Raising the Bar

What makes a great learning organization?

The 74 polled 186 educators involved in the Canopy project, a collaborative effort to share information about K-12 innovation, about the information they use to determine whether their schools are doing a good job. Here are excerpts from that post:

“School options are proliferating, with the Trump administration and some state and federal policymakers encouraging choice-friendly policies. But choice isn’t magic. Simply having options isn’t enough to help families – they need to know whether a school is good.”

“At the most basic level, it matters that schools effectively teach children to read and do math. Policymakers and parents should push states to communicate this information transparently, even though at the federal level accountability is being weakened and testing deemphasized.”

“But, as parents know from experience, there’s a lot more that makes a school a good place to learn and grow. What information about quality can complement test scores – or replace them, if testing recedes?”

“…[Canopy] participating schools were nominated for using new methods to achieve more equitable student outcomes by a diverse group of experts at education-related organizations. In this cohort, 44% are district schools, 35% are public charters and 21% are independent schools… These examples provide glimpses into how school can be different – and, as our most recent survey shows, their educators judge their own success in ways that go beyond test scores.”

“Canopy schools value demonstration of learning, not just test scores – Nearly all (92%) of the school leaders surveyed said they value data from performance assessments ‘a lot.’ Unlike traditional tests, this approach has students demonstrate what they know through presentations, portfolios and real-world problem solving. They help capture not just academic knowledge, but skills like collaboration, communication and creative thinking that are difficult to measure through standardized tests.”

“It’s not surprise that so many innovative schools use performance assessments, which let students show what they’ve learned by giving a presentation or assembling a portfolio of their work instead of taking a test. Performance assessments also align with the instructional practices common in Canopy schools, like project-based learning and competency-based education (where students move forward by mastering specific skills). These approaches emphasize hands-on learning and prioritize skills like communication and critical thinking, which performance assessments are better at capturing than traditional written exams.”

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“Canopy schools care about school culture and invest in it – When judging their own quality, most Canopy schools reported relying on information about school climate (80% said they depend on this ‘a lot’) and students’ social and emotional development (69% said they rely on this ‘a lot,’ and 22% ‘a little.’)”

“Such attention to school culture and student well-being aligns with what leaders prioritize in their school design. The majority of Canopy schools (76%) reported that they integrate social and emotional learning throughout the school, including in core academics.”

“Canopy schools pay attention when families – and students – vote with their feet – Leaders at all types of Canopy schools said knowing that students and families want to be there is important. Around three-quarters of leaders said they value attendance and enrollment data ‘a lot’ when gauging whether their school is going a good job, and another quarter value it ‘a little.’ More public school leaders than private school leaders said enrollment is an important indicator – but more private school leaders said they value family feedback surveys than public district and charter leaders.”

“Canopy schools make sure students and parents have a say in what happens. For instance, about half of schools (53%) said they involve students, families or both in decision-making.”

“High schools especially prioritize students’ future opportunities – Especially in high schools, Canopy school leaders consider information about students’ future opportunities important when judging whether their schools are doing a good job. In Canopy, 83% of high schools value college and career readiness ‘a lot.’ Information about students’ long-term outcomes, like earnings and life satisfaction, is also important. However, some schools lack access to essential information: 14% of high schools said they can’t get data about long-term outcomes even if they could value it highly.”

“Some elementary and middle school leaders are also keeping an eye on information about students’ future opportunities. About a quarter of them said they value information about postsecondary readiness and long-term outcomes ‘a lot’ when gauging their own performance. A third valued information about graduation rates, even if the school doesn’t issue diplomas. But most elementary and middle schools reported they don’t have access to this kind of information.”

“What kinds of information do Canopy schools value less? Those that tend to loom largest at dinner tables and on school rating sites: grades and test scores. Many leaders responding to our survey said they value these types of information ‘a little,’ but less than half value them ‘a lot.’”

“In an era when school choice is expanding, it’s more important than ever to understand what truly makes a school effective. The Canopy project offers a window into how forward-thinking schools are redefining success. Instead of looking mainly at test scores, these schools prioritize a wide range of measures, from performance assessments and school culture to student voice and career readiness, to help them determine whether their schools are delivering a quality education.”

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So that’s it? Varied demonstrations of learning, school culture, attendance, and career readiness? Are those measurements of a good school, or in other words, a good learning environment?

Here are some additions to the Canopy list:

How much are young learners growing in their reading, writing, problem-solving, and character development skills?

How powerful are the relationships between young learners and their adult learning leaders, and between the young learners themselves?

How empowered do young learners feel about being able to define, plan, execute, and evaluate their own learning?

How available is anytime, anywhere learning to all young learners?

How does technology play a role in each young learner and their ability to build their own individual learning plan?

Part of the problem with our traditional K-12 system is that impactful outcomes are measured against such a low bar. Unless our K-12 system is willing to raise the bar a lot, then a new learning system must be created to offer young learners the right opportunity to become life-long learners.

Til tomorrow. SVB