We add value as consultants by helping districts develop and implement whole-system improvement strategies, tailored to the specific contexts of our clients. We also bring a data-driven, research-based orientation to everything we do and embrace the central importance of eliminating the achievement gap as a focus of our work.
Academic Planning, Intervention, and Accountability. A system-wide reform strategy must be deeply grounded in a vision for improving the instruction delivered to students in classrooms on a day-to-day basis. Successful instructional strategies must align the practice of standards, assessments, curriculum, and instruction into a compelling vision to drive improvements that result in higher student achievement. AIR recognizes the complexity of this alignment process and has established consulting services to assist in addressing the following key elements of the process:
- Standards development and articulation
- Curriculum alignment
- Program adoption
- Assessment methodologies
- Data analysis and reporting
- Accountability systems
- Intervention in low-performing schools
- Special education
- English language learners
- Restructuring of high schools
Central Office Services and Structures. The most powerful instructional vision will be successful only when central office systems are aligned with and supportive of a larger teaching and learning strategy. Experiences confirm that implicit or explicit resistance of traditional central office operations and structures stall many district-change initiatives. To address this challenge, AIR has established expertise in a number of technically complex areas to assist a school district in redesigning its central office in alignment with its academic vision. These specific areas include:
- Central office roles and responsibilities
- Resource allocation and district finance
- Student-based budgeting
- Human resources policies and practices
- Student assignment and school choice
- Enrollment capacity planning
Capacity-Building and Professional Leadership Development. Ultimately, the driving force behind the success of any district reform strategy is its ability to increase the skills and capabilities of its staff—particularly principals and teachers—to increase student achievement. During the past decade, a wide variety of school districts have developed extensive professional development programs for their staff. While a number of these programs are incrementally effective, the magnitude of the change required necessitates much more sophisticated levels of professional skills from educators. As a result, districts need to magnify their commitment to professional development, increasing both the robustness of the training and the methods of delivery. To support this work, AIR has developed the capacity to design and deliver the following services:
- Recruitment, selection, and equitable assignment of instructional, administrative, and support staff
- Teacher professional development programs
- Instructional leadership development (including teachers)
- Performance-based staff evaluation processes
- School management, governance, and decision-making
- Board-Superintendent relations
Research and Evaluation. AIR has deep expertise in state-of-the-art research and evaluation techniques. AIR has conducted extensive research and evaluation projects in such areas as child development, curriculum content and standards, effective instructional approaches, organization and systemic change, and policy design and implementation. Additionally, AIR has field-tested and validated methodologies for collecting, analyzing, and using data. This expertise and capacity enables us to deliver the following services:
- Program assessment
- Research reviews
- Data design, collection, and analysis
- Database creation
- User-friendly data tools