Research & Development - Frequently Asked Questions The following are answers to some of the frequently asked questions pertaining to our School Programs Research & Development. What is the Payne School Model? Ruby Payne's model for school improvement is best understood through knowledge of the three trainings that comprise the foundation for the model. The first training, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, provides a framework for understanding the impact of economic class, particularly the impact of different economic classes on schools. The second, Learning Structures, focuses on cognition and providing what Feuerstein calls mediated learning experiences for students who lack the cognitive structures needed to learn. The third training, Meeting Standards and Raising Test Scores, provides a systemic approach to monitor learning that addresses accountability, standards and curriculum, and student growth. These three foundational trainings should be provided during the first year of an initiative. The only prerequisite for any of the trainings is that the training focusing on learning and cognition follow the training on understanding economic class. Technical assistance can be provided at any time after an initial training. Why would a school or district want to use this program? Payne's model provides a systemic, focused approach for professional development that "pays off" when it is tied to the goals and plans for the school. The model is collegial and collaborative as educators work together to embed the strategies consistently, systemically, and systematically into their classroom practice, regardless of grade level or content area. The model is not about "one shot" workshops but about a series of trainings with follow-up to the trainings. This follow-up is designed to meet the specific needs of the educators and children. What distinguishes the Payne School Model from other professional development programs? Payne's model specifically addresses the unique needs of economically disadvantaged students. This group has been identified as a target group under No Child Left Behind and is important in meeting AYP goals. The model also includes specific strategies to help schools meet their AYP goals. Has this program been tried or is it just a theory? The model is currently being implemented in 52 schools, in 12 districts. Research studies have been conducted at 5 sites. For more information on these studies click here. How was this approach to school reform developed? Ruby Payne started her educational career in 1972. Throughout her career, she realized that students from poverty had specific cognitive issues and a more simplified approach to cognitive development was needed to address their needs. Dr. Payne studied the work of Feuerstein, Shulman, and others to develop the Framework and Learning Structures pieces of her model. The Meeting Standards piece of the work was developed from Dr. Payne’s experiences on raising test scores as an administrator, principal, consultant and teacher. How do I know the Payne School Model really works? Several research studies have been done showing progress on state assessments in schools using the Payne School Model. Please see our Results/Research page for information on these studies and stories from teachers, principals, district administrators and principals who have been involved in implementing the Payne School Model. What kinds of districts or schools should use the Payne School Model? The Payne School Model can be implemented in any school setting where there is a desire to strengthen the learning of students. Although many of the schools who use the model have a large percentage of students who are receive free or reduced lunch, the model can be implemented in any building. Even those schools at the highest level of performance can benefit from the trainings and technical assistance to embed the strategies. Who takes responsibility for initiating the Payne School Model? For planning and budgeting purposes, the campus leadership team should be on board with implementing the model in the process from the onset. If the Payne School Model will be a district-wide initiative, the district leadership team should be involved. Teachers may take the initiative of bringing the Payne School Model to the attention of their campus leadership team, but before any planning can take place, administrators at the campus or district level should be involved to some degree. How long does it take to achieve a high degree of implementation? With administrative support and implementation of the model building-wide, implementation levels of 80% would be expected after two years. In the third year of an initiative, full model implementation would be expected. What are the costs of using this program? The costs vary greatly depending on the needs of the individual school. Our planning team works with each individual site to develop a proposal to meet your specific needs. If you would like to discuss your need with an aha! Process representative, please contact us at longterm@ahaprocess.com. Where can a school district get money for the program? There are several sources of grant money to fund school reform. Please see our Grants page for information on some of these sources and how the Payne School Model meets the grant requirements. How does a school become a Payne School Model long-term site? Please see the Getting Started document for information on how to begin the process. You may contact our long term department via email at longterm@ahaprocess.com or by calling 800-424-9484. Is there a required curriculum? No. The Payne School model is not a prescriptive program but rather a model designed to impact the knowledge, skills, and beliefs of educators by providing strategies and processes that can then be applied in the educators’ context. It is about developing capacity of individuals as it focuses on the what, the why, and the how of instruction. It is about developing cognitive capacity of children as it focuses on how to teach and how children learn. It also is about developing capacity of the organization to change as it implements the systemic processes. These processes change the practices in school buildings. Are materials provided to long-term sites? Materials are required for all three foundational workshops as well as the first technical