GET SMARTER ABOUT SPENDING MONEY, ADMINISTRATORS TOLD

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GET SMARTER ABOUT SPENDING MONEY, ADMINISTRATORS TOLD
by Anne C. Lewis for America Tomorrow

SAN DIEGO--Schools can always use more money, but a consistent theme at sessions during the annual conference of school administrators here was that much of what they spend money on is wasted, as far as improving student achievement is concerned.

Professional development, for example, "is fragmented, superficial, incoherent and fails to educate," Deborah Ball, professor at the University of Michigan, told the superintendents and other administrators. Ball drew on research by David Cohen and others that is having a major impact in policy discussions, research that shows traditional forms of professional development do not produce changes in classrooms.

Based on studies of California elementary school math instruction, Ball said almost all (95 percent) of the teachers were aware of math reforms. However, 38 percent defined the reforms as hands-on, real-world learning; and 31 percent said they were mostly about cooperative learning. Only 19 percent said the reforms were about new ways of thinking about math.

Researcher Heather Hill, presenting results of the California study, said teachers who participated in long-term professional development focused on the state's math curriculum frameworks changed their practice and produced higher scores on the state's assessments. Teachers who participated in traditional forms of professional development--short-term, more on process than content- -did not change their practice.

Ball said teachers must have more opportunities to learn the content they are supposed to teach, learn how students' understanding of the content develops and learn the instructional strategies and resources needed to link the two.

In another session, Allan Odden of the University of Wisconsin/Madison and an authority on school finance, told the administrators they could adopt "Cadillac reform programs" and still have money left over. The trick is to reallocate resources now in schools.

About 80 percent of the money in schools goes for instruction, student support and administration. Incidentally, only 10 percent is an administrative expense, counteracting claims of "an administrator blob," he said. If all the non-classroom instructional resources, such as specialists, counselors and others, were used to reduce class sizes and focus professional development on high content, schools could adopt expensive reform models, such as Success for All, and still have money left over.

Odden also said that federal officials were "begging" schools/districts to develop whole-school plans that incorporate funding for categorical programs. A new federal program, comprehensive school reform, will begin distributing $145 million this summer to states. They are to award the money on a competitive basis to schools adopting whole-school reform models such as Accelerated Schools or Success for All.