Impact   

Our partners consistently attribute significant improvements they have made to our services, and our evaluations demonstrate a strong pattern of improvement in educator effectiveness and student achievement.

Major Accomplishments. From 2000-2009, he National Equity Project (then BayCES) and its partners transformed the educational landscape in the three San Francisco Bay Area cities where we focused our work (Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville):

• The creation and subsequent support of over 40 new small schools committed to personalization, inviting and safe school cultures, high quality instruction, and improved student achievement. We've seen strong improvements in early indicators such as increased attendance, retention/graduation, and school climate.

• The comprehensive redesign of two urban school districts (Oakland and Emery Unified) to create systems of equitable resource allocation, accountability, central office support for schools, and community engagement.

• Over 175 principals and 700 other educators coached to be leaders for educational equity.

• The acquisition of more than $30 million in national and local grants for small schools and district redesign initiatives.

Our largest and most long-standing district partner, Oakland Unified, has been the most improved major urban district in California for the last five years, despite a deep financial crisis, state takeover, and several executive leadership changes.

Download a brief report on Oakland outcomes [PDF in new window]

Leaders, Teams, and Teachers. Our partners report increased leadership and team efficacy as a result of BayCES coaching, as well as deep shifts in commitment and competence to address longstanding inequities. Administrators, principals, and teachers report greatly increased ability to improve teaching and learning. Selected partner feedback includes:

"Our coach has been extremely supportive and helpful to our leadership team in articulating goals, developing a work plan, training and helping us understand data inquiry, and sharing responsibility for developing school-wide structures."

"Our coach is helping us develop teacher leadership and collaboration structures and processes to build trust, shared responsibility, and higher teacher buy-in."

"I've been at [my school] for five years and this project was the first time my department met as a team with concrete and productive goals. It was a great advantage having a coach who knows and understands our work."

"My coach constantly pushes me in my thinking. He makes sure I am seeing all the pieces while zooming into what needs to be done now. He constantly checks the implementation realities against the vision and makes sure that voices are heard and the work is moving."

"[The coaching] really changed my classroom in a positive way that wasn't difficult for me to do. And students came to understand assessment as a time for me to learn from them. They're much more comfortable now with showing me where they need help -- it's not a punitive process anymore, it's changed from ‘teach and test' to a partnership of learning."

Student Outcomes. New small schools in Oakland demonstrated accelerated achievement compared to the schools they replaced and schools serving similar students. A Stanford University evaluation of the new small schools by Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond termed this "academic productivity" and concluded that:
• New schools are helping increase student achievement and contributing to the district's overall academic productivity.
• New schools become more effective and productive as they mature.
• Key characteristics that contribute to effective school functioning and productivity include:
   o Mission-driven principals who are mentored
   o Extensive use of personalization strategies
   o Clear, coherent instructional programs focused on authentic, hands-on instruction
   o Analyses of student learning that are used to promote an academic culture, improve the instructional program, and inform teacher professional development
   o Commitment to parent and community outreach and engagement

For our current main instructional improvement program, Impact 2012, a Stanford University evaluation of the first year (2008-9) found that:
• Impact 2012 schools gained an average of 42 points on California's Academic Performance Index, which represents a very large increase.
• Impact 2012 schools show a pattern of improvement in student achievement on California Standards Tests (CSTs) overall and in English and Algebra 1 specifically.
• In case study schools, teachers more closely examined students' learning styles and used formative assessments to gauge student progress. These teachers are making progress toward changes in pedagogy that reflect multiple forms of student data.
• Impact 2012 teachers in schools characterized by staff and leadership stability were more likely to report success in adapting instructional practices, with veterans reporting greater success in changing their teaching than novices.

For more information on Impact 2012 and to download the full evaluation and other material, please visit the program page. 

Despite highly challenging circumstances, the National Equity Project partners have made significant progress toward educational equity for students and families.