assistance session. The estimated cost per participant for all materials is $53 plus shipping charges. What professional development does aha! Process offer? aha! Process provides a wide variety of workshops to meet many professional development needs. In addition to the three foundational workshops (A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Learning Structures, and Meeting Standards and Raising Test Scores), we can provide additional trainings to meet your needs. Please see our Workshops page for a full description of all available workshops. How many Ruby Payne long-term sites are there? We have 52 sites in 12 districts. How does aha! Process work with a school? In planning beyond the foundational trainings, aha! Process develops technical assistance based on the needs of the school. These technical assistance meetings, offered through follow-up sessions with a consultant from aha! Process, provide support for the teachers during this process of change. Payne's model is professional development that is sustained and should be designed for a three- to five-year time period. Leadership building is essential to the model as the principal works with staff to identify the tasks and time needed to improve the achievement of all students. How do you ensure the quality of your services? All aha! Process consultants have been trained by Dr. Payne and have been approved to provide technical assistance. Aha! Process also designates a project manager for each site to monitor and review progress at the site as well as to address any problems that might occur. We look at the long-term process as a partnership with the school and keep open lines of communication, including written reports of each technical assistance visit and annual planning visits with the project manager. Ongoing support is provided through the long term division of the aha! Process office, and through phone and email contact with the project manager. Additional planning meetings with the project manager can also be scheduled as needed. What is the background of the aha! Process staff working with us? All of our consultants have been trained by Dr. Payne and have been approved to provide technical assistance. They all have classroom teaching experience and have used the Payne School Model in their classrooms. All secondary level consultants have experience in the content areas for which they provide technical assistance. The company strives to meet the needs of staff by matching consultants to sites based on their needs. Is the Payne School Model research-based? Extensive research has been conducted on the model. Research on the impact on student achievement is currently being conducted at several sites across the country. Reports are available on our Research/Results page. How do we have time to do the Payne School Model and also teach to the standards? One component of the Payne School Model focuses on aligning the curriculum to the standards and developing a plan for teaching all standards before they are tested. As part of the Technical Assistance sessions, aha! Consultants work with the teachers to understand each standard and when and how it should be taught during the year. How much time will be needed to commit to implementing the Payne School Model? The three foundational workshops will need to take place at a time when all of the staff can attend the sessions, preferably on scheduled staff development days. The technical assistance sessions occur during the school day, using roving subs so that the teachers have time to meet with the consultant in small groups. These technical assistance sessions should occur at least once a grading period. What can we expect to do in the summer with the Payne School Model? The Payne School Model does not “require” any summer trainings. Some districts choose to hold supplemental trainings during the summer or to have consultants facilitate the curriculum alignment process during the summer. Is the Payne School Model just one more thing we need to add on? The Payne School Model is a model that is applied to the current reality of the staff, rather than a prescriptive program. aha! Process strives to work with the school staff to implement the model in a way that works with what is already being done to improve student success in the classroom. How does a school know that it is implementing the design well? As part of the technical assistance, aha! Process consultants will conduct observations using the Instructional Framework Scale – Observation. This scale is designed to measure the level of model fidelity. What does aha! Process do to help a school get started with the model? Schools wishing to implement the Payne School Model have several options. Initially, the school may be introduced to the model through a National Tour event, workshop with an aha! consultant, or book study. If the school determines there is a match between their needs and the services available through aha! Process, the school can contact our Long-Term office, longterm@ahaprocess.com for help developing a plan for implementation. What grade levels is the Payne School Model designed for? The Payne School Model is appropriate for all grade levels, although the implementation varies between elementary and secondary campuses. Generally on elementary campuses, one consultant provides technical assistance for all teachers. At the secondary level, aha! Process consultants provide content specific technical assistance in five content areas (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Non-core). This significantly increases the number of technical assistance days at the secondary level. Please see our 3-year School Improvement Model for an example. What if a school has a reading or math program that is required by the district? The Payne School Model is not a scripted curriculum. It addresses strategies that we have found fit within any program a school may currently be using. Can I visit a school that is using the Payne School Model? If you are interested in the Payne School Model and would like to visit a site currently using the model, please contact our Long-term Department at longterm@ahaprocess.com. Is there independent research on the Payne School Model? Several dissertation studies have been conducted on the model (See Research/Results page). There are also several independent studies in progress.