Quality Review and Strategic Planning

School Quality Reviews are in-depth assessments of school systems including evaluation of leadership practices for instructional improvement, organizational processes, and efficacy beliefs, based on recent research on continuous improvement in schools.

● Leadership practices for instructional improvement: school leaders’ ability to drive improvements in instruction and student performance by communication a vision for teaching and learning, creating a safe environment for teachers to talk openly about instruction, and fostering opportunities for professional growth.

● Organizational practices: organizational processes that foster teacher involvement in instructional decisions at the whole-school and team level (i.e. internal coherence around continuous improvement, in line with school-wide improvement goals)

● Efficacy beliefs: perceptions of teachers’ individual and collective ability to plan and execute effective instruction. A psychologically safe environment for learning and processes for collaboration to encourage teachers to experiment with new approaches and reflect on their instruction, individually and collectively, leads to improved instruction. Collective efficacy is essential for continuous improvement at the school level.

We use a comprehensive School Quality Review protocol and rubric including engagement and interviews with the school leader and other administrative staff, teachers, parents, and students; provide in-depth reports to schools and districts including a summary of key findings and a numeric quality rating; and serve as a thought-partner to district and school leaders in identifying strengths and opportunities for improving school quality ratings over time.