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WSU PresentationThursday October 10, 2013School Improvement Discussion

by Kathy Ehman, Chief Special Services Officer, Puyallup School District

How Do We Improve Student Achievement and What Does Leadership Look Like?

A Plan for Effective School LeadershipAccording to an old proverb, "A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan can change the world.Our meta-analysis resulted in the identification of 21 responsibilities that define the role of a school leader.

School Leadership That Worksby Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters and Brian A. McNulty

What should I know about School Improvement?

All schools must have a School Improvement Plan andYou will want one!Your district may direct or guide your work in this area So what should I know or do.

And then came the State ESEA Waiver. . . . .

Gone was: AYPSteps 1-4 Choice Supplemental Educational Services School Improvement Plans

In came:AMOsPriority, Focus, and Emerging Schools Student Growth Percentiles Student and School Success Plans i.e.: Indistar

*Same animal, just different stripes. . . . . . .

School improvement can be a complicated journey.Lots of people have ideas on where to go and what to do.They just dont always have the same idea on how to get there.

The journey can become complicated and messy.The destination gets lost in the mess.

Indistar isnt faster than a speeding bullet. It isnt even the magic bullet every school would like to find, but it does get everyone headed in the same direction and moving toward the same destination.

The ultimate goal in school improvement is for the people associated with the school to drive its continuous improvement for the sake of their own children and students.

A New Way

The Old WayAccountable for Rules and RegulationsData = Student Outcomes OnlyCulture of ComplianceAnnual Paper PlanMail, Fax Paper ReportsFocus on ProgramsTop-Down Initiative, with Oversight

IndistarAccountable for Effective PracticeData = Practice + StudentCulture of Candor and SupportContinuous Improvement ProcessSystem-Generated, Electronic ReportsFocus on Effective Practice School Initiative, with Support

Main Menu

When the School Indicators link is selected from the dashboard, the Main Menu screen appears.The School Improvement Process is a continuous cycle of Assess, Create, and Monitor the work on the indicators of effective practice.Also provided are tutorial videos, resources, reports, a place to set up agendas and keep minutes, and access to coaching comments. Where are we now? provides a quick glimpse of the work of the school team in graphs and reports.Convenient access to tech support or to view state contacts is also provided on the main menu.

It Bears Repeating

Theres no magic in the web system. It does help keep a school focused on what really matters, and keeps the conversations centered on the professional practices of the people most closely connected to the students in the building, but the real magic happens in the work of the teams.

Good luck in your journey. . . . .

Comments and/or Questions?