Topic: District and School Leadership Capacity

This report details the methods used in NYKids’ latest study “NYKids’ 20th Anniversary Study of Emergent and Persistent Positive Outlier Schools: What Accounts for Better Student Outcomes Over Time?” The report includes an overview to the study, sampling rationale, research literature, theoretical framework and research questions as well as the methods used for recruitment, data collection and analysis. Interview and focus group protocols are attached as appendices to the report.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. The fourth case study of these schools is Alfred-Almond Jr. Sr. High School, identified as a persistent positive outlier.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. The fourth case study of these schools is Brookfield Central School, identified as a persistent positive outlier.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. The fourth case study of these schools is Roxbury Central School, identified as an emergent positive outlier.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. Our third case study of these schools is Malverne Senior High School, identified as a positive outlier in our 2018 College and Career Readiness study.

This presentation was delivered by NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox at the 2024 Summer Conference held by the Rural Schools Association of New York State. The presentation, entitled “Promising Practices from New York’s Positive Outlier Rural Schools: A Report from NYKids” outlines findings from our latest study of emergent and persistent positive outlier schools.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing schools that have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. In our second case study we visited Fillmore Central School, our first school identified as an emergent positive outlier.

In our latest study, Promising Practices from Persistent and Emergent Positive Outlier Schools, we returned to schools identified as positive outliers in prior NYKids studies as well as typically-performing yet who have risen to positive outlier status. The study seeks to understand what accounts for these schools’ comparatively better outcomes for culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse youth. The first case study of these schools is Crown Point Central School, identified as a positive outlier in our 2018 College and Career Readiness study.

Dr. Aaron Leo presented research from NYKids’ latest study of Adaptation and Innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic at the American Anthropological Association’s annual conference held in Toronto, Canada in November, 2023. The paper, co-written with Dr. Kristen C. Wilcox was entitled “Educators’ stress and emotional labor during the COVID-19 pandemic” and drew on data gathered among 88 educators across New York State. Dr. Leo delivered the paper alongside other researchers on a panel focusing on teacher and student agency during the pandemic.

This presentation, entitled “Advancing Educational Equity Research, Policy, and Practice,” was delivered by NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox and longtime collaborator Hal A. Lawson at the Educational Leaders without Borders conference held in Athens, Greece in April, 2023. The presentation discusses the importance of equity-focused research and recounts over two decades of NYKids scholarship.

This research brief outlines the major findings from NYKids’ latest study on the effects of the pandemic on the educator workforce. The full report, “Opportunities and Challenges to Adapt and Innovate: How Educators Confronted the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published in December, 2022 and is available on our website. The brief succinctly describes the four drivers for adaptation and innovation found in positive outlier schools that participated in the study: Empowerment and Collective Responsibility; Responsiveness and Flexible Problem Solving ; A Relationship- and Connection-Centered Orientation; and Adaptive and Innovative Systems.

In this presentation titled “Stakeholder Empowerment: Research Results on Adaptive Leadership During Change” NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox and Associate Professor at Russell Sage College Francesca Durand discuss findings related to leadership drawn from NYKids’ study of the pandemic’s impacts on educators throughout New York State.

NYKids’ latest report, “Opportunities and Challenges to Adapt and Innovate: How Educators Confronted the COVID-19 Pandemic,” features data gathered among 88 educators from 6 schools across New York State. The study offers important findings related to adaptation and innovation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides insight into the challenges faced by school districts as well as the promising adaptations and innovations such crises prompt.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Shaker Road Elementary School in Colonie, New York.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Chatham Middle School in Chatham, New York.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Lake George Elementary School in Lake George, New York.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Whitesboro Middle School in Whitesboro, New York.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Deerfield Elementary School in Whitesboro, New York.

This presentation explores the relationship between teacher and student agency at odds-beating secondary schools. We find that teachers, when offered opportunities to act as agents, tend to offer similar opportunities to their students similarly. This research further suggests that affordances for teachers to assert agency can mitigate the constraining effects of state accountability system compliance-oriented practices.

This presentation provides insight into how Improvement Science can guide school improvement by helping schools and districts to “see the system” when developing goals, plans, and processes to effect changes to improve student outcomes. An overview of NYKids COMPASS is shown as a process for using improvement science to guide school teams for continuous improvement, along with a case example of how COMPASS was applied within a research to practice partnership and information about NYKids resources designed to support school improvement work.

In 2017-18, research teams investigated 10 high schools regarding the preparation of critical needs students for college and career. Three of these schools were typically-performing (with graduation rates as predicted for the student population served) and the remainder were odds-beating schools (with graduation rates above predicted for the student population served). This cross-case report describes the four themes observed across all odds-beating secondary schools.

2008 Middle School and High School Results

School improvement practices for middle and high schools. Trusting and respectful relationships found to be key as well as social/emotional wellbeing, team work, evidence-based decision making, and shared vision of mission and goals.

2008 Capacity Building In Higher-Performing Middle Schools

School improvement practices for middle schools. Findings include: (1) culture supports a vision of high achievement; (2) climate of respect helps enact vision; (3) structure reinforce collaboratively supported; and (4) leadership encourages teacher initiative taking.

