EDUCAUSE | Change Management

Seizing the Opportunity at the Top: How the U.S. Can Reach Every Student with an Effective Teacher

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:16:13 +0000

American children deserve the one ingredient we know creates stellar learning results: excellent teachers, consistently. This brief explains why every child needs excellent teachers year after year; how schools can put excellent teachers in charge of more children’s learning while offering new roles to other teachers in which they, too, can be excellent; and what changes policymakers must support to make this possible: speedily improving the identification of excellent teachers, clearing the policy barriers—including inflexible budgets, human resource systems, and operational rules—that keep excellent teachers from reaching more students for more pay and drive those teachers out of instructional roles, and catalyzing the will for schools and districts to put excellent teachers in charge of every student’s learning. We propose bold solutions to create this will—including a new right to excellent teachers and strong financial incentives for excellent teachers to reach more students—and we invite others to add to these ideas.

Written by Emily Ayscue Hassel, Bryan C. Hassel

3x for all: Extending the Reach of Education’s Best

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:12:46 +0000

Teacher effectiveness has the largest impact of school effects on student learning, and research indicates that top-quintile teachers produce learning gains three times (3X) that of bottom-quintile teachers. However, the supply of these “3X” teachers is limited. Meanwhile, 3X teachers affect only a small portion of children each year, no more than bottom-quintile teachers. Instead of just trying to recruit more great teachers, what if schools chose to reach more children with the great teachers they already have?

Reach extension can take several forms, such as redesigning jobs to concentrate 3X teacher time on instruction, putting star teachers in charge of more children’s learning, and using technology to extend 3X teacher reach and meet their standard. Potential reach-extension methods vary according to the level of “touch,” or direct student interaction with 3X teachers, and “reach,” or number of children served by each 3X instructor.

By eliminating rote and non-instructional duties from 3X teachers’ schedules, many methods would increase touch and reach simultaneously, especially benefiting students who, because of age or learning needs, learn best with high levels of teacher interaction. Even high-touch, low-reach methods of reach extension could significantly increase the number of children learning from top-quintile teachers. Star teachers whose reach is extended would have unprecedented opportunities for achievement and could be paid more from existing per-pupil funding streams. Prepared with the support of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, this working paper aims to launch further thinking and action to achieve 3X for All.

Written by Emily Ayscue Hassel, Bryan C. Hassel

Using Technology to Personalize Learning and Assess Students in Real-Time

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:09:30 +0000

This paper examines new models of instruction made possible by digital technologies. Pilot projects from across the country are experimenting with different organizations and delivery systems, and transforming the manner in which formal education takes place. By itself, technology will not remake education. Meaningful change requires alterations in technology, organizational structure, instructional approach, and educational assessment. But if officials combine innovations in technology, organization, operations, and culture, they can overcome current barriers, produce better results, and reimagine the manner in which schools function.

Written by Darrell M. West

Interview and Interactive Q&A Session with General Session Speaker Elizabeth Coleman, Bennington College

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:03:05 +0000

Join us for an exclusive interview and take advantage of this unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with the general session speaker who will comment on and discuss her presentation from the face-to-face program, "Improvisation and Innovation: Rhetoric and Reality."

Building Blocks for College Completion: Blended Learning

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:36:46 +0000

Ten projects funded by Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) in the initiative’s first round of investment in 2011, known as Wave I, sought to scale the adoption of blended learning models. The intent was to realize the potential of those models to improve student outcomes and reduce costs. NGLC’s funding of their solutions was an opportunity to discover the strengths of different blended learning models, the elements of those models that may be widely adopted, and strategies for addressing implementation challenges. Grantees spent much of their project effort interacting with expansion campuses that were adopting their approaches, although several grantees also needed to complete the technical development of their approach in order to scale it. This report includes details about the designs of their scalable models and the strategies for scaling that they implemented.

The report concludes with suggestions for future development and adoption of blended learning, included as primer questions and a resource list, which are based on grantees’ work in progress.

NGLC accelerates educational innovation through applied technology to dramatically improve college readiness and completion in the United States. To learn more about NGLC and the grantees it supports, visit nextgenlearning.org

Changing the Culture of an IT Organization, Whirlwind Style

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:29:58 +0000

Yale's IT organization is in transformation mode. The journey, over the past 18 months has covered everything: a major reorganization; a top to bottom and side-to-side implementation of ITIL processes and a new tool for tracking incidents, problems, changes, and requests; a new governance structure rollout; the voice of community focus groups and activities; a major website redesign; and new structures to support and encourage change, communication, and innovation. This session will focus on the change efforts, share lessons learned, and discuss the pros and cons of implementing change at a very fast pace.

