AUDREY COHEN COLLEGE: PURPOSE-CENTERED EDUCATION®

Evidence of positive effects on student achievement		?
Year introduced in schools		1970
Number of schools		16
Support developer provides schools
First-year costs      with new staff      with current staff reassigned		$161,000 $86,000
= Strong	= Promising		= Marginal
= Mixed, Weak		? = No Research

OVERVIEW

The primary goal of Audrey Cohen College: Purpose-Centered Education is to improve academic achievement for all students by providing an understandable thematic focus to education. A secondary goal is to increase attendance and decrease disciplinary problems, as needed. The idea for Purpose-Centered Education grew from research on educational implications of the changing economy. Specifically, the developer felt that an information-based global society requires students to learn and act in more complex ways.

Purpose-Centered Education is an approach that seeks to transform the organization of school curricula. Rather than being organized around content areas (e.g., English, mathematics, science), each semester is organized around a the matic "Purpose," which incorporates the traditional core subjects. For example, one semester of the kindergarten curriculum is organized around the purpose, We Care for Living Things^SM.

The approach was adapted from a model developed in 1970 under the leadership of Audrey Cohen, founder of the College for Human Services in New York City (renamed Audrey Cohen College in 1992). It is one of several approaches sponsored by New American Schools, a national initiative to develop replicable schoolwide reform programs. As of August 1998, 16 schools in six states use Purpose-Centered Education; 12 of the 16 schools are elementary. The developer markets the system to elementary, middle, and high schools, and maintains that the system is designed for all learners.

EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE EFFECTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Strength of the Research Base. To date, there is insufficient research to determine whether Purpose-Centered Education has positive effects on student achievement. No publicly available studies use methodology that is rigorous enough to evaluate student outcomes. However, the college annually publishes Signs of Success, which contains some standardized test scores in reading, mathematics, and language.

Research on implementation is available, however. Four studies, conducted by contracted and independent researchers, track the implementation progress of the Audrey Cohen College schools that were sponsored by New American Schools.

Effects on Students. At the present time, no studies are considered rigorous enough to support conclusions about the effects on student achievement.

CENTRAL COMPONENTS

Organizational Change, Staffing, and Administrative Support. Purpose-Centered Education requires little organizational change within schools, according to the developer. The approach does, however, require that schools allow flexibility in scheduling classes for longer or shorter time periods, as needed, and that teachers plan collaboratively. Schools are required to have a facilitator, called a Staff Resource Specialist, who coordinates and sustains the reform effort. Typically, schools staff this position with existing personnel (e.g., a lead teacher or the director for staff development).

The developer expects school principals to demonstrate strong leadership and a philosophical commitment to the approach, and to maintain open communications with the faculty. The Audrey Cohen College system also requires a part-time liaison from the central district administration to work with the school.

Curriculum and Instruction. The defining characteristic of Purpose-Centered Education is a redesigned curriculum. Students work toward two Purposes in each grade (i.e., one each semester), studying the traditional subjects such as English, mathematics, and science in a thematic framework. According to the developer, this organization is designed to focus student learning on a "complex and meaningful purpose" that "contributes to the world at large." For example, the first-grade Purposes are We Work for Safety^SM and We Use Transportation to Bring the World Closer^SM. The fifth-grade Purposes are We Improve the Environment^SM and We Use Technology to Meet Human Needs^SM; the 12th-grade Purposes are I Apply My Special Knowledge to Make a Better World^SM and We Invent Cultural Relationships for a Stronger World^SM.

Each semester, students plan, implement, and assess a Constructive Action^® in which the knowledge and skills they have learned that semester are used to benefit the community and the larger world.

The developer does not specify a particular instructional strategy, but encourages schools to incorporate a range of instructional practices. These practices may include: flexible scheduling of classes; whole-class, small-group, and individual instruction; team teaching; guest speakers (especially parents) who are termed "Purpose Experts"; "Purpose Trips"; and, other hands-on activities.

Supplies and Materials. The developer reports that it strives to use a school's existing textbooks and to work with schools to recommend supplemental materials. Audrey Cohen College is currently developing a list of recommended materials. Teachers are expected to develop curricula around each of the Purposes, using prototype materials.

