First Things First

A Forum — November 9, 2001

First Things First is a whole school reform model developed by the Institute for Research and Reform in Education (IRRE) to raise students’ academic performance to levels required for postsecondary education and high quality employment.  FTF draws on effective elements of other reform efforts and research on educational practices, youth development, and organizational change.  The model is being implemented district wide in the Kansas City, Kansas public schools and several other sites around the U.S.

Jim Connell, Ph.D., the developer of the First Things First (FTF) model, and Steve Gering, Executive Director for Instruction in the Kansas City, KS public schools, provided an overview of FTF and its impact in Kansas City, KS.  Connell stated that FTF seeks to bring about change in three areas:  in relationships; in the quality of teaching and learning; and in focusing all resources on these first two areas.

FTF changes relationships (between students and teachers, teachers and administrators, schools and communities, and among students themselves) by creating small learning communities with smaller groups of students and teachers that stay together across the school day and school years.  FTF also establishes a Family Advocate System in which each adult at the school serves as an advocate for approximately 15 students for four years.  FTF also helps create the climate of collective responsibility for student outcomes in the school and district.

To change teaching and learning, FTF helps teachers build a repertoire of effective strategies and places a strong emphasis on professional development.  It also supports standards-based learning activities, so that teachers’ efforts are aligned with standards, it creates opportunities for a deeper dialogue among teachers to improve instruction and discuss student work, and it allows for common planning time every day.

Resources are focused on changing relationships and changing teaching and learning by decentralizing budgets and providing greater flexibility in the allocation of resources to meet schools’ needs.  Budgets are transparent so that teachers and the community know how the funds are allocated and where changes could be made.

FTF also espouses seven critical features, four of which focus on students and three on adults.  For students, the features of the model include (1) lower student/adult ratios; (2) a continuity of care across the school day, across the school years, and between school and home; (3) high, clear, and fair academic and conduct standards; and (4) providing enriched and diverse opportunities for students to learn, to perform, and to be recognized.

The three critical features for adults include:  (1) equip, empower and expect all staff to improve instruction (the goal is not to replicate the brilliant but transform the typical); (2) institute flexible allocation of available resources including people, facilities, time, and money; and (3) assure collective responsibility for student outcomes, looking at such outcomes as attendance and persistence, respectful and safe behavior, progress toward graduation, proficiency on standards, and success on high stakes tests.  This collective responsibility includes the small learning communities, the building leadership, district leaders and support staff, students, parents, and community members.

FTF was first introduced in the Kansas City, Kansas schools in 1997 and is now being expanded to all schools within the district.  The Ewing Kaufman Foundation provided the initial funding for the reform, but that start-up funding was relatively small.  The implementation of the model has instead relied on current funding being moved and used differently.

Early signs of success in the Kansas City, Kansas schools are focused on Wyandotte High School, a large comprehensive high school that has followed the FTF model since 1998.  Indicators show an increase in persistence (staying in school from 9th to 10th grade) from 61.8 percent to 74.1 percent after the first year of implementation and up to 84.3 percent the third year of implementation.  The graduation rate of seniors increased 20 percent over the three years.   Reading levels are up from 50 percent of students reading at grade level to 63 percent at grade level.

Collecting and analyzing data is also a critical part of the FTF model.  Connell and Gering said that the numbers on student persistence, graduation, and academic performance help convince teachers, staff, and the community of the need to change the way school and learning are organized.  Using the data on a regular basis helps the school to determine what works and what does not work in improving student outcomes.

Creating the conditions for change is difficult, yet something that the FTF model and sponsors have spent a great deal of time working on.  For change to occur, Connell said, it needs to come from many directions, top down, bottom up, inside out, outside in – from any source possible.   Data can be a prime motivator in creating a sense of urgency (especially when it shows the poor prospects for students attending local schools).  FTF also believes that communities need to see the possibility of change, and they help to show people school reform efforts in communities similar to their own.  It is also important to focus on equity in the change process, that there is “equal pay and equal gain” for all groups involved.

The Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, is supporting a five-year project to strengthen, expand, and evaluate the FTF model.

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