Weekly E-Newsletter | June 3, 2013 Hello, This week, we feature resources about the district’s role in school turnaround efforts. We also announce a webinar focused on the role of school boards in school accountability and transformation, hosted by The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd. Featured Resources: The District Role in School Turnaround Title: Examining District Guidance to Schools on Teacher Evaluation Policies in the Midwest Region Source: Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest This descriptive study provides a snapshot of teacher evaluation policies across a demographically diverse sample of districts in the Midwest Region. It addresses two major research questions: 1. What does the landscape of teacher evaluation policy at the district level look like? 2. What can be learned about the policy process by examining district documents? Researchers examined district evaluation policy documents for evidence of 13 common teacher evaluation practices and found that they were more apt to specify the processes involved in teacher evaluation than they were to provide guidance for the content or standards of the evaluation, or the use of the results; and that districts varied in how specific their policies were related to each of the practices. Click here to download Examining District Guidance to Schools on Teacher Evaluation Policies in the Midwest Region. Title: The District Turnaround Office: A Comprehensive Support Structure for Struggling Schools Source: Mass Insight Education This publication provides districts with a fundamentally different organizational structure through which to execute school turnaround. The District Turnaround Office (DTO) is a new internal unit within a local education agency (LEA) that manages and coordinates all district turnaround efforts. This publication includes: • an explanation of the DTO structure and functions; • detailed examples of DTO-like structures in five urban districts; and • key findings to inform this work in other districts. The authors also provide recommendations to ensure success in implementing the model, including providing the office significant authority, investing upfront in coordination and communication, securing adequate capacity, and ensuring transparency. Click here to download The District Turnaround Office: A Comprehensive Support Structure for Struggling Schools. Using the Resources Together These resources provide information about the district’s role in supporting and facilitating school turnaround efforts. The first document reports on a study that describes guidance districts provided to schools in evaluating teachers. The second resource describes how implementing a District Turnaround Office (DTO) can facilitate the district’s role in supporting school turnaround. Together, these resources can help district leaders develop effective approaches to supporting school improvement efforts. Webinar: Moving Beyond the Killer B’s: The Role of School Boards in School Accountability and Transformation Wednesday, June 5, 2013, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm, Eastern Time/11:00 am – 12:00 pm, Pacific Time Successfully initiating and sustaining meaningful improvements in the lowest-performing public schools is a pressing challenge for policy leaders and practitioners nationwide. Local school boards sit at the intersection of policy and implementation of reform initiatives. Yet, ongoing efforts to improve public education focus primarily on the role of teachers, principals, and superintendents, as well as state and federal policymakers. Missing from this debate is a robust discussion or examination of the role of local school boards. This webinar will present findings from a study that examined the literature regarding the role of local school boards in targeted improvement efforts and explored emerging practice through interviews with key practitioners in districts engaged in such efforts. The webinar will highlight key findings and identify strategies the authors propose will more effectively leverage local school boards’ potential to play a leading role in catalyzing and sustaining meaningful change that will lead to better outcomes for students. Click here to register for Moving Beyond the Killer B’s. Have a wonderful week! UPCOMING WEBINAR ________________________________________ Moving Beyond the Killer B’s: The Role of School Boards in School Accountability and Transformation Wednesday, June 5, 2013 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT ________________________________________ Join the STLC We invite you to join the STLC to participate in the group discussions and receive invitations to new webinars. Questions? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any suggestions or questions. About the STLC The School Turnaround Learning Community provides states and districts with easy online access to resources and networking that enables them to support schools more effectively. schoolturnaroundsupport.org Terms of Use | Questions? Email [email protected] You are receiving this email because you are a member of the School Turnaround Learning Community. Hello, This week, we feature resources about using data to help students graduate high school ready to succeed in college and careers. We also announce a webinar on a Blended Approach to Credit Recovery. ________________________________________ Questions? Contact Us STAY CONNECTED: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help ________________________________________ This email was sent to infomillers14@gmail by U.S. Department of Education • 400 Maryland Ave • Washington DC 20202 • 800-USA-LEARN
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:56:18 +0000
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