SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS FRAMEWORK
OUR WHY...CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The School Effectiveness Framework is a dynamic document. Seeking the input of our stakeholders is essential to our district operations and school communities. We have systematized improvement planning efforts to ensure stakeholder input is continuous. While fostering a philosophy of mutual respect and collegiality, the district will continue to push the boundaries of improvement and effectiveness. We believe that our collective improvement efforts must be implemented with a sense of urgency. Our students deserve no less.
Equity of outcomes for all learners
Fountain-Fort Carson School District must reach every child to bring about success for all regardless of personal circumstances. In a truly equitable system, factors such as race, gender, and socio-economic status do not limit students from achieving ambitious outcomes or limit opportunities. The basic premise of equity is the belief that schools can meet the individual needs of children successfully; and as a result, empower all students to achieve.
Social emotional learning matters in an equitable environment
Schools in the district are increasingly multicultural and multilingual with student from diverse social and economic backgrounds. Our educators and community serve students with different motivation for engaging in learning, behaving positively, and performing academically. Social emotional learning (SEL) provides a foundation for safe and positive learning, fosters relationships between educators and students, and enhances the ability of students to succeed in school, careers, and life.
Professional accountability
The District respects the professional expertise of its educators. We honor their desire to bring about improvement from within the profession. The research of Leithwood (2006) confirms that teacher job satisfaction and sense of self-efficacy increase when students are successful and that professionalism is enhanced when schools improve.
Fountain-Fort Carson School District recognizes that sustained improvement cannot be attained by top-down and short-term mandates for change and therefore, will monitor its own effectiveness. The ultimate form of accountability includes professionals engaging in self-assessment and reflection to bring about change and improvement. Our effectiveness processes will: Help instructional staff identify areas of strength, areas requiring improvement, and areas of strategic planning;
Act as a catalyst for shared instructional leadership through collaborative conversations focused on high levels of student learning and performance;
Support school staff in identifying explicit, intentional, and precise improvement goals and monitoring their progress;
Create critical feedback loops between district and school leadership, school staff, students, and parents;
Foster clarity in communications with stakeholders to increase public confidence about school and district improvement and effectiveness; and
Build coherence in expectations for effective instruction and the development of the whole child across the district.