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EXPANDING EXCELLENCE FOR ALL

A collaboration between the

Harvard Graduate School of Education and Boston Public Schools

Abel McDaniels

Jenna Drollette

Jennifer Fein

Madeline Connors

Nathan Ward

Timothy Sippel

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MEET THE TEAM

Madeline Connors

Ed.M. Education Policy and Management, 2019

Nathan Ward

Ed.M. Education Policy and Management, 2019

Timothy Sippel

Ed.L.D. Education Leadership, 2020

Abel McDaniels

Ed.M. Education Policy and Management, 2019

Jenna Drollette

Ed.M. Education Policy and Management, 2019

Jennifer Fein

Ed.M. School Leadership Program,

Principal Licensure, 2019

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AGENDA

Introduction to Excellence for All
Defining the Challenge
Methodology
Expansion Models with Financial Implications
Discussion and Looking Ahead
Questions

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EXCELLENCE FOR ALL

History of the Program In Boston Public Schools

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Advanced Work Class and the Foundation of EFA

Advanced Work Class (AWC)

Test-based admission
Accelerated curriculum
Separate classrooms

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Source: BPS

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All 4th Grade Students in BPS vs. AWC vs. EFA (SY 2016-17)

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EFA Pillars

Rigorous instruction
Quality enrichments
CLSP/SEL
Executive Function
Personalized Learning/Innovation

All students can achieve and experience a rigorous, enriching curriculum.

For Students	For Teachers
STEM World Language Capstone Project SEL Accelerated Reading	Executive Function training Coaching PD in writing, math, UDL, and personalized learning

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

A description of our task

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Problem Definition

Boston Public Schools needs to determine the cost of expanding the EFA pilot program to all the grades 4-6 in the district.

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INITIAL EXPANSION OPTIONS

Models 1A & 1B

Keep EFA centrally run
Project costs based on current spending
Support based at district
Scale up costs proportionally
Roll out expansion over several years

Model 2

Decentralizes EFA
Projects costs based augmented WSF
Implementation support primarily based at schools
Gradual expansion based on cohorts of 10 schools per year

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METHODOLOGY

A discussion of our process

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METHODOLOGY

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Interviews

Analysis

Data Collection

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Existing Cost of EFA

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Spending Category	Amount
Personnel	$1,723,426
Food	$1,280.00
Scholars	$11,906.00
Professional Development (Vendor Costs)	$17,700.00
Professional Development (Teacher Compensation)	$492,267.00
Books, Interventions, and STEM Materials	$204,159.00
Total	$2,456,238.00

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3 EXPANSION MODELS WITH FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Three EFA expansion models

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Key Features of Model 1A

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MODEL 1A: PROPORTIONAL ROLL OUT

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Guiding Principles

5 schools per year
13 year expansion
Proportional cost distribution

$2,456,238

Existing EFA Annual Program Cost

$13,543,742

Projected Annual EFA Cost (at scale)

*JENNA

*Discuss theory of action, process, assumptions, and limitations

“Model 1A is grounded in the theory of action that “if we accurately assess the current costs of EFA and break them down across pilot schools, then then we can project future spending using proportional analysis.

Here, we collected and summarized existing EFA costs, determined the number of schools targeted in the expansion of EFA, and projected future costs based on the ratio of current spending to the number of pilot schools. We rolled out EFA over 13 years, expanding into 5 schools per year, as requested by the EFA central office.

This figure displays the annual costs of a proportional roll out. You can see years on the horizontal axis and cost on the vertical axis. Here, we see the additional yearly costs as EFA expands into 5 schools per year. The additional costs per year are constant. Here we have the total cost per year through the 13 years of the roll out.

In this model, we project that EFA will cost an additional $880,000 per year over the 13 years with a final yearly cost of $13,543,742.”

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CONSIDERATIONS FOR MODEL 1A

BENEFITS

Centralized management to provide consistency and quality control
Simplest cost calculations and organizational structure
Straightforward path to scaling

LIMITATIONS

Risk of implementation support being compartmentalized and stretched thin across schools
Ambitious rollout plan-- all grades implemented concurrently
Limited school autonomy
School size is not taken into account

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*JENNA

“There is much to consider about the strengths and weaknesses of a proportional expansion plan, in terms of finances, but also in terms of feasibility, structural consistency, and momentum. Expanding EFA proportionally means that its organizational structure can remain in place, avoiding complications in restructuring management and implementation systems. Importantly, this expansion method is simple to understand and the most straightforward scaling method.