Cultivating a Culture of Creativity and Innovation: Learning from Jazz Improvisation - Sponsored by Acquia

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 01:29:15 +0000

Today's world involves change at an unprecedented pace. Managing creativity and innovation is becoming the most important responsibility for leaders in this new century. Leaders must build this capability in their people at all levels of the organization to initiate and implement the innovative solutions that can improve organizational effectiveness. This presentation will provide a model for creating an organization designed for maximum learning and innovation. Using jazz improvisation as the metaphor, participants will see how jazz players do what leaders find themselves doing: inventing novel responses without a plan or without certainty of outcomes and discovering the future that their action creates as it unfolds. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of factors that support innovation and creativity.

Podcast: Leading Sustained, Desired Change

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:02:50 +0000

Speakers:

Laurie G. Antolovic, Deputy Chief Information Officer, Indiana University Bloomington
Michael Kubit, Director ITS Run, Case Western Reserve University

Emerging trends in higher education require fundamental changes in our IT organizations. Without the right strategy and approach, attempts at organizational change could return unintended results that negatively impact an organization for years. This session will present how evidence-based approaches can be used to facilitate and focus positive organizational change.

Music: "New Pop Wave" by sebastian6

Creating a Reflective and Change-Oriented IT Culture Using a Bit O' Science

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:32:29 +0000

Please join us in an interactive discussion exploring how and why services are designed, deployed, and retired in IT. The speaker will share the journey of a newly formed Portfolio Management Office, looking at what went according to plan as well as some of the unexpected twists and turns. The discussion will focus on what IT Portfolio Management is, its benefits, and valuable lessons learned.
A great strategy can't be realized without support from your organization's culture. To shape your IT culture into one that is reflective and change-oriented, use a bit of science! Participants attending this session will learn (1) how to assess culture using a diagnostic tool for cultural measurement; (2) how leaders can help technology-intensive teams and entire organizations to thrive under changing conditions; and (3) how to shape mind-sets and beliefs through an approach backed by scientific research. This is an interactive session with exercises to explore and apply the science behind shaping mind-sets, beliefs, and culture at work.

Macro Analytics: Getting in the Game

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:32:28 +0000

This session will focus on macro analytics, or using expectations to bring about change. This simple-to-apply yet difficult-to-master concept will help attendees gain an understanding of how analytics should be used. There is a growing acknowledgement among leadership that the use of "targets" is trending toward ineffectiveness and will soon no longer be an acceptable tool for motivating, encouraging, or inspiring change. Macro analytics provides leadership with a new norm: "expectations." Expectations are how we currently lead when we truly care about the organization; incorporating them into our improvement efforts is a logical and healthy step toward success.

Doing IT: The Reflective Practitioner - Sponsored by SNtial Technologies

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:02:23 +0000

Disruption. Uncertainty. Volatility. The higher ed IT organization is buffeted daily by external forces beyond our control and internally by accelerating expectations for cheaper, faster, and better tools and services. How do IT professionals adapt to shifting winds while continuing to provide reliable and robust IT services, expand access and capacity while managing security, bandwidth, rapidly changing learning technologies, and device performance, and meet the demands of today's problems while investing in the skills required for tomorrow? We all share a common predicament: that of having to thrive in an emergent context within institutions steeped in centuries-old traditions. Finding the right balance of reflective thought with decisive action is a central challenge. In this session, Ann Kovalchick will use an anthropological lens to identify and suggest ways that IT professionals can enable the development of a change-oriented IT culture and offer insights into leadership practices that can be used across the IT organization.

Podcast: The "New Normal" and the Need for Adaptation in Higher Education

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 00:14:28 +0000

Speaker: Kimberly Tuby, Vice President/Senior Credit Officer, Moody's

The "New Normal" and the Need for Adaptation in Higher Education This session will focus on some of the new realities facing management teams and boards of U.S. colleges and universities. These challenges include slowed revenue growth, continued evolution of educational delivery formats, growing demand for organization transparency, and increased need for operating efficiency and partnerships.

Horry County Public Schools: Whittemore Park Middle School

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:54:01 +0000

One observer of the model for this Horry County, SC district school commented, “They are really creating a new middle school model rather than shuffling the chairs in a turnaround.” The new student-centered, competency-based model, “iCAN,” has four central elements: individualized, college and career readiness, aspirations of students, and network of support.

The two-page grantee profiles from Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) provide factual information about the secondary school and postsecondary degree program designs awarded grants under NGLC's third wave of funding, which focused on two areas, "Breakthrough Models for College Readiness" and "Breakthrough Models for College Completion." Each profile describes what makes each model "breakthrough" and offers important information about the instructional and financial models, student demographics, hardware and software choices, and contact info. These profiles serve to illustrate the innovations of these new blended and online models, with practical details of interest to those starting a new school or degree program.

