An Integrated Qualitative and Quantitative Evaluation of the SAGE Project
About SAGE
Wisconsin’s Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program was established in the 1996-97 school year to improve student achievement through the implementation of four specific school-improvement strategies:
- class sizes of no more than 15:1 in grades K-3;
- increased collaboration between schools and their communities;
- implementation of a rigorous curriculum; and
- improved professional development and staff-evaluation practices.
In this multi-method longitudinal evaluation study we explored the implementation and outcomes of a state-wide class size reduction program. Blending qualitative and quantitative methods, our team has examined student outcomes in two large urban areas K-3 and the specific issues that challenge schools implementing a complex reform.
The quantitative element of the evaluation is exploring student measures of learning from Milwaukee and Madison to assess the effects of placement in SAGE classrooms. The qualitative element conducted case studies in 9 high poverty schools to explore how high achieving, low achieving and rapidly improving schools used the resource of class size reduction to change staffing patterns and develop new instructional patterns. SAGE implementation required changes in space allocation. Some classrooms had 15 students and one teacher, some classroom teachers worked within cramped quarters and others teamed with a colleague. Within the teamed classes teachers sometimes used what we called tag-team teaching with one teacher leading and the other doing clerical work. Little attention was specifically given to professional development to enhance teaching in smaller classes. A new sample was used for fieldwork in 2007-8, split between high and low achieving schools in Madison and Milwaukee. Mini case studies of teacher and principal interviews and observations will provide insight into the practices that are associated with student achievement.
Contact
Ernie Morgan
Phone: (608) 263-3452
Office: 768 Ed Sciences
ernestmorgan@wisc.eduPenny Clark
Phone: (608) 262-9893
Office: 768 Ed Sciences
plclark@wisc.edu
Publications
- Under Research Perspectives on Class Size Reduction,
Educational Policy Analysis Archives (2009)
This article applies to class size research Grant and Graue’s (1999) position that reviews of research represent conversations in the academic community. By extending our understanding of the class size reduction conversation beyond published literature to the perspectives of researchers who have studied the topic, we create a review that includes political histories of, contextual details about, and assumptions undergirding the conversation. We find divergent (and sometimes competing) perspectives on identifying beneficiaries of class size reduction (or CSR) and the correct context in which to view CSR research. By contrasting the logic and assumptions embedded in pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), class size (CS), and class size reduction studies, we conclude that sometimes research conflates these constructs and their associated theories of action, and such distortion poorly serves the needs of policymakers and stakeholders in education. We recommend that future inquiry focus on mechanisms of change, particularly instruction—both in terms of instructional strategies that capitalize on the resource of a smaller group and the types of support needed for teacher and administrator professional development.
- The Wisdom of Class Size Reduction,
American Education Research Association Journal (2007)
Class size reduction is a popular and resource-intensive reform aimed toward improving student achievement. In this study we explored the implementation of a state-wide class size reduction program in nine high poverty schools. Through observations, interviews, and artifact collection in 27 classrooms (K-3) we examined how high achieving, low achieving and rapidly improving schools used the resource of class size reduction to change staffing patterns and develop new instructional patterns. Program implementation required changes in space allocation. Some classrooms had 15 students and one teacher, some classroom teachers worked within created, cramped quarters and others teamed with a colleague. Within the teamed classes teachers often used a strategy we called tag-team teaching with one teacher leading and the other doing clerical work. Little attention was specifically given to professional development to enhance teaching in smaller classes so it makes sense that teachers continued to practice in solo mode. Class size reduction is both a programmatic and instructional reform and as such, it requires specific professional development to promote change.
- You Just Feed Them with a Long Handled Spoon: Families Evaluate Their Experience in a Class Size Reduction Reform (Educational Policy, in press)
This paper comes out of an evaluation of Wisconsin’s Student Achievement Guarantee in Education program (SAGE), a multidimensional program popularly known for its class size reduction component. One of SAGE’s elements is a lighted schoolhouse initiative that is aimed to strengthen the links between home and school. We were interested in finding out how class size reduction and family strengthening reforms come together in the experiences of families whose lives had been touched by the program. Drawing on family focus groups held at nine SAGE schools we use Bakhtin’s tools of addressivity and answerability to explore how families constructed locally specific identities within particular community contexts. Family discussions focused on responding to needs: family social needs, the need for social connection, and perceived answerability felt by families for their community. We suggest that schools would be more successful in building relationships if they used the potential power promised in class size reduction programs and developed programming focused on the needs and resources of families in particular communities rather than imagining a generic, one size fits all model of parents.
Policy Briefs
PowerPoints
- Perspectives on Class Size Reduction
Interpretive literature review with analysis of researcher perspectives
- The Role of Professional Development in SAGE Schools
Presentation on professional development in SAGE schools
Working Papers
- SAGE Implementation and Classroom Qualtiy: 2006-07 Student Achievement Guarantee in Education Qualitative Evaluation
Report explores how local schools implement SAGE program.
- Perspectives on Class Size Reduction
Interpretive literature review with analysis of researcher perspectives
- Professional Development in SAGE
Paper examines the role of professional development in SAGE schools
- When size matters: A hybrid theory of early literacy content and sociocultural contexts
Analysis of literacy practices in SAGE classrooms by Dawnene Hassett & Kelly Hatch submitted to the Journal of Educational Research.
- The Synergy of Class Size Reduction and Classroom Quality
- Supporting Synergistic Practices in SAGE Schools
External Web Sites Related to SAGE
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) SAGE information page
- Wisconsin SAGE law (2004) (DPI site)
- SAGE Audit Program (PDF) (DPI site)