Leadership for substantive learning in urban schools for every child. Jared R. Lancer, Ed.D.

Problem: The quality and consistency of learning experiences and outcomes for all students and the role of leadership.

What is the vision and central purpose of public schools??What is substantive learning and what will count as evidence??Where do urban districts require every school to connect major learning tasks and the learning and work students actually do to the real-world skills and practices used in particular disciplines and professional occupations? This type of depth of understanding and purposeful application of learning seems to only occur in some high performing urban schools (Hollins, 2011; Benitez, Davidson and Flaxman, 2009; Hollins, 2008; Darling-Hammond, 2008; Irvine and Armento, 2001; Darling-Hammond, Ancess, Falk, 1995). The fact that only about 13.5% of students are able to distinguish between fact and opinion in the United States according to the 2018 PISA is an alarming statistic (OECD, 2019).?This illustrates the significance of the lack of purpose, quality and consistency of learning provided to all students. This problem poses a national security threat to our democracy (Suarez-Alvarez, 2021).?What can leadership do to address this problem?

Solution: Defining criteria for quality learning and work and requiring the documentation of teaching practice relative to learner responses to daily instruction

Defining criteria for quality learning and student work and setting forth requirements for the documentation of practice relative to student responses to teaching on a day-to-day basis are key strategies and policy actions that school systems can take to improve learning outcomes.?These strategies and policy actions can promote greater clarity of purpose regarding the vision for learners and learning and major learning goals to be accomplished among graduates. Defining criteria for quality learning and student work and requiring documentation of practice relative to student responses to daily instruction can further enhance the overall quality and consistency of learning experiences provided to all students.?These strategies and policy actions moreover promote greater accountability to ensuring that every student makes learning progress and in meeting grade level expectations in all areas.?

The goal for districts is academic excellence for all, however excellent schools and districts determine this by much more than a numerical score on a test. The overall aim in competent teaching is to mentor students to develop quality work that is representative of a level and depth of thought and an informed perspective grounded in the construction of knowledge. Demonstrating excellence in literacy for example, must be illustrated using multiple measures of what students can see, say and do in reading and writing for particular purposes and using math as a tool for communication and for solving problems in everyday living.

This type of learning develops the power to reason and voice among learners. Above all else, this type of learning instills a level of competence in students to solve any problem and the confidence to learn and apply new understandings in any situation anywhere.?This type of learning develops the agency in students to determine their own futures.?This is learning that facilitates a level of competence and commitment in students to advocate on behalf of other people and social causes as informed citizens and productive members of society.

The core competencies and skills to be developed and fostered in students and that form the basis for providing quality learning experiences can include at minimum: basic literacy development to read for purposes in daily functioning at a given age range to attain useful information in decision making and to support short and long-term goals and planning; written composition for authentic and practical purposes both in daily life functioning and in short and long-term situations encountered at a given age range; effective communication with diverse audiences for practical and purposeful intentions in a range of diverse settings; using math in everyday activities as well as for recognizing and communicating, predicting as well as planning to carry out short and long-term as well as daily activities encountered for a given age range; effective communication and social skills for engaging and working productively with a range of diverse individuals and across diverse cultural groups in differing social situations.

In a learning cycle towards developing these particular skills and understandings and in meeting the expected outcomes, the students themselves are often the best evaluators of effective teaching and what adjustments are needed. Here, students discuss what they know and do not know and how they are performing as well as in which areas they are doing well and where additional support is needed to improve. Likewise in teaching, facilitators need to know student preferences and experiences, cultural and historical knowledge as well as values and interests among learners and across groups of learners.?Through teaching, it is essential to document the strategies that have been tried, the adjustments made in addition to how students are responding relative to the goal of meeting the expected learning outcomes.

Teaching practice can be supported and guided by criteria for what outstanding work looks like with accountability for ensuring that every child makes progress toward producing work according to criteria for quality.?In working towards meeting such quality work criteria, districts need to require the documentation of learner responses to instruction on a day-to-day basis relative to meeting the expected outcomes. ?This type of feedback and documentation of practice needs to be publicly discussed and analyzed to inform decision making to guide practice in teaching and supports continuous improvement relative to what is working and not working for students.?These data help determine the consistency, continuity and overall productivity of learning taking place in schools and the adjustments needed based upon what students actually know and can do and can explain.

