Janelle's+Project

Technology for One and All Janelle Horton janelle.horton@waldenu.edu Walden University EDUC 8843 Carla Johnson June 15, 2012

__Performance Improvement Intervention (PII) __

Name of Organization: The Intergenerational School (TIS)

Problem Summary: TIS has a computer lab of 17 machines. In addition, each classroom has one laptop for teacher / student use. The Ohio Department of Education is in the process of developing an online assessment system. This system will replace paper and pencil state-wide standardized tests by 2014. The system is now in field testing stages. With 228 students and 14 classrooms, this could present a scheduling conflict. In addition, the lab is booked with Science classes all day. Students rarely have opportunity to use and learn technology outside of Science class. Students might not be learning the technology skills they need for the future.

Background of Organization: The Intergenerational School (TIS) is a tuition-free K-8 public charter school located in Cleveland. It was founded in 2002. Over the last ten years, TIS has grown from a staff of 3, occupying two rooms in a townhouse to what is now over 19,000 square feet and 30 employees. In 2011-2012 they served 228 K-8 students. Data from annual reports, state report card data, state assessment data, and surveys from teachers and students will be useful in preparing an intervention. The URL for this organization is [|www.tisonline.org].

Stakeholders and Decision Makers: This plan will affect the teachers and students at the school, especially in grades 3-8 as they are required to administer state-wide standardized tests. The decision to implement the plan will have to come from the principal / founder, the assistant principal, and the operations manager. These people will provide me with insights about the performance problem, along with the technology director for our conglomeration of schools, the head of our technology support department, and also teachers in the school who will responsible for implementing the program.

PII - Human Performance Problem (Performance Gap)
As stated previously, the problem a lack of equipment, teacher knowledge and skill, and student knowledge and skill necessary for success in administering an online assessment system in Ohio. The existing level of equipment is a computer lab of 17 machines. In addition, each classroom has one laptop for teacher / student use. Although teachers have machines, training on their usage is minimal. Only one technology in-service was held in 2011-2012, and it was an optional 30 minute workshop after school. Teachers use their machines mostly for personal productivity and are scared to let students use it for fear of breakage. Students in grades 3-8 (the tested grade levels) meet in the computer lab for Science class 3 times per week. The focus is on Science content and not learning technology skill. The principal hopes the students will learn the skills needed by doing Science on the computer instead of being implicitly taught.

The desired level of performance is a 1-1 machine program where each student has their own machine to use. Also, teachers would be skilled in using the machines with students to help with skill building and knowledge. Students would receive regular instruction on the basic computer skills and knowledge of using the computer in the regular classroom as well as during Science classes.

Cause Analysis This problem developed in the school due to a lack of funding. Charter schools are given start-up monies, but without a technology coordinator when the school was founded, monies were not spent thoughtfully toward technology. Charter schools receive less money per pupil per year than public schools after the start up funds are gone. When a technology coordinator was hired, the monies were almost spent. Now that the State of Ohio has mandated online assessments for 2014, the lack of equipment and training is evident and the administration is in a rush to correct these problems. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The gap exists because technology has also been seen as a novelty or add-on by administration and some teachers, and not given much importance in instruction. The creation of a computer lab and a laptop for each teacher was suggestions made by the teachers, not the administration. When funds were available, they were spent on other resources instead of technology.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Organization’s History and Background, Part 2

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Intergenerational School (TIS) creates, connects and guides a multigenerational community to become lifelong learners and engaged citizens (TIS, 2011). This is the mission of the school. In addition, the vision of The Intergenerational School is to serve as a model to encourage and invigorate communities to create new environments that empower learners of all ages as they become life long contributors to a democratic society (TIS, 2011). The simple goal of TIS were dreams of the founders: to offer a tuition-free public school that challenges traditional concepts of age segregation and creates a community of learning where individuals, regardless of age, race, and socio-economic factors, thrive and excel together (TIS, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Chevalier (2007) defines a reasonable goal as taking place in 3 months – 1 year. It should be made one step at a time and should not be unreachable. Therefore, a reasonable goal should be to secure the funding for one or two laptop carts of 18 machines that can be used with any classroom 3-8 by the end of the coming school year. The decision should be made by the teaching administration, the Operations Manager, and the technology coordinator. The foundation that supports the school should also be made aware as they will have to help with fundraising.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Three Intervention Strategies
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Low Cost Strategy

