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What's New - July 2006
Highlights of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI)
Five questions are posed and answered below to aid your discovery of the highlights of the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI).
What is the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI)?
AISI, initiated in 2003 and funded by Alberta Education, is an approach to supporting the improvement of student learning by encouraging teachers, parents, and the community to work collaboratively to introduce innovative and creative initiatives based upon local needs and circumstances.
AISI is characterized by eleven attributes: partnership, catalyst, student-focused, flexibility, collaboration, culture of continuous improvement, evidence-based practice, research-based interventions, inquiry and reflection, building capacity and sustainability, and knowledge. These attributes help to ensure that AISI achieves its goal of improving student learning and performance by supporting initiatives that address unique needs and circumstances within school authorities.
AISI is further defined through its guiding principles (related to funding, duration, planning, reporting, balance, and sharing) and key considerations (related to collaboration, funding/budget, research, phases, and measures) which are captured in the AISI Framework (see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/framework.asp).
About 1267 projects involving all provincially funded school authorities in Alberta have been initiated in the first two AISI cycles. Projects follow a rigorous application, approval and final reporting process. Cycle 1 (2000-2003) was a foundational cycle, establishing trust, creating a model for collaboration, establishing accountability measures, and setting the stage for continuous improvement. Cycle 2 (2003-2006) was characterized by integration and sustainability of effective practices.
Key to the many promising practices developed through these projects is the support provided by the AISI Education Partners Steering Committee as well as the School Improvement Branch, the four faculties of education (University of Alberta, Faculté Saint-Jean, University of Calgary, and University of Lethbridge), ongoing professional development opportunities, and technical assistance. An annotated bibliography, administrative handbooks, videos, and tips and tools are offered on the AISI web site as further supports.
AISI produces annual reports which capture results in terms of whether targets were met or exceeded, whether results improved over the baselines, the magnitude of the improvement using effect size analysis, and finally the relative effects of various project categories using meta-analysis.
AISI is currently in its third cycle (2006-2009). As reported in the March 2006 issue of School Improvement Scoop,
"AISI Cycle 3 will build on the success of the past six years. … Characterized by collaborative inquiry, it will emphasize innovation and research, extend what has been learned based on in-depth analysis of project outcomes, enhance professional practice, focus professional development, and expand knowledge sharing and dissemination."
For more information about AISI see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/whatisaisi.asp.
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What will I find in the AISI Clearinghouse?
The AISI Clearinghouse is a communications vehicle that can help further the conversation among educators and the public on school improvement. As such, you will find the following information in the AISI Clearinghouse:
- Cycle 1 and 2 project summaries (see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/ClearingHouse/report_cycle2 and http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/ClearingHouse/ report_cycle1/ list.asp respectively) as well as detailed project information (see https://extranetapp.learning.gov.ab.ca/ AISIClearingHouse/defaultinternet.aspx). Project summaries include a title, the name of the school authority, the funding received, as well as the major focus, scope, purpose, description, and project synopsis. The detailed project information includes original and current project plans as well as interim and final reports. Note: Detailed project information is searchable by keyword, subject, theme, school authority or cycle.
- Approximately eighty promising practices such as the "Professional Development Model" (Horizon School Division), the "Assessment for Success" project (Foothills Academy Society), the "Book Repository" project (Northern Gateway Regional Division No. 10), and the "Big Family Groups" project (Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1). See http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/ClearingHouse/PromisingPractices for many more promising practices.
- Products and tools such as Rocky View's math rubrics, Wolf Creek's math assessment tools, Edmonton Catholic's "Environmental Project", and Northland's grade 2 reading rubric. See http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/ClearingHouse/ProductsAndTools for additional products and tools.
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What workshops and conferences are available?
AISI has held three annual conferences and has offered a symposium, planning and reporting workshops, project assessment workshops, and much more. These professional learning opportunities provide AISI participants with a chance to collaborate, and to share ideas, information, research, and practical experiences. Conference and workshop information including invitations, conference reports, presentations, handouts, and forms can be found under the Workshops & Conferences menu heading on the AISI web site (see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/WorkshopConf). Direct links to each of the three conference reports are provided below for convenience.
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What has been learned through AISI?
