Building District-Wide Capacity to Expand and Coordinate Student Support Services

Background & Purpose:

Schools are implementing new and expanded school improvement models that prioritize service coordination and infrastructure development to address non-academic barriers to student learning and healthy development (Taylor & Adelman, 2000). The Ohio Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement (OCCMSI) is one such model (Anderson-Butcher, 2004; 2008; in press). The OCCMSI prioritizes planning, collaborative leadership development, implementation and evaluation around five priorities: academic learning, youth development, health and social services, parent/family engagement and support, and community partnerships. Oftentimes, school social workers are leaders in implementing these complex change models. While implementation of the OCCMSI has demonstrated positive outcomes in several school communities (Anderson-Butcher et al., in press), little research has explored the systems-changes, program and service changes, and student outcomes resulting from adoption and implementation of the model district-wide. The purpose of this study was to 1) explore the innovations resulting from OCCMSI implementation in one school district, Mansfield City Schools (MCS) and 2) explore changes in MCS students' perceptions of non-academic supports within their schools.

Methods:

A mixed-method study design was used. Qualitative data collection strategies, including interviews, site observation forms, and meeting minute documentation, tracked key innovations. A grounded theory process was then used to allow for conceptual themes and sub-themes to emerge (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Additionally, quantitative data from students were collected during years one (N = 869), two (N = 559), and three (N = 563) of the OCCMSI implementation. Analysis of variance tests were used to examine differences in students' perceptions of academic motivations, stress, social support, and student academic norms over all three years.

Results:

Before implementing the OCCMSI, seven of ten MCS schools were in academic emergency and the district was in fiscal emergency. After three years of implementation, five of those seven schools moved out of academic emergency and the district was no longer in fiscal crisis. In addition, qualitative analysis revealed several innovations that occurred within MCS, such as expanded use of multiple data sources; new and expanded family and community partnerships; and enhanced programs and service delivery. Quantitative analysis revealed that students' perceptions of academic motivations, stress, social support, and student academic norms were all significantly different across the three years of implementation. Specifically, perceptions of academic motivations increased significantly during each year of the OCCMSI implementation (F(2, 1911)=518.56, p<.001), as did students' perceptions of academic norms (F(2, 1926)=23.76, p<.001). Conversely, students' perceptions of their own stress (F(2, 1073)=21.74, p<.001) and social support (F(2, 1723)=4.87, p<.001) decreased significantly during each year of the implementation.

Conclusions and Implications:

Findings from this study highlight key innovations resulting from implementation of this expanded model of school improvement. In addition, findings indicate that such expanded models positively impact important non-academic barriers to student learning. As school social workers have traditionally advocated for more coordinated services in education that meet the needs of all students, these individuals are poised to initiate and facilitate the implementation of these more comprehensive, expanded models. Further implications for policy and practice will be discussed.