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How We Led Our School To ‘Good’. Dr. Akram M. Zayour Dubai international school Al Qouz Branch. Adopting a Quality Framework to School Improvement. Purpose and Direction of the School Governance and Leadership Teaching and Learning Resources and Support Systems
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How We Led Our School To ‘Good’ Dr. Akram M. Zayour Dubai international school Al Qouz Branch
Adopting a Quality Framework to School Improvement • Purpose and Direction of the School • Governance and Leadership • Teaching and Learning • Resources and Support Systems • Using Results for continuous Improvement
Setting a School Direction Goal: Maintaining and communicating a direction that commit to high expectations for learning & shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning. Action taken: Revisited our: • Vision • Mission • Values • Beliefs • Graduate Learning Outcomes (Samples will be displayed)
Governance and Leadership Goal: Operating under leadership that promote and support student performance and school effectiveness Action Taken: • Establishing policies & support practices that ensure effective administration of the school • Organizational Chart • Job Descriptions • Governing Body Policy • Child protection Policy • First Aid Policy
Parents Involvement Policy • Behavior Management Policy • Attendance Policy • Parents Handbooks across school sections • Parent and Student Handbook • New Staff Handbook • Special Education Needs (SEN) Handbook 2. The governing Board of the school operates and functions effectively • Governing Body Policy • Leadership and staff foster a positive school culture that is consistent with the school purpose and direction • Conducting training workshop about “Shaping School Culture”
4. Leadership engages stakeholders effectively in support of the school’s direction • Developing parent surveys • Developing Student Surveys • Developing Staff Surveys • Spreading “Boxes regarding Complaints and Suggestions for Continuous School Improvement” in different school sections, where parents, students, and community can deliver their suggestions or complaints. • Involvement of parents and community policies • Leadership and staff supervision and evaluation processes result in improved professional practice and student success • Conducting internal and external whole school assessment KHDA Template +AdvancED Standards
Using Systems-Development Approach to dispatch with Administrative/Managerial Responsibilities and to support Instructional Aspects of Work Administrative subsystems • Physical plant (custodial, playground) • Budget (operating building, supplies) • Communication (in-school, newsletters, parents) • Media and public relations (interviews, news releases) • School organization (scheduling, meeting, calendar, emergencies) • Technology (resources, maintenance0 • Student services (health and safety, special education, extracurricular activities, counseling, records and information, discipline and attendance • Personal (hiring and retention, legal issues, duties) • Assessment (testing, procedures reviews) • Advisory groups (meeting plans)
Instructional subsystems • Physical plant (instructional needs, special needs) • Budget (instructional supplies, field trips) • Communication (teacher collaboration, parent involvement) • Media and public relations (academic reports, instructional volunteers) • School organization (teams, committees, diversity needs) • Student services (social advisory, Counseling, outside agencies) • Personnel (group development, professional development, performance evaluation) • Assessment (data collection/analysis, conducting in-school researches, curriculum development) • Advisory groups(instructional involvement)
Empowering Team Approach to almost Everything and Create Learning Communities Another dimension of the systems –development approach • Involving the stakeholders in the development of policies, standards, procedures, and programs • Coordinating between and among members of relevant teams • Conducting regular productive meeting • Support for teacher leadership • Oversight by the principal ( the whole orientation is focused on school improvement)
Hire Strong People for Administrative, Faculty, and Staff Positions • Involve everyone in hiring • Establish hiring protocols • Correct hiring mistakes • Looking for the characteristics of teachers essential to successfully educating children: • Teacher has the prerequisites for effective teaching(subject matter, knowledge, communication abilities, certification) • Teacher is a quality person (positive attitude, reflective style) • Teacher is expert at classroom management and organization (behavior expectations, use of materials, technology, classroom order) • Teacher is organized for instruction (planning, use of time, high expectations for student achievement) • teacher can effectively implement instruction(instructional strategies, questioning strategies, maintaining student engagement) • Teacher monitors student progress and potential (use of homework, use of data from testing, differentiation for diverse needs)
Developing a Strategic Plan Based on the result of whole School Self-Evaluation and External Evaluators. (Samples will be displayed)