Generation Schools Network: West Generation Academy

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 04:02:46 +0000

This Denver public 6-12 school operated by Generation Schools Network, which opened in Fall 2012, redesigned the academic model to a rotational blended model for greater personalization, more time for learning, and stronger support for academic and 21^st century skills development. It also redeployed the school’s existing resources to change the model without adding to school costs and operating within key parameters of teacher contracts. The goal is to ensure that innovative practice and change occurs not just outside the system, but within it as well.

Education Achievement Authority: Nolan Elementary-Middle School

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 03:43:30 +0000

Charged by the governor of Michigan to transform the lowest five percent of the persistently lowest achieving schools in the state while simultaneously developing a new approach to educating students, the Education Achievement Authority is recreating Nolan Elementary-Middle School in Detroit. Modular furniture and flexible grouping arrangements accommodate a blended learning, student-centered, mastery-progression approach. The dynamic learning platform emphasizes not just cognitive skills but also collaboration and communication.

Leading the Student Experience: Super-Convergence of Organisation, Structure and Business Processes

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:18:37 +0000

This group of case studies from the United Kingdom organization, Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, focuses on the UK higher education student experience. "The student experience represents an area of vital importance to higher education providers as they face the greatest changes affecting the sector in a generation. On the one hand, institutions need to provide services that meet the expectations of students who are committing substantial sums of money to their studies and who are behaving increasingly as consumers. On the other hand, the sector is likely to be transformed by government initiatives that are placing institutions under substantial pressure and forcing them to rethink their activities and how they operate."

Podcast: Ganesan Ravishanker on the Democracy and Pitfalls of Data Analytics

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:02:35 +0000

Ganesan Ravishanker is Chief Information Officer at Wellesley College. In this conversation he shares his cautious insights into the challenges and benefits of analytics.

Building a Performance Analytics Environment

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 18:41:22 +0000

Key Takeaways

An initiative aimed at institutional growth further fuelled Philadelphia University’s push toward more data-driven processes and led to the development of a campus-wide performance dashboard.
Mining data that wasn’t in electronic form was one challenge, but the larger issues related to data access and reliability, as well as time-intensive data-gathering efforts.
The dashboard effort highlighted the importance of establishing user groups, gaining support within academic departments, and focusing on tangible benefits, such as increased resource utilization.
Legacy practices and cultural barriers to change can have a significant impact on implementation and adoption.

Leading Change by Living It

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 19:30:36 +0000

Responsibility for an organization's success falls directly on the backs of its leaders. Although traditional organizational structures tend to vest such responsibilities in top-down management hierarchies headed by a CEO, current unprecedented advances in information technology are creating new leadership opportunities for IT departments.

Ready, Set, Go: Measuring Organizational Readiness in Higher Education

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:04:55 +0000

University leadership requires greater intelligence regarding campus or unit readiness to both allocate resources and make critical decisions regarding go-lives. The Change Management unit of CUNY developed a toolkit to analyze colleges and departments in the following key areas of readiness: staffing, leadership, knowledge management, business ownership, technical ownership, and coordination.

The Game is Changing. What Will Be Expected of You?

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:21:54 +0000

“When we were doing our studies for the National Academies, the typical first response of university presidents or CFOs or provosts was to say: ‘I understand things are changing very rapidly, but I'll ask my CIO to take care of it. The CIO usually can.’ We would then ask: ‘Suppose you wake up in the morning and come in to your office and nothing works anymore. You can't access e-mail. All of your course systems have collapsed. Who fixes the problem?’ They begin to scratch their heads, and pretty soon it's like the five phases of grief. They start off with denial and anger, move through bargaining and depression, and finally reach acceptance.” — James J. Duderstadt, Change and the Research University

Leading Change from Where You Are

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:12:50 +0000

changemanagement

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 18:21:02 +0000

Organizational Change Management/Readiness

Service overview

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Definitions

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EDU11: Clients Get IT, and So Must We

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:58:38 +0000

New York University's vision to be a leading global network university is embodied more markedly every day, embracing all dimensions of university life and personified in a growing community of highly talented, globally mobile scholars, colleagues, and partners. Implementation of the IT strategy that NYU initially adopted in 2008 for the global network university is proceeding, with an expanding suite of shared IT services available across NYU's campuses and sites. Now that NYU's clients in New York and around the world "get" global IT-its reality and its potential-(r)evolutions are under way in NYU's IT strategy, IT governance, and IT service delivery.

EDU11: IT from Both Sides of the Executive Table

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:44:29 +0000

Information technology plays a fundamental and growing role in enabling education and research, yet the CIO's role in leading that evolution for colleges and universities is far from clear. As a former CIO, vice president for research, and provost and current university president, Michael McRobbie shares his insights on the leadership opportunities and responsibilities for CIOs and their critical role in reshaping institutions.