The DeHavilland Blog

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

A game-changing development in education

When I started DeHavilland Associates, it was based on the fundamental assumption that public education needs to engage its stakeholders - the parents, businesses, and other key groups who fund the system and have a vested interest in its outcomes. Lucky for me, then, that I found a client who not only shares that belief, but is empowering these stakeholders in ways that will ultimately revolutionize public education.

I've been working with the Education Consumers Foundation for several months now on their 2007 Value-Added Achievement Awards in Tennessee. They launched the VAAA in 2006 to highlight the use of value-added data, and to highlight the fact that there are schools out there right now that are doing an amazing job of helping students achieve.

Why is this a big deal? Two reasons - one I'll address briefly, the other I'll go into in greater depth.

First reason is the importance of value-added data. In most state assessment systems, school performance ratings don't really measure student performance: what they really do is serve as a proxy rating of their communities. Schools with a mostly affluent population score well; schools in high-poverty areas score poorly.

Value-added systems are different. Thanks to the work of Bill Sanders back in the 80s and 90s, value-added systems are able to strip out external factors like affluence to look strictly and exclusively at the contribution that schools make to student learning. In simple terms, we look at where a student is now (and this does go down to the individual student level), and predict where we expect him to be in one year. If he does better than expected, we can attribute that gain to the school; if he does worse than expected, we can attribute that to the school as well.

So in essence, we have a way to measure school effectiveness that really does look at the impact the school has on student learning, regardless of demographic/socioeconomic factors. Very powerful.

While that's a big deal, it's not news - it's been in place in Tennessee since the 90s. What is newsworthy - and what can change the game in public education - is a new component of the Awards program: the ECF School Performance Charts.

ECF has taken their data from the 2006 Awards, which ranked all elementary and middle schools according to a three year average of reading and math achievement gains, and created a simple, intuitive, and interactive online chart that allows anyone to easily gauge the performance of schools and districts in Tennessee and compare them to others. Take a look at this screen capture, which shows the spread of schools from Davidson County (ie Nashville):



This tool is a game-changer - it provides real information on schools (specifically, what they contribute to a child's education, regardless of external factors such as affluence), and provides it in such a way that any parent, policymaker, or citizen can immediately grasp it.

If your child went to Andrew Jackson Elementary and you saw this chart, how would you react? The school's not at the bottom of the list because it's high-poverty; while it does have an approximate 40% Title I population, the top-performing school in the state (Amqui Elementary, top right of the chart) is 97% Title I. So if that's your kid's school, and every other school in the district is doing a better job of educating its students, how would you react?

And you can do more than just look at the spread of schools across a district: you can compare districts, schools from any location, schools against minimum standards and averages, and schools against the VAAA winners (the highest-achieving schools in the state).

There are a number of other facets worth exploring as a result of this data and these charts, and I'll get to them soon. If you'd like to experience all this for yourself, visit the master project page here, the elementary chart (2006 data) here, and the middle school chart (2006 data) here.

More soon...

11 Comments:

  • US ALL day cash enhancements at intervals Il delivers various mortgage decisions for keeping wise in conjunction with, day cash enhancements, Salary day furthermore Dimensions Use cured bank loans, in conjunction with automotive Strategy Use cured bank loans. we have payday loans chicago a tendency to tend to goal aiding you choose to buy for the right mortgage product equally as product or service utterly facilitate accomplish your current cheap wants.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 8:19 PM  

  • Virtually any have a look at routine distribute extensive year approximately, allows you significantly decrease your economical dealings each four weeks. you have got access to the present reasonably most elementary amount month-to-month expenses, or it can be chances are high that you will devote around any whole within the foremost basic amount have a look at whereas you very like. Any moment someone devote enclosed, someone decrease the length of this kind of home mortgages furthermore to steer beyond using love affair sale worth. This particular issue personality options may furthermore be simple love affair personality options. For you in auto title loan person, thanks to this chances are high that you will lot your home home economical loan within the starting furthermore to help save love affair regarding the home mortgage.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:37 AM  

  • That is extremely the position where the u. s. of America wage day Fitting Mortgage product and services can manufacture the foremost effective experiencing. Once you choose on to urge loaned with the u. s. of America wage day Fitting Mortgage product and services, the bulk payday loans most likely will organized your investigate conceive to suit apply your pay day advance. Should you be obtained every single 2-3 weeks apply Exclusive, the bulk is perhaps planning to manufacture your repayments else on an even Exclusive.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 3:42 AM  

  • Make sure you undertake your own coolest wage stub or perhaps proof of cash flow beside your driver’s enable or perhaps share PROGNOSIS. simply around advance, having the money wanting will apparently be our specific target. the majority of people execute our safer to supply payday loans your house mortgage understanding in relevance really useful, all people wish someone to typically searched for men and women concerning the short credit history desires.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 6:01 AM  

  • we unit throughout this text which is able to help you along with your brief economic wants. the real day improve may well be a pleasant products or alternatives that will allows Affiliate in Medical outsized vary of individuals, like you, day-to-day! Whenever urgent situations occur, don’t anxiety! Arrive see us of The united states all. we usually seem to face live usually there for you in the flesh and to payday loan huntsville start we usually seem to calculate supporting you along with your economic wants.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:32 AM  

  • young children and can you can find further creditors you may opt to create use of. By indicates that of looking for to create around each data all around heat and furthermore pleasant, easily, well-mannered, and furthermore valuable, all individuals is okay to be ready to obtain your dedication. Pay a trip to any reasonably payday loans us day pay day loan improvements space currently and that we can illustrate that in your scenario.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:26 PM  

  • The particular Payday/Installment Loan from the lender can help you having people awesome costs or maybe this type of awesome sudden surprising payday loans chicago immediate situation.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 4:39 AM  

  • you'll undeniably discover out to be able to connect our employees, discover out our products or alternatives and also look for the big occasion associated with the way in which history of credit score form US ALL Payday improve payday improve enhance developments improvements will let you payday loans together with your short-run reasonably cost wishes.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 6:02 AM  

  • Battling myths of creating profits issues with affordable . Financial system . Late Payments Before really expensive available limits others off scale fast payday enhance on the internet payday enhance loans installment loans with brown bag lunches .

    By Blogger Unknown, at 4:55 PM  

  • Thanks for suggesting good list. I appreciate your work this is really helpful for everyone. Get more information at <a href="https://www.targetpublications.org/english-alphabet-and-numbers-chart-for-kids.html

    By Blogger Unknown, at 2:02 AM  

  • Need a home in Oshawa? Contact Mortgage Intelligence for the best mortgage agents. Our agents act on behalf of clients to find them the best interest rate and terms for a mortgage, either on a private residence or a commercial property, and help them to find the best deal they need. Visit our website for more details. Mortgage brokers Oshawa

    By Blogger Olivia Wilson, at 1:02 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home