ORCHAReD: Pick, Learn, & Grow

Globally, administrators often fail to address teacher needs when planning PD (professional development) due to lacking data. In fact, limited causal evidence exists linking PD to improved student outcomes, as reported by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) (Gersten et al., 2014). Moreover, IES research found teachers need an average of 49 hours of PD annually to affect positive student outcomes (Yoon et al., 2007). However, yearly PD allotments for teachers average 24 hours (New Teacher Project, 2015). Limited-contact PD interactions of fourteen or fewer hours show no statistically significant effect on learners (Darling-Hammond et al., 2009). Isolated PD fails to produce long-term effects on teacher behavior, having no impact on student learning (Dash et al., 2012; Garet et al., 2011; Randel et al., 2016; Yoon et al., 2007). PD in low-income communities is desperately needed to improve teacher retention and feelings of support. 

A half-century ago, Malcolm Knowles’ (1972) adult-learning theory of andragogy called for innovative, self-directed teaching methods for immediate classroom transfer. But, Knowles (1972) cautioned, “gimmicks, devices, instruments, and tools… are multi-million-dollar fads as programmed instruction” (p.32-33). Today, PD focuses on a more expensive version of these trends, with average annual PD costs of $18,000 per teacher, rather than designed for a human-centered, data-driven perspective (New Teacher Project, 2021). Increased government PD funding in urban low-income schools is typically spent without regard to impact, while rural low-income schools often experience limited funding. 

Most administrators plan short-lived PD lectures based on current educational trends lacking elements of authentic work in constructivist andragogy (Webster-Wright, 2009). Conversely, professional learning (PL) is “continu[ous], active, social, and related to practice” (Webster-Wright, 2009, p.703). In contrast to PD, PL is an extended learning-community experience (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). 

Teachers desire administrators to plan data-driven, sustained PL to meet their needs. A Gates Foundation (2014) study discovered that only 29% of teachers found PD effective, while 82% wanted more options for direct coaching. Moreover, survey results noted direct coaching rarely happened, with coaching reserved for new and struggling teachers (Gates Foundation, 2014). Additionally, the Gates Foundation (2014) reported classroom observations with feedback had significantly increased but did not provide coaching support to improve teacher practice. However, research shows that supported teachers improve effectiveness ratings by an average of 38% more than non-supported teachers, directly impacting their learners (Kraft & Papay, 2014). 

Kraft et al. (2018) discovered sustained, one-on-one coaching, determined by a data-driven needs analysis, improved teacher practices by 20 percent. These sessions also increased student outcomes by seven percent compared to non-coached teacher classes (Kraft et al., 2018). However, coaches serve various roles, limiting one-on-one coaching (Hill, 2020). Moreover, transfer of training (ToT) does not occur in most PD because no plan of embedded, just-in-time (JIT) coaching in ongoing PL exists, coupled with no organizational data-driven strategy for support (Cheng & Ho, 2001). Making a case for needed JIT coaching, teachers have difficulty recognizing their ability to be self-directed learners (Boulton-Lewis et al., 1996). Thus, PL must use data-driven collection methods to monitor the implementation of the learning (McDonald, 2014).

Currently, personalized online PD through badging or standards-aligned completion exists, providing accreditation data to administrators that focus on managing hours necessary for maintaining certification instead of transforming education (Frontline Education, 2022; K-12 Professional Development Tracker, 2022; Kalpa, 2022). Specifically, Frontline (2022) and Kalpa (2022) promise online participant collaboration, relying on user-initiated contact to track hours rather than personalized prompts for JIT coaching. This model increases the likelihood that teachers will independently do minimal work to receive the credential. Data retrieved from these models is limited to hours logged with no analysis of interaction outcomes.

ORCHAReD’s conceptualized virtual-learning ecosystem synthesizes Project ARC’s existing online APLE Bites course and virtual coaching program for “Harvested APLEs” into a professional learning (PL) data-tracking web-based application for administrators. APLE Bites, a ten-module, work-at-your-own-pace experience, provides teachers personalized feedback to design authentic project-learning experiences (APLEs). For those who need additional support, pre-designed Harvested APLEs are available. However, unlike most pre-packaged curriculums, these APLEs are not fully-structured learning experiences with exact implementation directions. Instead, weekly one-to-one virtual-coaching sessions assist teachers in an APLE adaptation relevant to their classroom context.