Standards for quality learning through student work products

To begin, Fred Newmann's (1996) Authentic Achievement is an excellent source district and school-based leadership teams might consider for discussion regarding the development of criteria for quality student work. This text provides indicators for authentic instruction, assignments and student work. Learning tasks for example expect students to use knowledge as in analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and evaluation. Student work considered to be of high quality reflects learners using higher ordered thinking skills to address concepts or problems considering multiple strategies and perspectives. Student work must additionally have value beyond school and address problems students may experience. Students are expected to present their learning and work to audiences beyond school in extended oral and written elaborated formats as disciplinary experts (Moje, 2007). Resnick (1996, 1989) and colleagues (McConachie, 2010) similarly refer to this quality in their discussion regarding academic rigor in learning and the quality of student work products.

Qualities of authentic student work set forth by Newmann (1996):

1.???Organization of Information: Reflects organizing, synthesizing, interpreting, explaining, or evaluating complex information to address a problem or issue.

2.???Consideration of Alternatives: Reflects considering alternative solutions, strategies, perspectives, points of view relative to problem or issue.

3.???Disciplinary Content: Reflects showing understanding and/or use of ideas, theories, or perspectives considered central to an academic discipline.

4.???Disciplinary Process: Reflects use of methods of inquiry, research, or communication characteristic of an academic or professional discipline.

5.???Problem Connected to the World: Reflects addressing a problem or issue that is similar to one encountered or likely to encounter in life beyond the classroom.

6.???Audience beyond the School: Reflects communicating knowledge and understanding, presentation of a product or performance, or other action for an audience beyond the teacher, classroom, and school building.

7.???Elaborated Communication: Reflects an elaboration of understanding, explanation and conclusion through extended written/oral communication

Quality learning and work that is culturally authentic

In addition, student work that has meaning and purpose and adds value to students’ lives must be contextualized based upon who the students are in the particular local community context (Hollins, 2008; Lee, 2007; Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 2002, 1992). But what does this mean? Ladson-Billings (2002) defines culturally responsive teaching for historically underperforming students in the United States as (1) ensuring academic success, (2) developing or reaffirming cultural competence, and (3) developing a critical awareness to challenge the status quo of the current social order.

Therefore, in addition to Newmann’s (1996) work, other questions should be explored to accurately define characteristics of and criteria for quality student work.?For example, to what extent does student learning and work reflect cultural competence? A first criterion must be the development of a deep knowledge, respect and pride in one’s own racial and ethnic heritage in relationship to development of academic content knowledge and opportunities for application of this academic content knowledge.

The area has been widely written about. For example Alfred Tatum (2005, 2009) and Violet Harris (1993) discuss the importance of empowering students by identifying meaningful texts that must be read and discussed during the course of school learning. In other words, students should not be reading for the sake of simply reading to learn or for the purposes of learning to read. There is no real deep meaning or purpose to this sort of surface level learning.?Rather, students should be reading to learn about themselves and how to grapple with problems commonly experienced by people of the same racial or ethnic group.?Students need to develop important cultural knowledge and learn through their work how to develop a platform for individual and collective social empowerment in addressing real world situations.

Another important area considers the extent to which quality student work reflects a critical awareness among students regarding historical, contemporary and future forms of social inequality and knowledge of effective strategies and solutions for social action (Banks, 1993, 1996). Students need to be engaged in projects that empower them to understand academic content from multiple perspectives in examining the origins to social problems that have adversely affected communities of color (Lee, 2007). ?Learning tasks must empower students by teaching problem solving strategies and skills for evaluating and critiquing past and present forms of social inequality (Lee, 2007; Ladson-Billings, 2002, 1992; Gay, 2000). Students need to be engaged in studying historical patterns and past solutions and their impact as a means for addressing present challenges and taking social action in their lives and in the community (Banks, 1993, 1996). These types of learning experiences add value to students’ lives and provide meaning and purpose to the learning.?This type of learning develops the skill in students to predict new challenges based upon observation and analysis as well as the ability to develop strategies to accomplish personal goals and to make an impact in the community.?Thus, major learning experiences and tasks must equip students with the skills to construct new knowledge, strategies and solutions for overcoming past, present and future challenges as well as advancing conditions for living in local communities, the nation and world.

Accordingly, districts need to establish new priorities for teaching, learning and assessment and the documentation of practice to support this type of meaningful and productive learning and to ensure that every child grows their unlimited learning potential in meeting expectations. As such, assessments need to provide students with experiences and opportunities to develop quality work that applies new learning to real life social contexts and for genuine purposes. Expecting students to learn about people who have experienced similar social problems in the past and to study the strategies they employed to surmount these challenges to be successful as a part of the process of evaluating and constructing academic knowledge is paramount.?This can be considered as part of the criteria used for determining the quality of learning and work students produce.

