Sustaining School Improvement

1. Sustaining School Improvement

2. Foundational Capacities

3. Enhance energy flow among staffCreate a collective purpose

4. Leaders and staff work together in ways that increase the overall energy of the school They productively engage in creating and sustaining a school with student learning as the focus.

5. Enhancing Energy Flow • Positive interactions among staff, teachers, and students • School structures that promotes interactions and communications • Decision made by consensus when possible • Develop a sense of purpose among the staff

6. School staff develop and maintain a common purpose for the organization that is rooted in a deep understanding of the strengths and needs of their students.

7. Create a Collective Purpose • Create shared experiences & develop a common language • Interact with continual reflection on reaching goals & achieving the vision • Create teaching and learning experiences that build a positive school identity

8. Organizational Capacities

9. TeamingStructural changes

10. Teaming provides interaction and communication, increases flexibility for planning, encourages collaboration, and enables to the development of a common purpose.

11. Teaming • Expands a school’s vision by involving stakeholders in essential processes • Focuses on using individual and group strengths to meet the diverse needs of students • Promotes supportive interaction among staff and teachers

12. Staff use structural changes as a source of energy to create reforms in how the school functions and how to open up new ways of looking at their students and their potential.

13. Structural Changes • The most successful structural changes: • Acknowledge the current resources of the school • Are linked to student strengths and needs, with emphasis on the curriculum • Are related to high expectations of the students

14. Learning & Resource Management

15. Creating and maintaining a learning ethicOrchestrating resources and managing distractions

16. Staff are continually seeking out and learning ways to better support the learning of their students; they define success and as fully exploring all alternatives.

17. Creating & Maintaining a Learning Ethic • Focus on expanding the development of professional practices that address the needs of the school • Create an atmosphere in which staff are expected to be highly competent • Seek out resources and create opportunities for professional development

18. Staff act as wise consumers and managers of resources, deploying maximum effectiveness for students, constantly scouting new opportunities to support the mission and vision.

19. Orchestrating Resources & Managing Distractions • Be proactive in developing relationships and networks • Negotiate waivers to facilitate more effective use of resources • Be wary of external controls that might have an negative impact on the mission • Use data to guide all decision making for new resource request

20. References 10 Capacities for Initiating and Sustaining School Improvement: The Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory