EMPOWER

EMPOWER | PERSONALIZE | DESIGN | PARTNER

Empower principals and teachers to be instructional leaders

We must support our teachers in delivering a rigorous and robust curriculum to our students and give our principals the tools and resources they need to be instructional leaders of their schools.

Objective 1: GIPS schools and classrooms will be led by instructional experts who guarantee the delivery of a rigorous and relevant curriculum to all students.

Progress Indicators

1. Increased frequency of teachers observed implementing prioritized instructional strategies.

2. Increased number of teachers rated as applying and innovating on prioritized instructional strategies on observations.

3. Increased percentage of students meeting projected growth goals on reading and math Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments.

4. Use of curriculum maps and programs rated as highly aligned to state and/or national standards and as high quality assessed by an external evaluator.

5. Increased percentage of educators who report on surveys that coaching and professional learning on prioritized strategies are valuable, high quality, and relevant to instructional practice.

Strategic Initiatives

1. Ensure teachers have access to and use high-quality curriculum resources, including curriculum maps, common assessments, academic programs (textbooks and technology-based), and instructional materials.

   • Identify curricular weaknesses by analyzing student achievement data.

   • Partner with an external evaluator to assess the district’s curriculum maps, common assessments, and related resources on a regular basis and make improvements as appropriate.

2. Develop a school-based professional growth system for teachers that:

   • Is supervised by school principals.

   • Is facilitated by instructional coaches.

   • Utilizes student data, iObservation reports, and other data collected through the school improvement process to identify student learning needs and professional learning foci for teachers.

   • Aligns professional learning opportunities to those identified needs, including through the strategic deployment of mentors and instructional coaches.

   • Provides all teachers with embedded professional learning on a core set of Robert Marzano’s high-impact, instructional strategies.

   • Provides new teachers with high-quality induction supports.

   • Includes collaborative work with colleagues guided by the principal, instructional coach, and/or teacher leaders that allows teachers opportunities to observe, identify, and study effective practices in and outside of the district.

   • Ensures all teachers receive meaningful feedback on their practice.

   • Empowers all teachers to set and meet impactful professional growth goals.

3. Define the goals and structures for teacher collaborative time at each school level to ensure that all schools’ educators regularly analyze student outcomes, address individual student’s barriers to learning, plan effective lessons and units, and evaluate the implementation of programs.

4. Develop a robust leadership development system for principals that:

   • Utilizes student data, iObservation reports, school climate assessments, and other data collected through the school improvement process to identify student learning needs and professional learning foci for principals.

   • Includes principals in data consultations during which they individually discuss with the superintendent and/or chief leadership officer their school’s student outcomes, classroom observations, and school improvement plans and progress.

   • Empowers principals to create impactful professional growth goals and ensures that they receive meaningful feedback about their performance.

   • Includes a new Leadership Academy that helps identify future principals among the ranks of current teachers and instructional coaches, provides new principals with high-quality induction supports, provides school and district leaders with high-quality supports, and leverages peer learning opportunities among administrators.

Objective 2: GIPS will ensure that learning is enabled through safe, comfortable, and welcoming environments.

Progress Indicators

1. Reduction in disproportionate (by race/ethnicity, poverty, and identified disability) suspensions and expulsions.

2. Decrease in student behavior concerns as measured by a principal survey.

3. Increased number of school facilities rated as high quality.

4. Increased percentage of stakeholders reporting that schools are welcoming and supportive.

Strategic Initiatives

1. Standardize approaches to discipline and behavior-related issues within and across schools by:

   • Identifying and supporting a set of tiered behavioral interventions.

   • Supporting principals in implementing with fidelity a high-quality Response to Intervention model addressing academics and student behavior in every school.

   • Supporting all staff through professional learning opportunities in the area of student behavioral interventions.

   • Engaging community partners in collaborative planning groups to identify and implement strategies for increasing districtwide capacity in addressing student behavior and mental health concerns.

   • Adding additional staff, including counselors and social workers, in schools with higher rates of suspensions, expulsions, or other behavior/discipline-related data.

2. Ensure consistent levels of quality among school facilities by:

   • Implementing standard security systems in all schools.

   • Developing a comprehensive master facility plan (building and operating) that takes into account student enrollment projections, current and future programming needs (including expansion of early childhood education programming), and community and expert input.

   • Implementing recommendations from the facility plan under the direction of the Board of Education.

   • Updating the plan every two to three years to ensure it reflects current district needs.

   • Locating and securing additional funding sources for facilities projects (e.g., additional bond issues, private investments).

• 1. Reducing the gap between what GIPS spends on facilities and national and/or regional benchmarks.

3. Assess parent and visitor needs within buildings and ensure resources (e.g., interpreters, social workers, and facilities) are available to meet those needs.

4. Establish a common school climate assessment and leverage the Leadership Academy and other opportunities to improve school culture, climate, and customer service districtwide.