As an ecosystem, ORCHAReD will meet the PL needs of schools and districts for PreK-12 teachers in all content areas through administrative data-tracking systems. Teachers will use ORCHAReD for virtual PL, and administrators will monitor the system to design in-person PL. Initially, ORCHAReD will focus on APLE development, implementation, and coaching support. Long-term marketing strategies will expand the ecosystem. Project ARC envisions selling ecosystem space to organizations specializing in literacy or restorative justice initiatives, for example, to track PL data.

The critical components of ORCHAReD are coaching data from course progress, Harvested APLEs, and just-in-time (JIT) coaching requests to provide data for administrative analysis to plan PL supports. ORCHAReD’s ecosystem will build out a virtual JIT coaching feature to enhance current offerings. These JIT coaches will be available via a direct chat feature or for longer scheduled sessions, which assists coaches in planning what and when support is needed. ORCHAReD will track all JIT coach/teacher interactions for administrator analysis. 

Virtual JIT coaches will analyze teacher inquiries, time spent on a course module, virtual classroom observations via recorded or live sessions, student work uploads, teacher reflections, and APLE submissions. This recorded data will reside in the dashboard for administrator access. Compiled data will come from portfolios of APLE designs and student-produced work, teacher reflections on coaching sessions and APLE implementations, coded words related to interactions to determine trends, coaching notes on exchanges, and logged-system hours. Administrator-collected data will determine whole-school, department, or individual teacher needs, as they set department and school goals and plan for in-person PL.

The two main build-outs in Phase I include creating a web-based application for just-in-time coaching accessibility and developing a dashboard for administrative PL data-tracking. Phase II will focus more on cross-district data than a single district’s data from Phase I. Phase II build-outs will enhance the ecosystem to create a peer network of sharing and provide space for interaction with community partners.

Development of the ORCHAReD ecosystem requires a software-engineering design team. A fully-developed ORCHAReD will run on desktop, laptop, and mobile systems. Phase I completion will be a web-based application only. 

ORCHAReD intends to replace many traditional online learning courses that award badges or certificates of completion without demonstrating learning. These conventional courses do not produce accompanying data that administrators can track and analyze and do not provide an ongoing support system that ensures the transfer of training (ToT) to the classroom. While ORCHAReD may not fully replace onsite PD sessions, ORCHAReD will enhance and supplement these sessions and provide the data to better plan the sessions to meet teacher needs. Furthermore, ORCHAReD does not seek to offer districts a complete virtual replacement of onsite instructional coaches. (Although, many low-income districts cannot afford to employ an instructional coach.) However, the JIT-coach interactions on ORCHAReD will better track data and provide immediate interactions for needs that an in-person instructional coach may otherwise address too late. Thus, ORCHAReD delivers both formal and informal learning opportunities to meet the needs of teachers and the demands of teacher PL requirements.

ORCHAReD would function as an ongoing PL opportunity for teacher engagement and self-directed learning empowerment. Teachers would choose when and how long they need to interact within the system for support. Activity within the ORCHAReD ecosystem will generate PL data trends on individual teachers, small groups of professional learning communities or departments, and whole school systems. Based on analyzed data retrieval, administrators would have the ability to make data-driven decisions for PL implementation.

A per-teacher cost of $895/year provides access to all ORCHAReD features with unlimited JIT coaching access and administrator dashboard data access. With current estimates of $18,000/year/teacher spent on PD with a limited transfer into classroom practice, 20 teachers can be impacted by a price point generally reserved for a single teacher. Moreover, ORCHAReD comes with a greater rate of return on dollars spent. The International Coach Federation (2016) determined from collected research data that estimated return on investment (ROI) rates for direct coaching are between $4 and $8 for every dollar invested. Therefore, predicted dollar values on a nominal investment in ORCHAReD for an individual teacher are $3,580 to $7,160. Additionally, one teacher impacted by ORCHAReD will affect 25-150 students, depending on the grade level. 

