1. 0 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve PARCC Transition and Implementation Institute Webinar The webinar will begin shortly. While you wait please check your audio by completing the audio setup wizard in the top left of your screen

2. Using the Delivery Chain to Improve Common Core Implementation August 11, 2011

3. 2 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Today’s Agenda TimeSession 2:30 – 2:40Review of Delivery Chains 2:40 – 2:50Delivery Chain Analysis in Massachusetts 2:50 – 3:15Exercise: Critique a delivery chain 3:15 – 3:30Implications for Common Core implementation

4. 3 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Definition A delivery chain is the set people or organizations, and the relationships between them, through which a strategy will be implemented. A delivery chain has one question at its core: Starting from the intent of the leaders in your system and ending with the desired change in behavior on the front line (better teaching practice that improves student outcomes), how – and through whom – will your strategy be implemented? A delivery chain helps you to understand how you can reach the field

5. 4 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve ▪ For the strategy you are considering, where does the chain begin and end, and what are the levels between? ▪ At each level, who are all the people or organizations that could conceivably be involved in implementing the strategy? How many of each are there? What role does each play? ▪ What are the most important lines of direct influence from the beginning to the end of the chain? How will they work? ▪ Are there secondary or more indirect relationships that involve others? How important are they? Questions to ask ▪ A mapping of each person or organization and its location relative to others (e.g., state level, LEA level), with an indication of how many of them there are (e.g., 150 superintendents) ▪ Short summary of the role played by each person or organization ▪ Lines between people/organizations that represent relationships of influence ▪ Brief description of each relationship of influence Visual elements to include There are a few core principles for drawing a delivery chain

6. 5 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Delivery chains help to define the “intent” of a given strategy Sample delivery chain: professional development State Region/ County DistrictSchoolClassroom Manage Train by 9/2011 Chief 1 Curriculum/ instruction team 1 Teachers 65,000 Teachers 65,000 PLC Facilitators 400 Principals 400 Curriculum directors 150 Regional committees 15 Approved providers 25 PD instructors 25 Contract by 6/2012 Manage Teachers 65,000 Train by 9/2013 Principals 700 Give incentives to choose “approved” providers by 9/2011 Approve by 9/2011 What percent of teachers will change their teaching practice as a result? 10% (large districts) 15% (small schools) 15% (large schools) Train by 12/2011 Train by 5/2012 Train by 9/2013

7. 6 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Once you have drawn a delivery chain, it is important to identify weaknesses and address them Typical weaknessesPotential solutions Individual relationships ▪ Weak personal relationships ▪ Low leverage ▪ Identify and replicate stronger relationships of this type ▪ Identify alternate routes to the end of the chain Complexity ▪ Too many actors necessary to get something done ▪ “Rationalize” chain ▪ Identify alternate routes to the end of the chain Funding flows ▪ Mismatch between resource flows and delivery chain ▪ Redesign chain to take advantage of leverage from resource flows Choke-points ▪ Overreliance on a few key actors ▪ Build capacity/cooperation of key actors ▪ Identify alternate routes to the end of the chain

8. 7 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve It is helpful to anchor these weaknesses in specific points on the delivery chain State Region/ County DistrictSchoolClassroom Chief 1 Curriculum/ instruction team 1 Teachers 65,000 Teachers 65,000 PLC Facilitators 400 Principals 400 Curriculum directors 150 Regional committees 15 Approved providers 25 PD instructors 25 Teachers 65,000 Principals 700 What are the potential weaknesses? Historically difficult relationship and loose authority structure – curriculum directors not likely to listen to regional centers 1 Large number of principals at large high schools who are skeptical of state involvement; sheer communication will be a challenge 2 Lobbying efforts by providers might prevent creation of “approved” list 3 123 Sample delivery chain: professional development

9. 8 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Today’s Agenda TimeSession 2:30 – 2:40Review of Delivery Chains 2:40 – 2:50Delivery Chain Analysis in Massachusetts 2:50 – 3:15Exercise: Critique a delivery chain 3:15 – 3:30Implications for Common Core implementation

