School Improvement

We believe that school improvement requires a comprehensive approach to address the entire system. Our specialists build the capacity of district and school leaders to develop, implement, and evaluate improvement efforts, including school transformation and turnaround. The goal is to achieve gains in teaching and learning that are significant and sustainable.

Services We Provide

Through the Center for High-Performing Schools, SEDL offers school improvement services ranging from in-person and online professional development courses to multiyear partnerships in which our specialists work side-by-side with you to develop and implement a customized school improvement plan.

Success Story

“The third-grade team engages in ongoing data analysis of teacher instruction and student performance to determine student learning goals. These learning goals are revisited and revised based on student performance, and interventions for student learning are put in place accordingly.” — Shirnetha Stinson, Clinton Elementary Assistant Principal and Instructional Facilitator

High-Flying Leaders and Teachers

Clinton Elementary, South Carolina
SEDL’s 2-year partnership to implement professional learning teams in Lancaster County School District, South Carolina, paid off for Clinton Elementary. English-language arts and math scores are up, and the school’s third-grade team received an award for excellence. Read more

See a video of Clinton Elementary using SEDL's Professional Teaching and Learning Cycle.

Significant Work

Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC): The SECC provides professional development and technical assistance to the state education agencies of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina to build their capacity to support low-performing districts and schools in meeting student achievement goals. Work varies by state.

Texas Comprehensive Center (TXCC): The TXCC provides professional development and technical assistance to the Texas Education Agency and the state’s 20 regional education service centers to build their capacity to support low-performing districts and schools in meeting student achievement goals.

Race to the Top Reform Support Network: SEDL is working with ICF International and other partners to advance education innovation and reform. Current work involves assisting with Communities of Practice addressing stakeholder engagement, school turnaround, and teacher and leader effectiveness.

Center for High-Performing Schools: Through this Center, SEDL builds the capacity of district and school leaders to plan, implement, evaluate, and sustain improvement efforts, including initiatives.

  • Cullman County School System: In Alabama, SEDL is providing training and technical assistance to staff of the Cullman County School System on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model. This project will assist district leaders in developing a systemwide process for evaluating the implementation and impact of school improvement initiatives.

Show More Work

Resources

Image of publication cover Getting Serious About the System: A Fieldbook for District and School Leaders
This fieldbook shows how to avoid a haphazard approach to school improvement by focusing on all aspects of the system and on specific issues that have the most impact upon student achievement. This multidimensional process also entails increasing the competencies of everyone involved and implementing solutions districtwide.
Image of publication cover Working Systemically in Action: A Guide for Facilitators
Produced by a team of SEDL staff who drew upon more than 3 decades of school reform research and theory, the Working Systemically approach is a process for school improvement and increased student achievement that focuses on key components and competencies at all levels of the educational system.
Image of publication cover Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin, Volume 4, Number 3: Turning Around Low-Performing Schools
This issue of the Southeast Comprehensive Center eBulletin summarizes some of the best practices in turning around schools and provide readers with references and resources to gain a deeper knowledge of the literature on turning around low-performing schools and strategies to help state departments and districts in their attempt to reform challenging schools.
Image of publication cover Transforming Low-Performing Rural Schools: Texas Comprehensive Center Briefing Paper, Number 10
This brief examines how rural districts and schools can integrate the unique attributes and resources found in rural communities into improvement efforts to promote the transformation of low-performing schools.

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News

04/24/2013Effective Leadership for the Common Core State Standards.
04/24/2013Evaluation Methods to Cultivate Change.
11/20/2012SEDL's Robin Jarvis Weighs in on Benefits, Challenges of K–8 Instruction in One School.
10/01/2012SEDL Wins Federal Grants to Support State Department of Education Work.
06/14/2012Stopping the Summer Learning Loss.

Click here to view all 41 news items for the subject: School Improvement.