MODERN RED SCHOOLHOUSE

Evidence of positive effects on student achievement		?
Year introduced in schools		1993
Number of schools		50
Support developer provides schools
First-year costs      with new staff      with current staff reassigned		$215,000 No Change
= Strong	= Promising		= Marginal
= Mixed, Weak		? = No Research

OVERVIEW

Modern Red Schoolhouse was designed to help schools achieve standards-based reform, focusing on six areas: organization and finance; technology; curriculum; standards and assessment; community involvement; and professional development. The approach intends to help schools set high academic standards that are consistent with district and state assessments and cover rigorous core content. The approach attempts to build on a school's strengths, address weaknesses, and develop a plan for continuous self-improvement. In addition, schools are expected to assume increasing responsibility for many items that are traditionally controlled by the district (e.g., budgeting, personnel assignments, curriculum details, scheduling, teacher/student ratios, and time allotted to various subjects).

Modern Red Schoolhouse is one of several approaches sponsored by New American Schools, a national initiative to develop replicable schoolwide reform programs. Developed in 1992 by the Hudson Institute, Modern Red Schoolhouse is now a separate private, nonprofit organization.

According to the developer, the approach was built around the idea of a "little red schoolhouse" that draws people together for a common purpose, and was based on research in psychology, sociology, and education. The approach was first used in six elementary schools in 1993. In 1994, two middle schools and one high school were added. At the time of this report, 29 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, and seven high schools in 11 states were using the Modern Red Schoolhouse approach, although the developers note that only five of these 50 schools have fully implemented the program.

EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE EFFECTS ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Strength of the Research Base. Modern Red Schoolhouse is a relatively new approach and does not yet have a strong research base on student achievement. However, the developer has compiled score data and some contextual information on the approach. These data do not meet this report's criteria for rigorous research, and are not discussed here, but are available for public review. At the time of this report, 1997-98 test score information for 13 schools in six districts was available from the developer. In addition, New American Schools has contracted for evaluation research on this and other sponsored approaches.

Research on implementation is available. As part of the larger New American Schools contract, five studies provide information on the implementation progress of Modern Red Schoolhouse schools.

Effects on Students. No rigorous research studies on student achievement are currently available. However, the reader is encouraged to obtain and evaluate the test score data on Modern Red Schoolhouse schools that are available from the developer.

CENTRAL COMPONENTS

Organizational Change, Staffing, and Administrative Support. According to the developer, full implementation of this approach requires that schools, principals, and instructional staff have considerable freedom in determining how best to meet the needs of their students. The approach requires districts to give schools more autonomy in choosing their curriculum; in assigning, hiring, and firing staff; in scheduling classes; and in allocating school budget funds. Modern Red Schoolhouse recommends that schools control 80 percent of their budget by the third or fourth year of implementation. The developer suggests that the approach may be most effectively and easily implemented in districts that are decentralized.

Modern Red Schoolhouse also recommends that school staff assemble six committees: community involvement; curriculum; organization and finance; standards and assessment; technology; and professional development. Together with the principal, committee chairs form a leadership team that may be expanded to include parents, faculty members, and community representatives.

To assist with the development and implementation of long-range plans, Modern Red Schoolhouse trainers work on-site with each of these groups. (See the section on Professional Development and Technical Assistance for more details.) Schools are encouraged, but not required, to hire a technology coordinator.

Curriculum and Instruction. The developers recommend that schools teach eight core subjects (math, science, English, history, geography, foreign language, art, and cultural literacy). Schools not already teaching these subjects are encouraged to consider using the Core Knowledge curriculum (described under the Core Knowledge profile in this document).

Modern Red Schoolhouse does not provide or require a specific curriculum; rather, the developer supports local teachers in developing curricula that are coherent across grades. Trainers from the developer's staff work at the school to help instructional staff develop lesson plans. Scoring guides ("rubrics") are then developed by the teachers as part of the training program. These scoring guides, according to the developer, should be consistent with state and local standardized tests and should become part of lessons.

Supplies and Materials. Although no specific supplies and materials are provided or required, Modern Red Schoolhouse recommends using technology in the classroom for several purposes, including sharing information, assessing students, and tracking student progress on goals. The developer requires that schools have: a network of computers, a fileserver, a modem, instructional and management software, voice mail, student work stations (6:1 ratio), and cable and satellite down-links.

Depending on local circumstances, the developer also recommends that schools use the Core Knowledge scope and sequence and/or Open Court reading materials. Assessment materials are provided through "capstone units" developed by national experts. According to the developer, teachers are trained to find inexpensive ways to provide suitable materials for their students.

Scheduling and Grouping. The Modern Red Schoolhouse encourages schools to build schedules and group students in ways that promote "continuous progress." Options that schools may use include grouping by student performance (i.e., "ability grouping"); grouping students together with the same group of teachers for multiple years (i.e., "looping"); scheduling after-school or summer programs; having ungraded classrooms; and providing time for students to work individually or in small groups on projects that the students themselves devise and complete (i.e., "self-directed learning"). The developer suggests that scheduling should allow adequate time for planning lessons and for students to explore topics in depth (particularly in the upper grades).