Teaching and Learning Goal: The school’s curriculum, instructional design, and assessment practices guide and ensure teacher effectiveness and student learning. We Stress on stating four different Types of Standards in our Annual Plans across disciplines: • Content standards cover what students are to learn in various subjects • Performance standards specify what levels of learning are expected • Opportunity-to-learn standards state the conditions and resources necessary to give all students an equal chance to meet performance standards • World –class standards indicate content and performances that are expected of students in developed countries (External Benchmarking)
Emphasizing the Four Components of Effective Instruction • Planning and preparation • Demonstrating knowledge of content & pedagogy • Demonstrating knowledge of students • Setting instructional outcomes • Demonstrating knowledge resources • Designing coherent instruction • Designing student assessments 2. Classroom environment • Creating a environment of respect & rapport • Establishing a culture for learning • Managing classroom procedures • Managing student behavior • Organizing physical space
3. Instruction • Communicating with students • Using questioning and discussion techniques • Engaging students in learning • Using assessment in instruction • Demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness 4. Professional Responsibilities • Reflecting on teaching • Maintaining accurate records • Communicating with families • Participating in professional community • Growing and developing professionally • Showing professionalism
Enhance Student Abilities through emphasizing teaching strategies that address • Identifying similarities & differences (comparing, classifying, creating metaphors and analogies) • Summarizing and note taking (analyzing, sifting, and synthesizing information • Doing homework and practices (providing opportunities to learn and to practice) • Representing knowledge (helping students generate nonlinguistic representations of information e.g. graphic organizers, pictures, concrete representations, kinesthetic activities, and using technology • Participating in cooperative learning groups( creating opportunities to develop positive interdependence, face-to-face , interaction, individual and group accountability, interpersonal and small group skills) • Setting objectives and providing feedback (helping students set learning goals and providing timely feedback) • Generating and testing hypothesis (helping students generate and test hypothesis through system analysis, problem solving, decision making, experimental inquiry, and invention • Using cues , questions, and advance organizers • Activating prior knowledge (helping students retrieve specific types of knowledge, such as vocabulary and details, how to organize ideas , and using related skills and processes)
Using Research Based Approach to enhance Student Achievement • Guaranteed and viable curriculum • Challenging goals and effective feedback • Parent and community involvement • Safe and orderly environment • collegiality and professionalism • Instructional strategies • Classroom curriculum design • Classroom management (secondary emphasis)
Resources and Support Systems Goal: equipping school with resources and providing services that support its purpose and direction to ensure success for all students. Administrative and Instructional Staff: • 13 Head of Departments • 145 Teachers and Assistant Teachers • 37 Administrative & Technical Staff
Facilities: • Availability of Computer Labs, Language Lab, Science Labs, Resource Rooms, Audio visual Room, 3 D Hall, Classes provided by multimedia projectors and computers (Grade 7 through Grade 12) • Educational Resources: • Library • Media resources • Access to internet • Student Support: • Support Classes (SEN Students) • SEN Team • Differentiated Instruction • Counseling & Guidance Follow Up • Extra Curricular Activities • Variety of assessment Methods
Educational Resources: • Library • Media resources • Access to internet • Student Support: • Support Classes (SEN Students) • SEN Team • Differentiated Instruction • Counseling & Guidance Follow Up • Extra Curricular Activities • Variety of assessment Methods
Using Results for Continuous Improvement Goal: Implementing a comprehensive assessment system that generates a range of data about student learning and school effectiveness and uses the results to guide continuous improvement. Action Taken: Data acquisition: seeking out, collecting, and preparing information to guide teaching and learning. Data include standardized student achievement test scores, student placement and behavioral records, grades, observation of teacher personnel, community survey data, and technological capacity.
Using Results for Continuous Improvement • Data reflection: processes developed to make sense of student learning data that result in goals for improving teaching and learning. This includes structured opportunities for teachers and leaders to collaboratively interpret data • Program alignment: processes to make the school’s instructional program congruent with relevant content and performance standards and with the actual content taught in classroom to meet student needs and to improve learning. Program alignment also includes noncurricular initiatives such as guidance and support programs, professional development, all of which require further planning and program evaluation. • Formative feedback: learner-focused evaluation cycles designed to create ongoing timely flows of information to improve both student learning and instructional program quality across the school. This includes information on student learning and teacher practice.