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Copyright is retained by the first or sole author, who grants right of first publication to the EDUCATION POLICY ANALYSIS ARCHIVES. EPAA is a publication of the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education at Arizona State University and the University of South Florida. Articles published in EPAA are indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, ERIC, H.W. Wilson & Co, and SCOPUS.

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Volume 17 Number 7
April 10, 2009
ISSN 1068-2341

Improving Low-Performing Schools through External Assistance: Lessons from Chicago and California

Kara S. Finnigan
University of Rochester

Catherine Bitter
Jennifer O’Day
American Institutes for Research

Citation: Finnigan, K. S., Bitter, C., & O’Day, J. (2009). Improving low-performing schools through external assistance: Lessons from Chicago and California. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 17(7). Retrieved [date] from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v17n7/.

Abstract

This article describes the design and implementation of external support to low-performing schools using data from Chicago and California. Using the literature on external support, instructional capacity, and policy strength, the study gathered data from interviews, observations, document review, and surveys. The findings suggest that the model of assistance employed in both Chicago and California was inadequate to the task. While the policies examined demonstrate recognition that low-performing schools need additional capacity if they are to substantially improve student outcomes, external support providers used limited and haphazard approaches, and as a result, the support component had little influence on teaching and learning. In addition, because the external supports relied on a market-like support structure with few other mechanisms to ensure quality, and because there was limited quantity (intensity) of support, the benefit that external assistance might otherwise have provided was limited. This was particularly problematic for the lowest capacity schools, many of which experienced limited change despite increased educator effort and involvement of external providers. In essence, external assistance through these school accountability policies did little to improve educator and organizational performance.
Keywords: educational policy; educational improvement

La mejora de las escuelas de bajo desempeño a través de ayudas externas: Lecciones de Chicago y California

Resumen
En este artículo se describe el diseño y aplicación de ayudas externas a escuelas de bajo desempeño en Chicago y California. Este estudio recogió datos de entrevistas, observaciones, revisión de documentos, encuestas y literatura sobre la ayudas externas , capacidad de instrucción y fuerza política. Los resultados sugieren que el modelo de asistencia que usaron Chicago y California fue inadecuado. Si bien las políticas examinadas reconocieron que las escuelas de bajo rendimiento necesitan mas apoyo si quieren mejorar sustancialmente los resultados de los estudiantes, la ayuda externa fue muy limitada, usaba los métodos de manera azarosa, y consecuentemente tuvo poca influencia en la mejora de la enseñanza y el aprendizaje. Además, las ayudas externas emplearon estructuras de apoyo de cuasi-mercados con pocos mecanismos para garantizar la calidad, y dado que la cantidad (intensidad) de asistencia era limitada, los beneficios que las ayudas externas serian muy limitados. Esto fue particularmente problemático para las escuelas con menor capacidad, a pesar del aumento de los esfuerzos de los educador y la participación de proveedores externos. Básicamente, la ayuda exterior a través de estas políticas de rendición de cuentas (accountability) hicieron muy poco para mejorar la organización y el rendimiento escolar.
Palabras clave: rendición de cuentas; política educativa; mejora de la educación.

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some rights reserved Readers are free to copy, display, and distribute this abstract and the associated article, as long as the work is attributed to the author(s) and Education Policy Analysis Archives, it is distributed for non-commercial purposes only, and no alteration or transformation is made in the work. All other uses must be approved by the author(s) or EPAA. EPAA is published jointly by the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education at Arizona State University and the College of Education at the University of South Florida. Articles are indexed by Directory of Open Access Journals, ERIC, H.W. Wilson & Co, and SCOPUS. Please contribute commentary at http://epaa.info/wordpress/ and send errata notes to Sherman Dorn (epaa-editor@shermandorn.com).

 

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