Monitoring Student Progress and Performance. The Modern Red Schoolhouse approach uses standardized tests, assessments based on student performance, and individual student contracts to monitor student progress. Through the required Individual Education Compact (IEC), goals are developed for each student, with progress toward meeting those goals monitored and discussed by the student, teacher(s), and parents. Ideally, discussing and revising progress reports to parents should occur annually.

Schools are required to use "capstones," assessments that gauge student progress in the classroom in regard to standards. Teachers and Modern Red Schoolhouse trainers also work together to develop a curriculum that is consistent with tests required by the state or district.

Family and Community Involvement. Modern Red Schoolhouse considers parent and community involvement central to the approach. Parents are encouraged to become involved in learning about classroom activities, assisting in the classroom, and, as appropriate, serving on school-related committees. Schools are encouraged to establish parent centers and to provide referrals or establish a network to provide social services.

SUPPORT THE DEVELOPER PROVIDES SCHOOLS

Professional Development and Technical Assistance. Most professional development is done at the school. During the first few years of implementation, the developer expects schools to devote approximately 30 days a year to professional development tailored to the schools' needs. The developer reports that many schools prefer to hold the five-day inservice over the summer, as an institute. The entire staff is expected to participate in five additional days of inservice on topics chosen by the school. In addition, small groups of instructional staff are required to participate in 20 days of group-specific curriculum training. Finally, the school committees (e.g., curriculum committee, technology committee) are required to spend five days in inservice training to focus and plan their tasks. During the five annual training and technical assistance site visits, the developer helps the school evaluate implementation progress against benchmarks in its implementation plan.

Although the amount of training is specified by the developer, individual schools determine the exact content of all training and technical assistance in consultation with Modern Red Schoolhouse staff. However, a typical professional development package might include the following:

• The process of change: identifying and managing responses to organizational change.

• Using standards: research by school staff, scope and sequence of the curriculum, development of instructional units, assessment based on student performance, and strategies for organizing both instruction and the classroom for instruction.

• Organizational components: committee and leadership development.

In addition to on-site training tailored to the needs of the school, the developer provides technical assistance through a toll-free telephone number and a Web site. The developer provides support for at least the first three years of implementation.

Until recently, all training has been done by the core staff of Modern Red Schoolhouse, but as the number of schools using this design has grown, there has been a corresponding need for more trainers. Training for 22 additional trainers began in summer 1998. The developer states that all of these trainers have used Modern Red Schoolhouse for several years, and they will be required to continue their own training.

Implementation Requirements and Schools' Experiences. Modern Red Schoolhouse encourages all schools considering the approach to review informational materials, visit sites, and speak to staff members at schools currently using the approach. The developer also requires that 80 percent of the faculty approve the decision to adopt the approach (by secret ballot).

During a pre-implementation planning phase, Modern Red Schoolhouse and school staff work together at the school to develop a detailed implementation plan. The developer also recommends involving district staff in this phase. Five implementation studies indicate that, according to school staff, the design has had a positive influence on school organization, instructional strategies used in classrooms, alignment of instruction across subjects, collaboration among teachers, parent and community involvement, and student engagement with learning. Urban schools reported improvements in both student behavior and attendance. According to three studies conducted for New American Schools, schools report that substantial preparation is needed before implementation. These studies suggested that schools adopting the approach are more successful if they begin with changes that directly affect classrooms (e.g., changing curriculum and assessment) before focusing on changes in governance.

COSTS

The first-year cost of adopting Modern Red Schoolhouse is $215,000. This includes an average fee for training and technical assistance, an estimated cost for technology, and estimated release time for training (assuming that all teachers participate in five days of training and groups of eight teachers participate in 25 days of training).

The average school of 500 students can expect to pay Modern Red Schoolhouse $60,000 to $80,000 per year for each of the first three years of implementation. This fee covers the cost of trainers and consultants for 30 days of training or consultation at the school each year during that three-year period. It does not cover "hidden costs" such as release time for teachers. There is an additional fee for any staff development or training beyond the 30 days. According to the developer, these costs vary so widely that it is not possible to provide an estimate. Further, schools that are located farther from Nashville can expect to pay the entire amount, and perhaps more, due to travel costs.

Modern Red Schoolhouse staff report that some schools, especially very small schools and schools that have experience with performance assessment, have been able to fully implement the design for less than this amount.

The fee paid to Modern Red Schoolhouse does not cover the cost of computer hardware, software, or building rewiring. The developer estimates this cost to be between $25,000 and $300,000 over three years. Schools with few computer resources should expect their costs to be at the high end of that range. Also, schools choosing to hire a technology facilitator will incur an additional cost.

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