Evaluating Implementation of the Early College Model Through a Theory of Change

• In Event: Evaluation of a Multilevel Supported System Working to Implement Diverse Promising Educational Reform Programs

Abstract

Purpose
This paper examines the implementation of Early College as part of the Ohio Race to the Top initiative through the change theory lens. We present findings from the case study as to the opportunities and challenges of implementing EC as an innovation for low-performing schools.

Theoretical Framework
Understanding educational change as a complex process not an event (Hall & Hord, 2015; Senge, 2006), we analyze the implementation of Early College in two different districts in Ohio. In Early College, students complete up to two years of college credit before graduating from high school. Key characteristics of Early College programs include accelerated curriculum, partnerships with colleges and postsecondary institutions, engagement with parents, and early exposure to college. Using Hall and Hord’s principles of change along with Senge’s notions of systems change, we examined the implementation of Early College across the two case sites, seeing both similarities and differences according to the context, mission, and vision of the leaders implementing the reform.

Methods, Data, Evidence
The case study (Yin, 2014) included a two-day site visit to two Early College sites (EC1 and EC2) in two different regions in the state, with a follow-up visit a year later. Both were small, rural schools. More than 50 percent of students in each school receive free or reduced lunch. The site visits included hour-long interviews with the state agency person in charge of the model implementation, school principal, key personnel, the leadership team including the district superintendents, two focus groups of 6-8 teachers at each site, and approximately 120 minutes of classroom observations at each site. Documents such as the grant applications, the state site visit reports and monitoring documents were also collected.
Data were audio taped, transcribed and analyzed against the EC framework and through the lens of change theory. Field notes were analyzed to capture the context of the observations and interviews.

Findings
By the end of the fourth year of implementation, each site had implanted Early College in accordance with the State’s characteristics. EC1 initially focused implementation on a select group of students but eventually determined that all secondary students should have access to Early College and did away with the admission criteria. In the second site, the Early College initiative was implemented K-12 as a systems change with the expectation that it would serve all students in the district. Hall and Hord’s principles of change were evident in both sites, although applied differently. Professional development appeared stronger in EC2 than EC1, and teachers in both sites expressed the importance of administrative support and professional development for successful implementation. Stakeholders across both sites expressed concerns with the state’s desire for quick change, noting the lengthy process of change.

Scholarly Significance
The difference in implementation between EC1 and EC2 reflects differences in context, vision, and leadership. The cases speak to the importance of shared leadership, shared vision, and an organizational approach to change, as well as the importance of professional development in instructional change, the need for community partnerships and ongoing state support.

Authors

• Ann M. Allen, The Ohio State University

• Jennifer Kessa Roberts, The Ohio State University