Technology, most significantly e-mail and Audrey Cohen College's K-12 Web site chatrooms, plays an important role in facilitating collaboration among teachers, parents, and students.

Scheduling and Grouping. The developer does not require a particular approach to grouping students for instruction; however, it recommends grouping students at different achievement levels together. In addition, instructional staff are encouraged to schedule both the length of classes and the organization of activities and student groups within each period as appropriate for a given task.

Monitoring Student Progress and Performance. The developer has identified a set of 24 generic abilities, or Purpose-Achievement Standards, that students are expected to reach to demonstrate that they have achieved a Purpose. These standards are assessed each semester, from kindergarten through high school. Audrey Cohen College works with schools to align the Purpose-Achievement Standards with state and local guidelines for monitoring student progress and performance. The developer also emphasizes the importance of grades and writing samples, and coaches teachers to correct student performance problems.

Family and Community Involvement. The developer believes that parents play an important role in educating children. In addition to supporting their child's learning at home, parents are encouraged to contribute their professional skills by volunteering as "Purpose Experts." According to the developer, parents and business leaders frequently visit the school to share with students their own expertise as it relates to a semester's Purpose.

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPER PROVIDES SCHOOLS

Professional Development and Technical Assistance. The developer provides professional development throughout the school year. At the start of the first year, Audrey Cohen College provides a five-day orientation that introduces school staff to Purpose-Centered Education by discussing how it works and explaining how it is implemented. Staff from current Audrey Cohen College schools are used as trainers during the orientation. In addition to training staff in the substance of Purpose-Centered Education, trainers seek to teach school faculties how to work more collaboratively. The developer uses existing staff development days during the school year to deliver additional professional development.

As noted above, schools are required to have a full-time Staff Resource Specialist who, along with other duties, coaches instructional staff. In addition, a liaison from the College is assigned to the district and participating schools. Starting in the 1998-1999 school year, liaisons may also be local or regional practitioners.

Implementation Requirements and Schools' Experiences. School districts interested in implementing Purpose-Centered Education follow their own decision-making processes to determine whether to implement the system. The approach does not require a vote or specific buy-in by school staff. After the decision to implement the approach has been made, the College schedules a five-day orientation.

Studies on the implementation of Purpose-Centered Education conducted by New American Schools found several strengths: students were involved and enthusiastic; teachers worked hard and collaboratively to develop and implement the new curriculum; and administrators supported teachers. The studies also illustrate challenges to implementation. For example, some teachers were unwilling to implement the system or unable to develop the new curriculum; some teachers considered the professional development to be insufficient; and some schools provided insufficient support in terms of materials, funding, and personnel. The studies also found that the quality of professional development varied depending on the trainers. Some teachers felt that professional development activities were only peripherally related to classroom activities, and that there was a lack of knowledgeable local personnel to assist schools in implementation. Finally, findings suggest that implementation may be easier at the primary and elementary levels than at the secondary level.

COSTS

The first-year cost of adopting this approach is $161,000. This cost covers professional development, including staff release time for orientation; materials; a licensing fee; and additional staff. However, schools can reduce this cost by approximately half, to $86,000, by reassigning a current staff member to serve as the Staff Resource Specialist.

Audrey Cohen College charges districts a one-time licensing fee of $7,000. Schools also pay the developer for training and professional staff development: $36,685 in the first year, $23,345 in the second year, $22,425 in the third year, and $10,000 in the fourth year. Materials cost $7,878 in the first year, $6,325 in the second year, $4,025 in the third year, and market price in subsequent years.

Schools incur additional expenses for the five-day orientation (e.g., release time for teachers, materials) as well as the salaries for the Staff Resource Specialist and the district liaison. Cost estimates are based on a school with 500 students and 30 teachers (with the exception of the one-time licensing fee, paid by the district.) Fees do not include travel, lodging, and meals for Audrey Cohen College personnel.

Reduction of fees is possible for multiple schools within a district. For example, if two to four schools in a district join, total fees (material, professional development, and one-time fee) would be $40,563 per school in the first year (compared to $51,563), $27,270 per school in the second year (compared to $29,670), and $25,250 per school in the third year (compared to $26,450). Audrey Cohen College provides a further discount if five or more schools agree to join the system in year one; the year-one fee would be reduced to $31,510 per school under this scenario.

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