Supplemental Grant

The Oakland Unified School District’s Urban Dreams Project requested a supplemental grant for the beginning of the third year of implementation. Urban Dreams requested supplemental funding to expand activities related to the professional development and evaluation components. The activities were based on the project’s original objectives and address GPRA indicators. The activities have had the dual effect of immediately improving the quality of the project and providing for its long-term sustainability. The following are the Urban Dream’s professional development objectives:

Objective 2.1 By June 2001 and annually thereafter, Oakland teachers who have participated in the Technology Integration Professional Development Program for at least two years will produce interdisciplinary, multicultural curricula reflecting the themes of human and civil rights.

Objective 2.2 By June 2002, 100% of social studies, language arts teachers and other staff members, as appropriate, working in project high schools will have completed year I staff education activities delineated in the “Technology Integration Professional Development Program.”

Objective 2.3 By June 2001 and annually thereafter, each cohort of Oakland teachers who have participated in the Technology Integration Professional Development Program for at least two years will demonstrate augmented content knowledge in the disciplines of social sciences and literature, technology uses in the classroom, and constructivist pedagogy as assessed through pre-, post- and ongoing professional development surveys, and through participant-developed curriculum units, thematic lessons and demonstration lessons.

First Supplemental Request: A language arts mentor teacher to provide coaching

The Urban Dreams professional development component targets high school language arts and social studies teachers with intensive staff development including: a) an initial two week summer institute with follow-up, one-week summer institutes for continuing teachers; b) monthly workshops; and c) intensive coaching. It is specifically the third area, intensive coaching, which has been the target for expansion under the supplemental funding. The project requested supplemental funding for a full-time secondary language arts mentor teacher specifically to provide in-classroom coaching to first and second cohort language arts teachers. Some of the activities include: a) curriculum development, b) modeling lessons, c) assisting in special technology related projects, d) technology integration, and e) gathering or developing instructional materials for teachers.

The project staff, local school administrative staff and the teachers have commented on the additional need for this intensive coaching model. The obvious short-term benefit is that teachers are provided immediate, individualized support and are guided as they implement what they have learned during their professional development activities. Long term, the project staff believes that teachers who participate in the coaching program will be more likely to integrate technology into their core subject area as a regular part of their instructional program. This will lead to improvements in student achievement.

Second Supplemental Request: Video technology and training for classroom instructors

The remaining two activities relate to both the professional development and evaluation components and are mutually supportive. Project teachers have requested access and training related to digital video technologies. Classroom teachers now want to build on what they have learned through Urban Dreams to expand the use of video in their classrooms by both themselves and by the students they teach.

Urban Dreams requested supplemental funding to provide video cameras and video editing software at each of the project’s nine high schools for use by the project’s classroom teachers and their students. The project requested funds for on-going, monthly training and technical assistance. The monthly trainings were held on weekends and were individualized for each teacher. Teachers were paid a stipend to participate in the weekend trainings. The trainings were lead by experts in the educational uses of video technology.

The provision of video technology provides the classroom teacher an additional medium for use in their curriculum projects (Objectives 2.1 and 2.3). The subject of human rights can be powerfully displayed through visual media. Language arts and social studies teachers use video to enhance their curriculum units. Video technology allows teachers to create video portfolios and interactive websites. In addition to the teachers, students are permitted access to the video technology. Students develop important competencies such as planning and collaborating with peers, writing storylines, creating sets/scenes, shooting video, downloading and creating video files and editing. These are high interest activities that engage students while they interact with language arts and social studies content.

Third Supplemental Request: Video case studies

Directly tied to the use of video technology by teachers and students, is the third supplemental request for additional funds to create video case studies. Employing instrumental case study methodology, the evaluation team have undertaken an in-depth, contextualized review of what is actually occurring in the classroom. Video case study methodology is ideally suited for understanding how technology is being integrated into the content areas.

The video usage by teachers and students is of great assistance in the development of the video case studies. Teachers and students are primary providers of video documentation of the activities occurring in their classrooms. This co-participatory role by teachers, students and evaluators increases teacher and student interest in the evaluation. These case studies will be important sustainability tools to be used by district personnel as evidence of the program’s impact with internal and external funders. Similarly, the case studies will be used by other urban districts as visual roadmaps for effective use of technology in classrooms.

These video case studies are accessible on the evaluation web server that is dedicated to the dissemination of the Urban Dreams project at: http://ns1.californiaschools.net/~ud/studies.html (must have QuickTime to view video).

The language arts mentor, video technology and training and video case studies have made an impact on the quality of the project. This impact extends to both the professional development of teachers and the academic achievement of students. These requested activities do not alter but help us achieve our original scope of work and objectives.