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The low cost strategy would give a basic solution to the performance gap and is more attainable in a short amount of time. In the middle grade group (3-5) there are 5 classrooms of 16 students. Purchasing 1 laptop cart for this group that can be shared among those 5 classes would alleviate some of the scheduling issues. In the upper grade group (6-8) there are 3 classes that could share 1 laptop cart (there is also a desktop lab of 17 computers available for each group). While this is not a 1-1 laptop program, it does lower the ratio of students to computer. The cost for 2 laptop carts (40 machines) would be $8,000. Network updates shouldn’t be necessary with the addition of these machines. Training would have to be done voluntarily by staff.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">ASUS X101-EU17-BK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Black)- $200
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Medium Cost Strategy

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The medium cost strategy would require buying 1 laptop cart for each of the tested grade levels (3-8). That would require 8 laptop carts. In addition, there are already 2 computer labs of 17 computers that could be used. This would give 1-1 computing for the students who are taking the online tests. The cost for 8 laptop carts (160 machines) would be $32,000. Network updates and training would be necessary, and hopefully can be done at a very low cost.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">High Cost Strategy

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The high cost strategy would be one computer for every child in the building, K-8. That would equal 14 laptop carts or around 280 laptops. Network updates and training would also need to be included in the cost. The cost for this endeavor would be over $60,000.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Best Strategy

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The best strategy to implement by the 2014 deadline is the Low Cost Strategy. With a 2014 deadline, raising $8,000 seems more doable. Two classes could test at one time, and the other classes could test on a different day. In the meantime, the school could work toward the Medium and then the High Cost Strategy over time. By 2020 the High Cost Strategy could be in place.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Justification for Intervention Strategy <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;"> The best strategy to implement by the 2014 deadline is the Low Cost Strategy. With a 2014 deadline, raising $8,000 seems more doable. Two classes could test at one time, and the other classes could test on a different day. In the meantime, the school could work toward the Medium and then the High Cost Strategy over time. By 2020 the High Cost Strategy could be in place. As funding is an issue and fundraising would probably be necessary, the medium and high cost strategies would be difficult to implement in two years. This change is taking place in every school in the state of Ohio, so grant funding would be highly competitive. Many schools will be seeking funding to increase the amount of machines and network infrastructure. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">One of the biggest weaknesses of the medium and high impact strategies are the cost. District schools in Ohio receive $13,800 per student per year in funding, while charter schools receive $6,800 per student after paying for facilities (TIS, 2011). With such a budget shortfall, fundraising activities are focused on closing that state funding gap. This would require additional fundraising above what is already done. That could pose a problem. The other weakness would be the logistics of implementing the program. With each additional computer, you would need to increase network capacity, hire technical support to set up the computers, provide training to teachers and students, buy software and security equipment, and create policies for usage of the computers. This would require a lot of time from staff who might already feel overworked. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">If you implement this strategy in stages, the organization could be eased into the change instead of being overwhelmed by a big change at one time. Even if the funding for the high cost strategy could be secured by 2014, it would be better to bring the change to the organization slowly. This could make the process smoother.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">As the performance gap is the lack of necessary machines for administration of online standardized testing and for student technological skill development, the interview strategy I would use would involve gathering information from employees. In order for this innovation to be successful, all stakeholders must be involved, from the business administration of the school to the teaching staff. Chevalier (2007) believed that you must involve others in the organization so that they will buy-in and be committed. I would interview all stakeholders in either a group format, with a open-ended statement survey, or with a one-legged interviews (Hall & Hord, 2006).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Manager’s Many Roles