10. 9 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Massachusetts is using delivery chain analysis to flesh out its strategies in a variety of areas Example: delivery chain for school turnaround

11. 10 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve For teams that do the work, the real payoff is in analyzing the chain Delivery chain analysis for school turnaround WeaknessesPotential solutions Individual relationships ▪ Supt communication to principal ▪ Supt communication to central office and school board ▪ Direct communication from SEA to principals ▪ Permanent fixture at/after USN? ▪ To-do, resource lists on website ▪ Calendar tools and RSS feeds ▪ Outlook Complexity ▪ N/A Funding flows ▪ Draw-down not happening at some districts ▪ Amendment process ▪ Strategic use of sources ▪ Media (b/c Catherine said so?) ▪ Rules and guidelines for allowable changes for competitive grants Choke-points ▪ District liaisons ▪ Districts ▪ Website (timely posting) ▪ Commissioner’s “district rounds” ▪ Change web content manager Other ▪ Ineffective district systems of support ▪ Unknown – website overhaul ▪ Direct support for principals ▪ Go to Ken before it is too late

12. 11 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Today’s Agenda TimeSession 2:30 – 2:40Review of Delivery Chains 2:40 – 2:50Delivery Chain Analysis in Massachusetts 2:50 – 3:15Exercise: Critique a delivery chain 3:15 – 3:30Implications for Common Core implementation

13. 12 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Exercise: Critique a delivery chain WhatHowMaterials ▪ Look at sample delivery chain for instructional materials and discuss the following questions: – What do you believe are the major risks in the delivery chain? – What would your state do (or what is it already doing) to mitigate those risks? – What are the similarities and differences between this chain and the one you have developed in your state team? – What are some ways to improve this chain based on what you are doing, and vice versa? ▪ Discussion in breakout rooms ▪ Whiteboard templates ▪ 15 Time

14. 13 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve State Region/ County DistrictSchoolClassroom Chief Curriculum/ instruction team Website Regional centers Curriculum directors Curriculum committees Manage PrincipalsTeachers Market by 9/2012 Post by 9/2011 Train and distribute by 9/2011 CoachesTeachers Train and distribute by 9/2013 Consult Train and Distribute by 9/2013 1 1 165,000 1500 400150 15 Train and distribute by 5/2012 Train and distribute by 9/2012 Intent: teachers will improve their practices 10% (small districts) 15% (large districts) 5% (mix) 15% (large districts) Delivery chain to critique: instructional materials

15. 14 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Identify the weaknesses and potential solutions for the sample delivery chain WeaknessesPotential solutions Individual relationships Complexity Choke-points Other Funding flows

16. 15 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Compare the sample chain to your own work to identify commonalities and areas for improvement What are some ways to improve this chain based on what you are doing, and vice versa? What are the similarities and differences between this chain and the one you have developed in your state team?

17. 16 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve You will move yourselves into breakout rooms, based on the moderators directions Click on “Main Room” to view the drop-down menu, then select “Breakout Room.” You will be immediately transferred into the breakout room.

18. 17 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Once in your breakout room, click the “Talk” button to turn on your microphone, then click “Talk” again to deactivate when you are finished speaking Click here to talk, then click again to turn off your microphone when you are finished You can also type your responses here in the chat box

19. 18 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Today’s Agenda TimeSession 2:30 – 2:40Review of Delivery Chains 2:40 – 2:50Delivery Chain Analysis in Massachusetts 2:50 – 3:15Exercise: Critique a delivery chain 3:15 – 3:30Implications for Common Core implementation

20. 19 ©2011 U.S. Education Delivery Institute and Achieve Discussion questions ▪ To what extent do your common core strategies reflect “delivery chain” thinking? ▪ To what extent and in what ways are there areas for improvement? ▪ Are there questions that you have about how to make this tool useful in practice?

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