ORCHAReD will mirror familiar functionalities in many online sites, such as the chat button for immediate user help (think purchasing insurance online). Users will require little to no training on the system. ORCHAReD aims to be more intuitive than typical learning management systems, and JIT coaches can assist with any questions regarding the ecosystem’s functionality. Overall, using existing and familiar technology synthesized into the ecosystem requires little instruction for user onboarding.

Learning Forward (2011), collaboratively with 20 other national organizations, developed a set of standards to gauge PL effectiveness. These PL standards informed ORCHAReD’s educational outcomes for system users, which ultimately leads to improved classroom practice and positive academic achievement for PreK-12 learners. Teachers will engage with an online-learning network of JIT coaches and build a library of APLE resources for long-term pedagogical classroom shifts. Administrators will develop actionable, in-person support systems, both for individuals and a whole school, by analyzing a collection of school-wide data. The combined teacher and administrative outcomes will collectively lead to long-term systemic change within schools to monitor, assess, and engage in PL.

As a hypothetical case, an inner-city charter school has difficulty planning PL that translates into changed classroom practice, and they purchase a school license for ORCHAReD. Ten teachers familiar with PBL want to elevate their practice to design APLEs with a social-justice lens. These teachers take the APLE Bites course with personalized feedback. All ten teachers begin implementation after the creation of their APLE. Two teachers are unsure if their first day is going well and utilize the JIT coaching chat feature for immediate support. Three teachers access the JIT coaching option for a virtual meeting during their planning period. Five teachers feel their first day went well and upload their reflections with related student work to their ORCHAReD portfolio for later coach reference and administrative data retrieval. 

Fifteen teachers are not ready to design an APLE and instead choose from the library of Harvested APLEs. They schedule the first coach meeting and upload a goal-setting sheet for their assigned coach to review. In week three of implementation, one teacher needs additional support outside of their weekly coach meeting and accesses the JIT coach chat feature. All teachers upload weekly APLE reflections for data retrieval by their coach and school administrator. 

Collecting data from all user-teachers, the school administrator decides there is a need for additional support on social-emotional learning. The school contracts with another provider to implement the support but uses ORCHAReD to build the PL options. Project ARC aids this provider in developing the mini-ecosystem in ORCHAReD modeled after the APLE ecosystem.

ORCHAReD is designed to serve all populations from all communities globally. However, ORCHAReD's greatest impact will be in those communities in which educators feel the least supported: low-income districts and schools. 

Our learners will not grow without the appropriate supports in place to grow our educators. Too frequently, we find higher-income districts with proficient and advanced standardized test scores unwilling to change much about their teaching practice. Conversely, low-income districts experience the frustration of feeling like they are alone in trying to navigate professional learning opportunities that they may have to pay for out of their personal funds or travel far distances to receive. Little attention is paid to how to personalize professional learning and many teachers feel like they need to "teach to the tests" that are not relevant to their learner population. 

ORCHAReD will provide professional learning to our most vulnerable teaching populations at an affordable rate, in a personalized fashion, and through a networked system of collegial support. Current Project ARC partner schools that will benefit from ORCHAReD immediately are located in Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Albuquerque, and Charleston. Furthermore, Project ARC's partnership with the National Academy Foundation, which serves 392 high schools in the US that contain 80% minority student populations, will enhance our reach to those most vulnerable educators.   

The concept of ORCHAReD was born out of the twenty years of experience that the founders of Project ARC have working with low-income rural and urban districts across the globe. Feedback on initial prototype ideas has been solicited from various networked peers from around the world, who were chosen based on their varied experiences with teachers in need (including African, Asian, and South American schools). Furthermore, the diverse team of Project ARC project coaches who have vast experience in urban charter, low-income international schools, and rural public districts has enhanced the ORCHAReD concept. These project coaches will continue to extend their reach to educators who are most in need of professional learning support through the ORCHAReD virtual ecosystem. Finally, the teachers we serve have also been consulted for feedback rounds on how ORCHAReD can best be of use to them.