Maximizing learner strengths and talents

Mentoring all students to develop quality work also means recognizing and drawing upon the talents, learning styles and cultural strengths of students. District and school leaders can refer to the work of Wade Boykin and colleagues (2006, 2005, 2002, 2000, 1994, 1979), Janice Hale (1986), Barbara Shade (1993) and Asa Hilliard (1978, 1991, 1989). Expectations for student presentation of work and learning acknowledges and cultivates the natural genius, talents and cultural strengths of diverse student populations and all learners. This scholarship reflects knowledge regarding the culturally based learning styles and strengths of African American students. Shade’s (1993) work also identifies and describes the learning styles among Native American, Mexican American and Asian American students. The work of Ramirez and Castaneda (1974) reflects knowledge regarding the cultural strengths of Mexican American students.

Districts can ensure that teaching practice and learning experiences are reflective of a consideration and analysis of this knowledge core when contextualizing and continuously adapting and improving learning for students in each particular context and setting. This consideration will support maximizing learning and affording greater opportunities and more flexible options for diverse learners and all students to showcase their understandings in multiple and varied ways. Learning tasks and experiences need to provide all students with opportunities to articulate learning to audiences beyond school and in varied presentation and elaborated formats for particular purposes that have meaning, purpose and value.?

Student original thinking, expertise and leadership

Jean Anyon’s (1996) famous study labels and describes three classes of schools based upon the type of work (working class, middle class, professional/affluent) and learning experiences that are provided to students.?In this study, each school classification socializes the students through the type of work learners are engaged in which mirrors the pre-existing career options and predominant social class standing represented in the surrounding community.?This study helps us to reconsider and rethink the central purpose of the learning and work that students are engaged in through school.?

All students should be engaged in the kinds of work that socializes and prepares them to take on leadership in their everyday lives now and in the future irrespective of social disparities by race, gender and social class.?But what does this actually mean and what might this look like??Questions district leadership may consider might include the degree to which students spend time rearranging preexisting information from a textbook compared with developing an informed perspective through productive dialogue, substantive inquiry, investigation and research??Are students learning how to create rules and design principles or are students learning to obey authority figures, follow directions and stand in a straight line in response to bells ringing? In other words, are students developing real expertise and learning to think and make observations??How does school promote and facilitate this taking place??What are the major learning goals and expected outcomes in each course in schools and the district and what are the major learning experiences that are provided to all students in each grade level??And what will count as evidence??To what extent does the production of student work according to quality criteria in a given class or school look similar or different across students??To what extent does student work reflect original thinking and knowledge construction addressing real issues, phenomena, problems as well as opportunities for social change in the local school community?

Districts need to discuss these questions in order to construct criteria for quality student work that graduates will be expected as well as supported in producing for particular purposes. The goal is for districts and schools to ensure that all students are provided with meaningful and productive learning experiences with greater consistency and predictability of outcomes.?However, this can only be determined based upon what students actually know and can do relative to quality criteria accompanied by daily documentation of practice and making ongoing adjustments based upon student responses and needs.

Conclusion

Defining criteria for quality student learning and work production as well as establishing accountability for the documentation of practice relative to learner responses to teaching on a day-to-day basis reflects essential policy actions that district leadership teams can take.?These actions move districts towards establishing greater clarity of purpose regarding the vision for learners and learning and the supports needed to further ensure all students make progress.

In one example, through ongoing collaborative dialogue and analysis of the foregoing references described, leadership in one district determined that substantive student learning and quality work was based upon the cross-cutting practices used by engineers and scientists.?This led to study of the National Research Council’s (2012) K12 Science Framework to define criteria. In turn, every learner was expected to plan and carry out an investigation using science to address a problem represented in the local community with expectations for portfolio documentation and presentation before an audience beyond school.?The work in this district evolved over time as did the sophistication and quality of learning experiences provided to students and the competence displayed among learners through their articulation as well as presentation of work and learning.?This expectation supported movement towards the goal of every learner demonstrating progress and developing expertise grounded in knowledge construction with the power of voice and reasoning to communicate effectively with purpose. This is one action that can be taken to ensure greater consistency in the quality of learning experiences provided to all students in preparation for college and careers as well as leadership and life.

In supporting continuous improvement and learning, district and school leadership teams can collaboratively review the professional literature suggested here as a starting point in the conversation and journey regarding the design of criteria for quality student learning.?The criteria developed will undergo ongoing revision based upon reflective team analysis regarding student responses to instruction on a daily basis and the quality of work students are producing. This process will lead to clarification regarding the vision and purpose for learners and learning in school districts as well as greater description and detail regarding the major goals to be accomplished among learners. The development of accompanying policy actions will further support the type of transformation of the curriculum and learning experiences that will be necessary to supporting all students making progress and meeting the goals and expectations.

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Jared R. Lancer ? Copyright 2021

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