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;"> Project management techniques: In this innovation, I would have many roles. First I would need to be a momentum builder (Laureate Education, 2010). I would need to find a way to take our organization from one reality to another. “A good leader is creative and innovative, leading people to think beyond the scope of where they were before” (Laureate Education, 2010). I would also need to be a motivator to show people the value and give them confidence in the endeavor (Laureate Education, 2010). I would need to be a leader and mentor. I would need to support others, provide direction, and assess the willingness and ability of those involved (Chevalier, 2007). I would be the Go-To person. Finally, once I have people on board, I would need to be a team builder as I select the right people and develop the team and individuals to implement this innovation (Chevalier, 2007).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Resource management techniques: The resources used for the intervention would include money already in the budget and money raised through fundraising and grants. The budget finances would be tracked by the Business Manager of the school. The fundraising monies would be handled and tracked by the Parent Group of the school who would report to the Development Director of the organization. Any grant funds would be secured through the committee for this project and tracked through the Business Manager and the Development Director. However, as project leader, I would keep track of all monies non-officially. Once equipment is secured, it will be the responsibility of the Information Technology department to tag, distribute, and track all machines.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Delivery system management techniques: This intervention strategy will be delivered through laptops or tablets for each student. During the school day, each student will have access to a machine. Teachers will be trained on how to use the machines in the classroom. Students will be able to research, type their writing, practice their math concepts, do simulations, and other computer applications that will enrich their learning. They will also be able to use the machines for standardized testing.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Information management techniques: The information for this intervention strategy will be stored in a database that can be accessed over the network by all committee members and the IT staff. This system will allow staff to create trouble tickets if a machine is malfunctioning. Teacher observations and evaluations from their cluster directors will also be stored in this system. Surveys and other evaluation data will be stored in this system for everyone to use.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Manager as Change Agent

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;"> A change agent seeks adoption of new ideas, slows the diffusion process, and prevents adoption of certain innovations that could have undesirable effects (Rogers, 2003). Of the seven roles of a change agent described by Rogers (2003), there are two that are critical to this innovation. One role is developing a need for change. The staff must become aware of the need for this innovation. The second role is to establish an information exchange relationship or develop a rapport (Rogers, 2003). A committee must be formed to investigate the options available and be cheerleaders for the innovation to other stakeholders. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Financial and Budget Information. This innovation will be costly, even if the low-end intervention is implemented. A tentative budget for the low-end intervention is shown below.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Item Number || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Item Name / Description || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Cost per Item || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Quantity || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Total Cost ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">A50-101138 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">ASUS Eee PC X101CH-EU17-WT Netbook - Intel Atom N2600 1.6GHz, 1GB DDR3, 320GB HDD, 10.1" WSVGA, Windows 7 Starter, White[] || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$250.00 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">40 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$10,000 ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;"> I401-1044 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Intellerum CSC-ML48 NetBook Carrier - Holds 48 NetBooks[] || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$1,860.00 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">1 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$1,860 ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Network Installation upgrades and set-up Maintenance for machines[|http://www.smartsolutions.com] || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$5,000 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">1 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$5,000 ||
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Teacher Training Instruction (done by me) || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$300 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">1 || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$300 ||
 * |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Total || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">$17,160 ||

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Technical Information. Once equipment is secured, it will need to be set-up by the school’s contracted IT company, Smart Solutions. This includes unpacking the machines, doing initial set-up, and installing software. The machines will need to be tagged for inventory purposes and distributed to teachers and students. The machines selected are netbooks instead of tablets because they have keyboards but are still small and compact. The netbooks selected have Windows 7 on them and have the capability of being used with any software that is used on Windows machines. Smart Solutions will be in charge of maintenance and repair of machines during the year. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Project Assessment. This program will be evaluated in several different ways. Teacher training will take place in the summer of 2014, after all the machines have been secured. Formative evaluation for teacher training will happen during each unit of the course with a quiz or activity to evaluate their learning. During the school year, the training will have formative and summative evaluation as teachers and students will be observed by the principal, assistant principal, or the technology coordinator to see if additional training or other interventions are necessary. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Teacher training will have summative evaluation at the end of the course with a questionnaire and a performance-based simulation of using the netbooks with students, as recommended by Chevalier (2007). The innovation will have summative evaluation at the end of the school year. A parent survey, a student survey, and a teacher survey will be distributed to gauge the success or failure of the program. These surveys will help the committee determine the next steps for the innovation, like moving to the middle-end intervention. Also, the results from the Ohio Achievement Assessment can be used for formative evaluation to see if test scores are higher during the year with the netbooks than previous years. School-based assessment data can also be used for comparison purposes.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">References <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Chevalier, R. D. (2007). A manager's guide to improving workplace performance. New York, NY: American Management Association. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Hall, G. E., & Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">The Intergenerational School: 2010-2011 Annual report. (2011). Retrieved from [|http://www.tisonline.org] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 140%;">Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press. .