profit organization conducts research, policy studies and evaluations, and delivers professional services to transform education systems and student learning. LPA has expertise in teacher quality, data-driven school improvement, literacy, and afterschool programming. The Regional Educational Laboratory- Midwest and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality are two federally funded contracts managed by LPA.
Council of Chief State School Officers/Secondary School Redesign
TMG partner Katy Anthes was part of the design/development team that created the self-assessment tool for this CCSSO project on high school redesign. To help states build the capacity to implement research-based practices and policies, CCSSO launched the Secondary School Redesign Project in early 2004 with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The project supports state education agencies with the planning and implementation of their high school redesign efforts by providing technical assistance in areas that states defined as high priorities.
The self-assessment tool was developed to assist SEAs in making important capacity and leadership decisions and planning a cohesive set of strategies for statewide secondary school (middle and high school) redesign. It builds on a theory of change that assumes that at least some components of the statewide SSR work must be centrally developed to ensure clarity, understanding, and a common set of standard expectations for secondary school transformation.
South Dakota Board of Regents (2007)
TMG partner Charles Coble assisted the Board in a nine-month systemwide review of teacher education programs at the state universities. TMG identified data sets and information for the review process and assisted with interpretation. Additionally TMG provided a national perspective for the review process and, through campus visits and meetings with university leaders, produced a report and set of recommendations for Board consideration. Recommendations urged development of:
- A common framework for all school-university partnerships and partnership agreements with each school district in South Dakota
- Recruiting initiatives to attract students into the education field, including more support for effective programs leading to teacher certification for bachlor's-degree holders
- A statewide assessment of teacher education program performance and link student unit
records in the K-12 and higher education systems together.
National Center for School Engagement (NCSE)
The National Center for Student Engagement (NCSE) strives to build a network of key stakeholders who share the belief that improving school attendance and school attachment promotes achievement and school success. The Center promotes collaboration among courts, schools and law enforcement to solve problems at the community level. TMG assisted the Center in developing its strategic plan for engaging and working with the education sector – nationally. TMG helped NCSE to “connect the dots” – to communicate to educators the clear link between school engagement – attendance, attachment and achievement – and school success. TMG identified networks and contacts for NCSE to pursue and cultivate toward positioning the Center as a valuable resource and tool to address the problems of at-risk youth faced by states and school districts.
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
The Third Mile Group provided capacity and project expertise to NCSL's participation in the State Action for Education Leadership Project, funded by the Wallace Foundation. TMG staff offered technical assistance to project states and connected state legislators to the ongoing work of this national effort on school leadership. The five-year project concluded in June 2007.