Eric.ed.gov – Catalyst Schools Research Study: Technical Report

In January 2012, the West Virginia Governor’s Office released an influential report, “Education Efficiency Audit of West Virginia’s Primary and Secondary Education System,” written by Public Works (2012), a management consulting company headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Based largely on this report, the West Virginia Legislature passed education reform legislation, which was signed into law by the Governor in spring 2013. The Catalyst School Research Study examined the initial stage of an initiative that grew out of that reform. The Transforming Professional Learning initiative focused on changing the way the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) defined professional learning and the ways major providers involved themselves in the professional learning of educators in the state, especially the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) and regional education service agencies (RESAs). The results of the study were reported in five Catalyst Schools Research Study Reports, all available at http://wvde.state.wv.us/research/reports2016.html: (1) “Supporting Statewide Implementation of the Learning School Initiative”; (2) “Spotlight on RESA 2–Regional Implementation of the Learning School Initiative”; (3) “Spotlight on RESA 6–Regional Implementation of the Learning School Initiative”; (4) “Catalyst Schools’ Implementation of the Learning School Approach”; and (5) “The Learning School Approach and Student Proficiency in ELA and Math–Preliminary Findings.” This report provides technical details about the research methods used in the first four reports in the study. The fifth report includes methods in the report itself. The rationale for this study is grounded in its potential significance for informing RESAs, WVDE, and others about how a new, more cohesive and user-driven system of professional learning can be established across the state. This evaluation study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide useable information for leaders in the catalyst schools, as well as for planners and leaders involved in scaling up the program for statewide implementation. Stakeholders were involved in data collection and interpretation in order to maximize the usefulness and use of the study findings. All focus group and individual interviews were recorded and transcribed and read multiple times to identify themes related to the evaluation questions. Additional details are included in the descriptions of the individual reports. The following are appended: (1) Timeline for Study; (2) Interview Questions: Funding for Professional Learning; (3) Interview Protocol and Questions for Focus Groups with Principals, November 2015-January 2016; (4) Questions for Focus Groups with Cohort 1 Teachers, March-April 2015; (5) Implementation of the Transforming Professional Learning Initiative; (6) Interview Questions for RESA Directors, Spring 2015; (7) Survey of Catalyst School Principals about PLC Scheduling; (8) RESA 2 and RESA 6 Staff Questionnaire, Spring 2016; (9) Category Codes for Activities Included in Catalyst School PLC Agendas; and (10) Agenda Item Coding Spreadsheet; (11) Rapid Identification of Themes from Audio Recordings (RITA) Coding Sheet for Principal Focus Group Interviews; and (12) Message to RESA Directors Request Stage-of-Implementation for Catalyst Schools. [For the five brief reports from this study, see (1) “Supporting Statewide Implementation of the Learning School Initiative” (ED569938); (2) “Spotlight on RESA 2: Regional Implementation of the Learning School Initiative” (ED569931); (3) “Spotlight on RESA 6: Regional Implementation of the Learning School Initiative” (ED569932); (4) “Catalyst Schools’ Implementation of the Learning School Approach” (ED569936); and (5) “The Learning School Approach and Student Proficiency in ELA and Math: Preliminary Findings” (ED569937).]