AIM at Middle Grades Results: About Aim

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About AIM > Research > Theory and Research Supporting AIM > Introduction

THEORY AND RESEARCH SUPPORTING
AIM AT MIDDLE-GRADES RESULTS
INTRODUCTION

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE,
HIGH-PERFORMING SCHOOLS

Effective Schools Research Summary

High-Performing Urban Schools

Meeting High Standards

Schools to Watch

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AIM builds on the ATLAS model which grew out of a partnership of Project Zero at Harvard University (Howard Gardner), The Coalition of Essential Schools at Brown University (Ted Sizer), The School Development Program at Yale University (James P. Comer) and Education Development Center, Inc. (Janet Whitla). Additionally, AIM draws on years of research and experience on effective schooling and professional development that improves student learning to inform our theory of change and school reform. he goal of AIM is to assist middle-grades schools in becoming high-performing learning and caring organizations.

Effective Schools Research Summary
A great deal of research supports the overall AIM design. For example, according to a research summary prepared by Kathleen Cotton in 1995 (http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/esp /esp95toc.html), effective schools share the following characteristics and practices--all of which are features of AIM:

Clear planning and learning goals

A school organization that supports heterogeneous grouping, good use of time for instruction, and a safe and supportive environment for teaching and learning

Instructional leadership focused on school improvement, professional development, and collegial learning

Administrator-teacher-student interactions that emphasize high expectations for teachers and students, as well as staff incentives and rewards

A commitment to equity so that every student has the opportunity to learn, the support necessary to achieve success, and an environment characterized by inter-group harmony

Assessment, including monitoring progress over time using both traditional and alternative assessment measures

Parent-community involvement in governance and instruction

High-Performing Urban Schools
In a U.S. Department of Education study, Hope for Urban Education, the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas, Austin (1999) studied nine high-performing schools that raised the achievement levels of students in poor urban communities. These schools:

Had leaders that identified, pursued, and attained an important, visible first goal
Changed the school culture, by redirecting time and energy away from conflicts between adults toward service to children
Created an environment in which students took responsibility for appropriate behavior and behaved well
Created a collective sense of responsibility for school improvement through joint planning and involvement of everyone in key components of the school's work
Spent more time on instructional leadership, with school leaders analyzing data to identify needs and challenging teachers and students to higher levels of academic attainment
Aligned instruction to the standards and assessments required by the state or the school district
Provided teachers with the materials, equipment and professional development they needed for success, including opportunities for teachers to work, plan, and learn together around instructional issues
Built strong partnerships with parents in support of student achievement
Created additional time for instruction during and/or beyond the regular school day
Persisted through difficulties, setbacks, and failures, working continuously to improve their schools.

Meeting High Standards
In Successful School Restructuring: A Report to the Public and Educators, by the Center on Organization and Restructuring of Schools, Newmann and Wehlage (1995) assert that student learning can meet high standards if:

Teachers practice authentic pedagogy
Schools build a professional community
External agencies and parents support schools to achieve high quality learning.

Schools to Watch
Additionally, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform (http://www.mgforum.org/) identified four Schools to Watch. These schools:

Know and articulate the academic outcomes they seek
Take deliberate steps to help students achieve those outcomes by making strategic changes in curriculum, teaching, and school services
Set benchmarks for implementing their strategies, analyze data on a regular basis, and hold themselves accountable for specific results
Strategically concentrate on important focus areas
Have strong, visionary leaders who can articulate challenging goals and motivate staff to reach those goals.

Taken together, these studies underscore the basic features and key elements of the AIM design. The AIM model stresses the need for clear goals and benchmarks; rigorous curriculum, instruction, and assessment; collaborative leadership; a safe and healthy climate for teaching and learning; a powerful learning community in which both adults and students take responsibility for their own learning; active involvement by parents and community members; and a focus on equity so that students have equal opportunities to learn and the support they need to succeed.

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Link to bibliographical references.

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Return to Theory and Research index page.

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Read about the theory and research supporting Design Element 1.

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