Feasibility test of on-line coaching for the collaborative reform model

The proposed research seeks to test the feasibility of integrating on-line coaching and technical assistance into the Collaborative Reform Model, a school improvement and community involvement program of the Louisiana Alliance for Education Reform. The Alliance has worked with school districts in the rural parishes of southeast Louisiana since 1992, providing leadership training, structured coaching, and guided practice to schools over a period of roughly three years. Three independent external entities have evaluated outcomes in participating schools, each finding convincing evidence of positive outcomes. Since the implementation of the Louisiana School Accountability System, recent evaluations reveal a positive relationship between high quality implementation of the Model and high-level growth in performance. Because all Alliance services are provided on-site, the program has become prohibitively expensive for most schools. It is expected that the integration of technology in providing the more time-intensive services such as structured coaching, guided practice, and technical assistance, will help to achieve two goals: (a) reduce the cost of program to schools and (b) increase the flexibility with which services may be structured. A systematic R&D approach is proposed to identify and pilot test an interactive technology modality accessible to, and effective with, low-income schools.