Entries tagged with: School Design

School Budget Hold’emSchool Budget Hold’em:
Online trade-off game to transform districts and meet budget challenges

ERS, November 3rd, 2011

Education funding decisions should never be left to chance. School Budget Hold ‘em is more than a game…it’s an interactive exploration of the thoughtful trade-offs school administrators have to make in these challenging budget times.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, per pupil spending, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability

Turnaround Brief #1Turnaround Brief #1

Education Resource Strategies, March 15, 2012

This is the first in a series that compiles and analyzes the results of our Sustaining Turnaround at Scale Summit held in October 2011.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, turnaround

The Resourceful SchoolThe Resourceful School:
Turning Crisis into Opportunity

by Naomi Calvo and Karen Hawley Miles
Educational Leadership, December 2011

The new Issue of Education Leadership focuses on tough times and strategies for making the most of decreasing budgets.

Tags: tough times, school design, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability

IMAGE-DESCRIPTIONTurnaround Summit Video

Videos from the ERS Summit, Sustaining Turnaround at Scale.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, instructional systems, turnaround

Summit Write UpsSustaining Turnaround at Scale - Session Summaries

A brief description of every panel presentation from the ERS Summit, Sustaining Turnaround at Scale.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, instructional systems, turnaround

Memphis White PaperMemphis White Paper:
Learning When to Hold'em and When to Fold'em

ERS, October 27, 2010

If your school district is facing a budget issue, it might surprise you to learn that the solution might very well lie in a game of cards. That certainly was the case earlier this year for the city schools of Memphis, Tennessee.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, turnaround

PIE NetworkAct Now to Transform School Systems

by Karen Hawley Miles and Karen Baroody
PIE Network, September 2011

This article identifies seven priorities that could help districts invest in transformation. It then reviews the barriers that prevent change and the steps state policy makers can take to overcome the barriers.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, district, budget

Restructuring Resources for High-Performing SchoolsRestructuring Resources for High-Performing Schools:
A Primer for State Policymakers

by Karen Hawley Miles and Karen Baroody with Elliot Regenstein
Education Resource Strategies

At this time of continued budget shortfalls when every dollar spent on education must yield maximum returns in student outcomes–states’ policies and regulations often inadvertently trap precious resources—making decision-making for districts even more difficult. Education Resource Strategies with EducationCounsel identifies four areas where state policymakers can make a big difference…

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, accountability, instructional systems, district, state primer

studentsVideo: Turnaround in Action

ERS, March 2011

See how two schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC district are approaching turnaround.

Tags: teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, teaching, district, charlotte-mecklenburg, turnaround, charlotte, principal

Seven Strategies for District TransformationSeven Strategies for District Transformation

ERS, September 2010

Learn about the seven key strategies for districts to improve student performance at scale.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, instructional systems

School DesignSchool Design:
Leveraging Talent, Time, and Money

ERS, October 2010

See how to align your resources with strategic school designs across your district.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, professional development, per pupil spending, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, school size, instructional systems, academic time

Turnaround SchoolsTurnaround Schools:
District Strategies for Success and Sustainability

ERS, September 2010

Help ensure that efforts to turnaround the worst performing schools lead to sustainable improvement for the students.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, instructional systems, turnaround

School Funding SystemsSchool Funding Systems:
Equity, Transparency, Flexibility

ERS, September 2010

Use existing resources more effectively by shifting spending, targeting cuts, and laying the groundwork for long-term change.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, per pupil spending, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability

The Strategic SchoolThe Strategic School:
Making the Most of People, Time, and Money

by Karen Hawley Miles and Stephen Frank
Corwin Press 2008

Learn how schools can best use the resources they already have.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, professional development, per pupil spending, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, school size, instructional systems, academic time

How States Can Support Transformation in Tough Times:
Presentation, Council for Chief State School Officers, Moving Forward Conference

Education Resource Strategies, January 13, 2011

With escalating education costs in a time of declining school budgets, ERS articulates for state leaders opportunities to shift scarce funds toward the most critical areas. ERS Executive Director Karen Hawley Miles gave this presentation in Chicago at the conference Moving Forward with a Transformative Education Agenda hosted by the…

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, accountability, instructional systems

VUE: Voices in Urban Education:
Fall, 2010, Student-Based Budgeting

This issue of VUE includes an article by ERS’ Executive Director Karen Hawley Miles and Manager Naomi Calvo on how “strategic decentralization” and weighted student funding can transform school districts, empower principals, and increase student achievement.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, per pupil spending, human capital, schools, strategic designs, accountability, instructional systems

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Read the nine detailed case studies that helped inform the report: Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools.

Tags: teaching effectiveness, school design, professional development, per pupil spending, schools, strategic designs, teaching, school size, academic time

ResourceCheck™ ToolResourceCheck™ Tool:
Assess your District’s Resource Use

ERS, July 2010

Take an online self- assessment to learn how your district’s resource use measures up to best practice.