The next question only allows the selection of one area but indicates "areas" in need. We chose "product/service distribution," as we have no idea how to sell this idea to potential clients currently. Our current clients are excited at the possibility of ORCHAReD, but how do we reach others who are in need? We also have no idea how to find and connect with potential investors, and we know that developing a tool such as ORCHAReD will require a team of legal advice, of which we have little experience. We do have a team of technology specialists ready to develop ORCHAReD.

ORCHAReD will offer teachers the flexibility of multiple pathways to access ongoing PL when convenient and needed as a cost-effective alternative to in-person PD. The ecosystem of active learners will rely on the expertise of JIT coaches rather than social networking groups that attempt to create PL communities of a few nominally active individuals who offer personal suggestions rather than research-based best practices. Unlike other online PD courses offering badging for completion, ORCHAReD will provide personalized feedback, log coach interactions, and provide a space to complete reflections on student work for improved future APLEs, all analyzable to administrators. 

ORCHAReD will offer building-level administrators individualized and comparable data regarding teacher PL and implementation. Unlike other online PD courses that only report completion rates or hours logged, ORCHAReD will provide aggregated feedback, interaction logs, and access to reflections that allow administrators to make data-driven PL decisions regarding what faculty need. Organized feedback from JIT Coaches will also provide multiple perspectives on issues that supplement these decisions.

ORCHAReD will offer district-level administrators the same features that help building-level administrators but on a system-wide scale. Now, comparable aggregate data regarding individual school implementations will propel systemic vertically-aligned goals from the elementary to secondary buildings, allowing district administrators to capitalize on success points in one school to increase outcomes across the system.

ORCHAReD seeks to be the disruptor in professional learning systems. 

Disruptive innovation theory guides the push to create PL opportunities outside the norm of conventional PD offerings. Christensen’s (2018) disruptive innovation theory purports the development of simple solutions that allow those who have not had access to resources or capital to disrupt existing markets previously. Specifically, “disruption begin[s] by successfully targeting ... overlooked segments, gaining a foothold by delivering more-suitable functionality” (Christensen et al., 2015, p. 4). However, the theory’s misapplication results in many ed-tech companies claiming to “disrupt” classroom practices with the “wow” factor (Christensen et al., 2015). When, in fact, disruptive technology is “the processes by which an organization transforms inputs of labor, capital, materials, and information into products and services of greater value” (Christensen et al., 2017, p.11). ORCHAReD intends to disrupt the current expensive and low-performing PD market by making an affordable online PL ecosystem the norm. ORCHAReD will provide administrators with needed information to make data-driven decisions that directly result in sustainable changes in educator practice that translate to learner gains in the classroom. 

The ecosystem design of ORCHAReD presents a disruptive opportunity to explore the empirical research of the entire PL experience, covering teacher interactions with course material, JIT coaches, and reflections on their work. The analysis of administrator access to this collected data will drive future system-wide PL decisions.

Within the next year, ORCHAReD will become a reality with its design and launch. Within the next five years, Project ARC's goal is that ORCHAReD will expand to meet the needs of educators in 25% of the U.S. educational system, which includes 3,450 school systems, and would impact a learner population of approximately 13.8 million students. 

To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (SDG 4), teachers need access to quality and low-cost professional learning that translates into actionable classroom practice. ORCHAReD will target SDG 4 as Project ARC expands its reach into schools in need of quality professional learning designed to meet the needs of individual teachers, which will, in turn, target the impact on their learners. Specifically, this professional learning will initially focus on APLEs so that our learners connect the content and standards to the real world, as they are empowered to effect change in their world. 

