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Areas of Expertise

Change Process

At a Glance | Services | Significant Work | Products

ARRA-Funded District- and School-Level Support: Through funding provided to schools and districts through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and other sources, SEDL is helping build the capacity of school and district leaders, including teacher leaders, to carry out and sustain school improvement plans. For example, SEDL is providing support over multiple years to help school districts in Louisiana and South Carolina implement the Professional Teaching and Learning Cycle. With this support, teachers and other school and district staff members are building their content knowledge in either reading or mathematics; developing their ability to use data in decision making; aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessments to state standards; and improving the quality and coherence of instruction across classrooms.

Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC): The SECC, which SEDL manages, works with the state departments of education of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina to build their capacity to assist schools and districts in key areas, including the change process. The type of assistance provided varies by state. In Louisiana, for example, SECC staff provided training and follow-up support on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to help state educators support low-performing schools.

Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC): The TXCC, which SEDL houses, provides technical assistance and professional development to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the state’s 20 regional education service centers (ESCs). This assistance includes applying SEDL’s knowledge of the change process and tools for supporting change. For example, TXCC staff provided the ESCs with training on tools to help districts implement the Professional Teaching and Learning Cycle, a process in which teachers collaborate to plan and implement standards-based lessons.

Past Work

Leadership for Changing Schools Training Institute: This professional development institute, formerly known as the Leadership for Change Institute, assisted schools and districts in meeting the challenges of change. The courses were based on two 1992 SEDL publications: Facilitative Leadership: The Imperative for Change by Shirley Hord, which presents a six-component framework to help leaders support change in schools, and School Context: Bridge or Barrier to Change? by Victoria Boyd, which reviews the existing literature on the factors that can affect efforts to bring about change in schools.

Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement: SEDL partnered with Learning Point Associates in the Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement to help schools and districts organize, plan, implement, and sustain school reform and improvement. Our staff oversaw the development and management of the Center’s Web site and online databases.