Shoveling the Ramp: A Memphis Program Study
Have you gotten the chance to read our Diverse Learners Program Study? If not, I’m here to tell you a bit about the key takeaways from our report - what the study is, why we conducted it, and what information we gathered.
The Study
Here at the DLC, we are committed to improving the experiences and outcomes of diverse learners. In order to accomplish that goal, we have to identify the strengths and gaps that exist in programs serving these learners. The DLC interviewed 50 Memphis educators from 45 charter schools representing 19 charter networks or individual schools and 8 external partners or services. From these interviews, we analyzed the responses looking for common themes, focusing on best practices in educating diverse learners. From there, we were able to identify these strengths and gaps while also identifying opportunities for efficiencies and collaboration across schools and organizations. It is our hope that the findings from this study spark discussion and collaboration among educators, policymakers, students, families, and anyone invested in quality education.
Key Findings
As a result of our interviews and analysis, we were able to identify practices that are working for special educators, interventionists, and ESL teachers. This led us to name 6 key drivers for successful diverse learner programs and calls to action for policymakers, network leaders, school leaders, and teachers. Based on these six drivers for successful programs, we put together a self-assessment that identifies actionable steps for both network and school leaders as well as teachers. Use this tool to help guide your school towards a stronger program for diverse learners.
In this post, we will briefly describe these findings but encourage you to read the full report to learn more about the insights provided by these Memphis educators.
What’s Working
The following practices are supporting diverse learner educators to best serve their students.
For special education teachers:
Meet and review subgroup data to inform instruction and intervention
Structuring collaboration through consistent meetings and student-centered agendas
Providing differentiated professional development opportunities and instructional coaching
For tier 3 interventionists:
Scheduling the day so students can attend intervention without missing core instruction
Using diagnostic assessments to match interventions to student needs
Developing leaders’ knowledge of best practices in intervention
Connecting intervention to Tier 1 instruction and needs
For multilingual learner (EL) teachers:
Identifying and selecting Tier 1 curriculum that has strong components for ELs
Providing differentiated professional learning opportunities and instructional coaching
Structuring collaboration with other ESL teachers
Collaborating with general educators to build capacity in supporting ELs
Drivers for Successful Programs
A central vision and mindset for diverse learners
The use of data for learning
Meaningful collaboration
Instructional planning periods
Specialized training and instructional coaching
Clear compliance policies and procedures
Calls to Action
Policymakers
Adjust school accountability frameworks to prioritize diverse learner growth
Increase transparency and adequacy in funding for students with disabilities
Local Education Authorities and Network Leaders
Structure collaboration among teachers and administrators
Set a vision for academic equity that includes diverse learners
School Leaders
Ensure the school calendar reflects equity for diverse learners
Facilitate specialized development opportunities for SPED and ESL teachers
Teachers
Focus your planning on a diverse learner to accelerate the learning of all students
Seek out specialized supports and peer networks to maintain focus on the needs of diverse learners
Commit to “authentic compliance”, keeping student needs central even when checking the compliance box
Read the full report here.