In the Phase I development and implementation of ORCHAReD, feedback will be tracked and analyzed on the APLE Bites courses, Harvested APLE projects with coaches, and questions arising from both. Additional Harvested APLE projects will undergo development to reach a more significant number of teachers related to the content area and grade levels taught. For example, immediate needs for higher-level math and science projects exist. Furthermore, administrators will track hours of participant interaction, coded by types of interaction, to determine successes and areas for further development post-Phase I. These types of interactions will include: module completion rates by time spent; assignment submissions based on the number of tries it takes to receive a “successful completion” message, after receiving personalized feedback, per module; JIT coaching chat instances coded by type of questions asked (i.e., facilitation, assessment, design implementation); one-on-one scheduled sessions by types of questions asked; and rate of implemented APLEs from the APLE Bites course or Harvested APLEs coaching option.  

Cohorts of teachers from within a school will also have tracked data based on emerging problems of practice. Categories of problems of practice will allow administrators to determine in-person PL support for a whole school, department, or small group implementation based on the data analysis from ORCHAReD inputs from courses, coaches, and teacher reflections. This data will provide administrators with a non-punitive way of assessing teacher struggles while simultaneously identifying teacher assets for on-the-ground experts to build internal capacity for APLE (or any other recognized initiative) implementation.

Think of ORCHAReD as professional learning with automated access to an in-person help desk. Here are the highlights:

• Pick: Teachers choose what and when they want to learn but are not alone and unsupported because they are part of the ORCHAReD ecosystem.
• Learn: Just-in-time coaching with feedback required to move forward guarantees quality at completion.
• Grow: Teachers learn and grow their networks through interactions with just-in-time coaches and others in the ecosystem, ensuring a bountiful harvest from one another’s collaborations.
• Administrators have access to "pick, learn, and grow" data points via an interactive dashboard, providing decision-making directions about actionable, in-person support systems.

At the conclusion of Phase I of development, the ORCHAReD prototype will include a virtual software as a service (SaaS) that houses the APLE Bites self-paced course, the Harvested APLE projects, and a teacher progress data dashboard that includes relevant course information, visual metrics, and coaching interaction narratives for administrators. This prototype supports data-driven PD implementation virtually and in person. Additionally, the JIT coaching chat feature will be available with an option for scheduling the coaching hours. Finally, the catalog of Harvested APLEs submitted by participant teachers will provide users access to APLEs to try in their classrooms. This catalog can be shared within a school or district or showcased for cross-district sharing.

Project ARC is a 50/50 partnership with one female co-founding partner. 

Project ARC project coaches are a diverse group of individuals that include several ethnicities, international countries of origin, various religious backgrounds, and multiple sexual orientations. Project ARC actively seeks out minority representations for our Project Coaches so that they can become mentors to teachers in low-income communities and connect with these teachers on the levels of the students the teachers serve. 

ORCHAReD facilitates successful implementation of Authentic Project Learning Experiences (APLESs), or any educational initiative, through virtual, self-paced learning supported by peer collaboration and critique and just-in-time coaching. These interactions provide real-time data for administrators to use in targeting interventions to ensure success. 

ORCHARed data supports administrators as they recruit, retain, certify, assess and evaluate highly effective teachers, while simultaneously helping teachers acquire the knowledge and skills they need to improve classroom instruction and impact their learners' outcomes.  

ORCHAREd alleviates the need for expensive, in-person professional learning that is often isolating for educators and leaves administrators dependent on in-person coaching to sustain momentum on initiative implementation. 

Project ARC is actively pursuing federal government grants to help support the development costs of ORCHAReD. However, entrepreneurial support is needed to launch ORCHAReD successfully. 

Ultimately, the goal is to target funding from large corporations to pay for district subscriptions to ORCHAReD. For example, Bank of America recently provided a $25 million investment in education programs and workforce development. A portion of this type of investment could be diverted to pay for professional learning through ORCHAReD for low-income districts. Additionally, government funding distributed to schools via state or federal initiatives would be better spent on a sustainable and systematic approach to professional learning such as ORCHAReD. 

Project ARC has applied for the SBIR grant through the federal government, and the application made it through the triage round with an expected announcement of the award in early May. The funding for this grant is $250,000 for 8 months. After the completion of the initial 8-month period, Project ARC plans to apply for the second round of funding that will last for two years and cover an additional $800,000.