This mixed-method multiple case study investigated nine elementary schools. Six “odds-beating schools,” which serve relatively high numbers of economically disadvantaged children, achieved higher than predicted performance on state assessments when compared with three typically performing schools. The overarching research question guiding this study was: What forces, factors, and actors account for odds-beating schools’ better outcomes? The trust-communication connection provided one answer. Relational trust in odds-beating schools is an intraorganizational phenomenon, and it is accompanied by interorganizational trust (reciprocal trust). These two kinds of trust are accompanied by intraschool and district office-school communication mechanisms. Trust and communications are mutually constitutive as innovations are implemented. This connection is also an implementation outcome. When today’s innovation implementation initiatives reinforce this trust-communication connection, it becomes an organizational resource for future innovation implementation.

Motivated by the mission as catalysts, conveners, community developers and capacity builders, CASDA faculty have collaborated with researchers and faculty at the University at Albany’s School of Education on two successful programs designed to share research and encourage sharing evidence-based practices. The NYKids Project in the School of Education and the Teacher Leadership Quality Partnership Grant Program represent eight years of direct work with school teams using research and best practices for school teams to ensure continuous school improvement.

The goals of the COMPASS (Compare, Assess priorities, Select levers for improvement, Set SMART goals and develop action plans) is to engage school teams, led by the principal. In reflective, collaborative inquiry that looks holistically at how to impact student performance.

The English Language Learner (ELL) population in New York State has grown over 20% in the last year, and English Language Learners make up over 8% of the New York State student population. Four elements found to be key to serving ELL population: (1) culture & climate; (2) instruction; (3) leadership and capacity; and (4) communications and collaborations.

This presentation describes the COMPASS process: (1) COMPare practices to higher performers; (2) Assess priorities; (3) Select potential levers to improve; (4) Set SMART goals. And then AIM process: (1) Action planning; (2) Implementation; and (3) Monitoring progress.

This article discusses important organizational features of districts and schools whose early results on the Common Core Assessments are better than their peer schools. The Common Core State Standards, Annual Professional Performance Review system and Data-Driven Instruction can be thought of as transplants to the school organizational “garden.” Findings suggest particular garden-like features in the schools and district offices where the transplants have taken hold and students are performing above predicted levels.

This qualitative multiple case study contributes to the growing body of translational research that
seeks to better understand what is needed to develop capacities for evidence-guided continuous
improvement in P-12 settings. The study investigated school leadership team participants’
perceptions of an intervention called COMPASS. COMPASS engages teams from different
schools and districts in activities to identify strengths, weaknesses, and priorities then engage in
an inquiry cycle of implementing action plans, gathering data and interpreting evidence in order
to reach targeted goals. Two-hundred and twenty-eight district and school leaders and
instructional staff from 36 school teams provided reflections on the intervention revealing the
majority reported increases in competence in all dimensions of evidence-guided decision
making, from priority and goal setting to identifying potential research-based levers to
improvement as well as increased capacities for school- and district-wide action planning and
progress monitoring. Observation field notes, documentary evidence, and interviews with school
leaders also indicate that the process fundamentally shifts educators’ focus on systemic changes
to achieve system-wide targeted goals. Implications for theory, future research, and
considerations for those interested in university/P-12 partnerships for continuous improvement
are discussed.

This presentation presents findings on studies examining the practices of schools that do better than expected with high-poverty populations. Key findings include: (1) a vision of success that includes high poverty students achieving beyond predicted levels; (2) collaboration and shared responsibility; and (3) decision making based on a variety of evidence.

This presentation presents the findings of “beating the odds” schools. Selection of the schools is based on 3 years of NYS Assessment results. Researchers conduct two-day site visits, and analyze the data looking for differences in practice.

This presentation presents findings from the NYKids project on higher-performing secondary schools as measured by the school’s record of educating vulnerable young people such as those living in poverty. Across all levels- elementary, middle, high – higher-performing students come from schools with the capacity for continuous improvement. These schools do this through: (1) distributed leadership; (2) collaborative culture and practices; (3) evidence-based decision making; and (4) shared vision and goal setting.

This presentation describes the COMPASS process. The process involves harnessing the research generated through the NYKids project for the purpose of school improvement. Schools participate in COMPASS Institutes and utilize COMPASS tools. COMPASS stands for: (1) COMPare practices to higher performance; (20 Assess priorities; (3) Select potential levers to improve; and (4) Set Smart goals.

2010 Collaborative Conversation Essential for Middle-Level Success

This presentation shares findings on collaborative conversations essential for middle-level success. The three essential components for trust include a climate of respect and trust, structures to support it, and an expectation of collaboration.

2010 Collaboration Does Make a Difference

This presentation shares research from NYKids on the importance of collaboration in middle school settings.

2009 What Makes Middle Schools Work - Five Keys to Success

This presentation discusses the best practice research findings from a study of middle schools. It also offers free resources to inform continuous school improvement efforts in the future.

2009 Redefining Evidence of Success - Best Practices in NY

This presentation offers best practices across higher performing schools (elementary, middle and high). Key findings include that higher performing schools embrace a variety of data and culture of continuous improvement.