Tags: school systems, tough times, resource allocation, teaching effectiveness, school design, human capital, schools, strategic designs, teaching, accountability, instructional systems

Strategic Designs: Lessons from Leading Edge Small High Schools

by Regis Anne Shields and Karen Hawley Miles
ERS, 2008

This report illustrates how nine high performing, small urban high schools across the U.S. are thinking about and organizing their resources strategically to best meet their students’ most pressing needs.

Tags: school systems, teaching effectiveness, school design, professional development, per pupil spending, schools, strategic designs, teaching, school size, academic time

Time & Attention in Urban High Schools:
Lessons for Urban School Systems

by Stephen Frank
ERS, April 2010

ERS, with the National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL), released a paper that documents how six urban school districts structure time compared to nine Leading Edge high schools.

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, academic time

By Design Not Default:
Optimizing District Spending on Small High Schools

ERS, 2008

Paper and tool that helps leaders understand and manage the drivers of small school spending.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Tough Times as Opportunity

ERS, June 2009

This presentation lays out a powerful process that districts can use to lay the groundwork for the kind of reform that will outlast the short-term funding of the stimulus and lead to dramatic improvement in student achievement.

Tags: school systems, tough times, teaching effectiveness, school design, schools, teaching

Academy of the Pacific Rim:
Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Noble Street Charter High School

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

University Park Campus School

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Boston Arts Academy

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Life Academy of Health & Bioscience

by ERS
Case Study

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Perspectives Charter School

by ERS
Case Study

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

MetWest High School

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Cost of Small High Schools

ERS, 2007

Literature Review:
This document considers the limited research on small high school costs, resource use, and constraints to understand the key questions surrounding the topic and identify further areas for investigation.

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

District Spending in Small and Large High Schools:
Lessons from Baltimore City, Boston, and Chicago

ERS, 2008

Do districts have to spend more to create small schools?  This report finds that three large urban districts spend more on small high schools than on large high schools—but they don’t necessarily have to.  While this higher spending is not necessarily undesirable, it is also not always sustainable, particularly given…

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Strategic School Diagnostic Tool

ERS, 2008

Download copies of resource worksheets from the book, The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money to measure how you currently use your resources and consider strategies for improving allocations to better support student learning.

Calculate how you currently use people, time, and money to support…

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs

District Resource Allocation Modeler (DREAM):
A Web-Based Tool Supporting Strategic Use of Resources

ERS, 2007

This web-based tool allows district leaders to test a variety of scenarios for resource use, and focus resources more strategically on their highest priority needs.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools

Small Schools Tool

ERS, 2008

The tool will assist in analyzing the impact of the school design on budgets and schedules as well as other critical indicators such as class size, teacher load, and time spent on core academics. For school redesign the tool can model several years of resource allocation choices and then compare…

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Freeing School Resources for Learning:
The "Missing Piece" in Making Accountability Meaningful

by Karen Hawley Miles
New American Schools

This article provides insight into how school systems nationwide are seeking to place more accountability for student performance with educators at the school level.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, per pupil spending, schools, accountability

Rethinking School Resources

by Karen Hawley Miles
New American Schools

This article presents a framework for districts and schools to use when examining school infrastructures to better support academic success.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, strategic designs

Five Case Studies on Revising School Schedules

by Regis Shields
New American Schools, 2005

This article provides examples for principals and school leaders of approaches by five K-8 schools in Boston and Cincinnati that have reorganized schedules to allow for common planning time and literacy blocks.

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, academic time

Taking Stock of the Fiscal Costs of Expanded Learning Time

by M. Roza & Karen Hawley Miles
Center for American Progress, July 2008

This paper released by the Center for American Progress explores the costs involved in expanding learning time for all students.

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, strategic designs

Resource Measurement Worksheet: Elementary Schools

ERS, 2008

Download copies of resource worksheets from the book, The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money to measure how you currently use your resources and consider strategies for improving allocations to better support student learning.

Calculate how you currently use people, time, and money to support…

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools

TechBoston Academy

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

High Tech High School

by ERS
Case Study, 2008

Case Studies of Leading Edge Small Urban High Schools

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, strategic designs, school size

Resource Measurement Worksheet: Secondary Schools

ERS, 2008

Download copies of resource worksheets from the book, The Strategic School: Making the Most of People, Time, and Money to measure how you currently use your resources and consider strategies for improving allocations to better support student learning.

Calculate how you currently use people, time, and money to support…

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools

Strategic Review of District and School Resources in LAUSD

by Stephen Frank and Jonathan Travers
ERS, 2007

This publication highlights the tremendous opportunities for improvement in the nation's second largest school district. Final Report May 2007

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools

Rethinking School System Resources to Create Excellence & Equity

by Karen Hawley Miles

This paper released by the Center for American Progress explores the costs involved in expanding learning time for all students. 2006

Tags: school systems, resource allocation, school design, schools, strategic designs

Cincinnati One Plan and Rubrics:
A comprehensive operational plan for attaining school and district goals

ERS, 2005

Upon becoming CPS Superintendent, Rosa Blackwell enlisted ERS to conduct a comprehensive review of professional development needs, spending, and activities in an effort to better integrate professional development activities with district-wide performance objectives. The recent analysis expanded upon many of the issues identified in an audit by ERS in 2000-2001,…

Tags: school systems, school design, schools, instructional systems