However, EFA currently faces some challenges that may persist in the continuation of the status quo and the model itself has some limitations. The EFA central office may be supporting redundant coaching interventions if schools continue to utilize their current staff members as instructional coaches, and there is risk of a lack of communication between the current academic improvement initiatives and EFA. The expansion itself is also quite ambitious since all the grades in a school adopt EFA simultaneously instead of a by-grade-level roll out as Nathan will discuss in a moment. Lastly, this model does not account for school SIZE, just number of schools, so the cost projections are limited in that way. To sum, Model 1A is simple and straightforward but its implementation runs the risk of alignment issues in the future.”

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MODEL 1B: NETWORK ROLLOUT

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Guiding Principles

Same total cost projections as Model 1A, different rollout
Expands by grade level and by school each year
Uses existing learning networks to organize and facilitate EFA expansion
Utilizes student enrollment data

$13,543,742

Projected Yearly EFA Cost (at scale)

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Key Features of Model 1B

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Key Features of Model 1B

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Key Features of Model 1B

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Key Features of Model 1B

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MODEL 1B: NETWORK ROLLOUT

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Guiding Principles

Same total cost projections as Model 1A, different rollout
Expands by grade level and by school each year
Uses existing learning networks to organize and facilitate EFA expansion
Utilizes student enrollment data

$13,543,742

Projected Yearly EFA Cost (at scale)

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CONSIDERATIONS FOR MODEL 1B

BENEFITS

Builds capacity by phasing in gradually by grade levels
Utilizes Learning Networks to support communities of practice
Maintains centralized management for consistency and quality control

LIMITATIONS

Risk of implementation support being compartmentalized and stretched thin across schools
Growth in annual funding is distributed unevenly over time
Limited school autonomy

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Key Features of Model 2

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* Research-based adequate instructional facilitator/coach ratio. (Odden, Goetz, & Picus, 2008)

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MODEL 2: COSTS

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Guiding Principles

District allocates additional WSF to incentivize implementation
Utilization of site-based instructional coaches (minimum of 0.5 FTE per site)
Central coordination of professional development

$11,247,358

School-based portion of costs at scale

$16,438,775

Projected Yearly EFA Cost (at scale)

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CONSIDERATIONS FOR MODEL 2

BENEFITS

Responsibility for implementation transferred to the school level
Encourages alignment with BPS strategic priorities
Resources shifted to support instructional coaching at every school

LIMITATIONS

Personnel-intensive; highest overall cost of three models
Need to establish new roles and relationships in schools
District would have to monitor implementation at schools to ensure quality

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DISCUSSION AND LOOKING AHEAD

The future of EFA

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SUMMARY

Current EFA Cost for 16 Schools: $2.5 Million
Full Expansion: 79 Schools

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Model 1A	Model 1B	Model 2
Expansion is Proportional and by School	Expansion is by Learning Network and Grade	Expansion is by Opting In and Grade
Managed and Funded Centrally	Managed and Funded Centrally	Managed by School and Funded by WSF
Implemented over 13 years	Implemented over 9 years	Implemented over 10 years
At Scale Cost: $13.5 Million	At Scale Cost: $13.5 Million	At Scale Cost: $16.4 Million

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RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS

Conduct interviews & focus groups

Consider site-based instructional coaching models

Study World Language program

Build excitement and awareness

Cost of coach training

Consider how costs may change at full operation

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THANK YOU!

Regine Philippeaux
Nicole Mendoza
Colin Rose
Mary Driscoll
Kelly Hung
David Bloom

Professor Fullerton
Chris Cleveland
Dylan Lukes

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QUESTIONS?

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SUMMARY

Current EFA Cost for 16 Schools: $2.5 Million
Full Expansion: 79 Schools

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Model 1A	Model 1B	Model 2
Expansion is Proportional and by School	Expansion is by Learning Network and Grade	Expansion is by Opting In and Grade
Managed and Funded Centrally	Managed and Funded Centrally	Managed by School and Funded by WSF
Implemented over 13 years	Implemented over 9 years	Implemented over 10 years
At Scale Cost: $13.5 Million	At Scale Cost: $13.5 Million	At Scale Cost: $16.4 Million

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THE END

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