AISI has published over ten research papers since inception, examining challenges and opportunities, lessons learned, promising practices, effective professional development including professional learning communities, and more (see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/aisidocs/what.asp). Some of the highlights of this research are illustrated below in the following excerpts:
- Several topics were discussed in Lessons Learned: Considerations for Planning, Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (Alberta Learning, June 2003) including student learning, measures, staff capacity building, and project governance. In addition to quoting lessons learned from research in each of these topic areas, this report also directly quoted AISI participants. For example, in the area of staff capacity building, the report stated the following research and participant consensus:
"Guskey (2000) identifies the following professional development (PD) principles that produced demonstrable evidence of improved student learning:
- a clear focus on learning and learners
- an emphasis on individual and organization change
- small changes guided by a larger vision
- PD is an ongoing activity embedded in the daily work of every educator."
…"When discussing effectiveness of professional development, the general consensus of AISI Coordinators was that for school improvement to succeed, the quality and nature of PD needs to change. PD provided in 'one-time' workshops offers limited benefit to the school and its students. AISI anticipates the need for intentional, ongoing and systemic PD."
For more information see
For more information see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/ aisi/pdfs/Lesson_Learned_June2003.pdf.
- The AISI Literacy and Language Arts Research Review (The University of Lethbridge, 2006) claimed the following "lessons learned":
"I. Literacy and Language Arts
- The complexity of new approaches to literacy requires leadership to initiate and sustain successful projects.
- Many successful projects integrate language arts by explicitly connecting reading and writing curricula and by connecting literacy to other core curricular areas.
- Projects are also developing the metacognitive abilities of students, with explicit attention to the process involved in learning particular literacy skills.
- Early intervention programs, such as Reading Recovery, are allowing students the one-on-one support they need to improve their reading.
- Writing has become a more ingrained part of school cultures and writing is integrated across the curriculum in school-wide initiatives.
II. Professional Communities and Professional Development
- Literacy and language arts initiatives seemed to work best when staff developed a common goal, at the beginning of the project, and regular release time was given or built into the timetable to allow collaboration to unfold.
- Successful projects began with inquiry, where the culture is driven to create, refine and question, in order to build upon successes and create a positive environment for all involved.
- When teachers collaborated and developed a common language to teach literacy, students improved because of the continuity of literacy language in all classrooms from year to year.
III. Common Challenges
The common challenges reported by project participants were how to sustain what had been learned and finding ways to continue supporting teachers in their learning and professional growth. This included the challenges faced in integrating new staff members into the culture and practices of the project."
- Professional Learning Communities: An Exploration (InPraxis Group Inc., 2006) explores the conceptions and understandings, attributes and structures, and benefits of professional learning communities (PLCs). The authors concluded that,
"Professional learning communities (PLCs) are increasingly recognized as an important aspect of the relationships and culture within school environments. In Alberta and across North America, evolving understandings emphasize the need to centre initiatives in local, school-based contexts as well as to consider the broader supports, necessary from district and provincial organizations, to sustain them. There is consensus that PLCs can improve professional practice and efficacy as well as student learning and growth and that processes centred on teacher inquiry and decision making impact the effectiveness of PLCs. There are also increasing calls for structures and supports that facilitate the development of school cultures that encourage effective and sustainable PLCs. These supports are typically focused on the provision of time and flexible logistical structures within a school's organizational structures, the ability to form collaborative working relationships and the allocation of resources to develop leadership capacity and provide professional development support. Researchers agree that, within the context of a facilitative school culture, PLCs have the potential to significantly impact teacher practice, views of learning and student achievement."
For more information, see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/K_12/special/aisi/pdfs/ Prof_Learng_Communities_2006.pdf.
- The AISI Mathematics and Numeracy Projects: Research Review (University of Calgary, 2006) captured the following key findings:
- A significant element of successful projects was the development of teacher capacity.
- Successful projects sustained a clear and direct focus on improving student achievement.
- Successful projects were developed and implemented in a climate of collaboration, encouragement and support.
- Effective project management played an essential part in achieving desired outcomes.
To review all of the research papers, see http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/aisidocs/what.asp.
For up-to-the-minute news, see the School Improvement Scoop (available in English and French) and University Connections newsletters at http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/aisidocs/nletters.asp.
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What has been the impact of AISI in Alberta?
As reported on the AISI Cycle 1 final report, AISI has had the following impacts on the culture of schools in Alberta:
- Improved student learning
- Culture of continuous improvement
- Renewed focus on teaching and learning
- Innovation and creativity
- Shared language
- Research in classrooms
- Culture of continuous improvement
- Evidence-based decisions
- Job-embedded professional development
- Shared and distributed leadership
- Engaged parents
These impacts continue to be felt in cycles 2 and 3 as AISI matures. Visit the AISI web site to continue your exploration of its many highlights.
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