IPI and IPI-T Growth...  As we leave 2017 in the rear-view mirror and look toward 2018, the use of the IPI Process continues to spread across the US and beyond.  The IPI is in its twenty-second year and the IPI-Technology Component its eighth year.   

In the past year schools from Maine to Hawaii have begun to implement the IPI and the IPI-Technology Processes.   We are approaching approximately 28,000 educators who have completed the basic IPI Level I Workshop.  The basic IPI has been implemented in more than half of the US states as well as the Sydney region of Australia.  Like the basic IPI Process, the IPI-T process also grows at a fast pace...actually a pace faster than the early years of the basic IPI Process.  As we enter 2018, nearly 1000 educators who have implemented the basic IPI Process have completed the IPI-T Workshop, thus obtaining permission to use the more sophisticated IPI-T Process. 

Even as I observed the excitement among educators during the development and field testing of the IPI-Technology component in high-tech schools that were already using the IPI Process, I had no idea the process, when implemented, would be viewed so positively.  That fact alone made the full year invested in the development and field-testing of the IPI-T Component worthwhile.   Though the number of schools using the IPI-T process pales with the thousands of schools that have used the basic IPI Process, it is evident to me that the IPI-T has the potential to exceed the impact of the basic IPI Process, both in numbers of schools using the process as well as the educational impact on students. 
 

Balancing Higher-Order/Deeper Thinking Time and Lower-Order/Surface Thinking Time

I am often asked, “What are the ideal percentages of each IPI category for optimum academic success?”

Throughout more than two decades of IPI studies, I have avoided recommending a “must have” percent for each of the six categories.  Each school is unique, each school has a different starting point, and each school will progress toward a school-established goal at a different pace, often in different ways, based upon school leadership, culture, climate, faculty expertise, and resources.  Though one definitive answer may not exist, we do have insights about both the direction and amount of movement we should consider, at least for the broader categories of higher-order/deeper thinking time, lower-order/surface thinking time, and disengagement time.    

The location immediately to the right of this note is reserved for “Stories from IPI Schools.”  These are stories and reflections from classroom teachers, IPI Team members, and school leaders who have used the IPI Process for studying student engagement in their respective schools.  These stories describe the successes, the challenges, the frustrations, and/or the failures of the IPI Process in a school or a district.   If you are a classroom teacher, a member of your school's IPI Team, a principal, a district administrator, or a regional/state support leader and you would like to share your experiences with the IPI, type your story, save it as a Word document, send it to me as an attachment ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). I will be pleased to share your school’s experiences with the IPI on this website.  The most appropriate length is between 500 to 1000 words.

As noted, the most recently posted “story from an IPI school” is printed immediately to the right of this home page section. Prior “Stories from IPI Schools” can be read by selecting the Website Archives drop-down menu.  Thank you for sharing your experiences with the IPI process for studying student cognitive engagement.

The IPI Process and the Challenges of Common Core

Highland High School, Highland, Illinois

January 7, 2014

Highland High School’s journey with the IPI Process began in 2010.  I had previously attended several IPI workshops led by University of Missouri Professor Jerry Valentine.  The process intrigued me – it was teacher-led, non-evaluative and provided an easy way for teachers to collaborate to study and improve student-learning experiences in the classroom.  As Dr. Valentine addressed the data behind the process, I learned that he had thoroughly researched the IPI for more than a decade.The process sounded “right” for our faculty at Highland High.  Our school’s vision statement was “Excellence in Education, Every Day.”  Our new principal was popular with the staff, students and community-- took the school’s vision statement seriously.  IPI could help move HHS toward our vision.

The first recommendation for this edition is an exceptional book by John Hattie.  Hattie is an internationally respected writer/scholar whose most recent books rely on his syntheses of meta-analyses studies to define some of the most effective educational practices.  I am recommending his most recent book (2012) entitled Visible Learning for Teachers.  The other recommendation is a website and professional service entitled Education Week.  Many educators are familiar with EdWeek, but my discussions with educators indicate few know of the volume of information available through the EdWeek Newsletters and website.