District and School Improvement

Image of young adults talking in a libraryBetter schools help make better communities and improve students’ chances of success. Our work in school improvement and effectiveness encompasses a broad range of issues, including comprehensive school reform, high school improvement, turnaround schools, and standards-based reform, as well as policies and practices that influence teacher effectiveness.
 

For more about our client services in this topic area, visit the District and School Improvement Center >>

Latest Work

14 Nov 2018 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Event

How Do Education Systems Differ Around the World? An Examination of OECD's Education at a Glance

On November 14, 2018, AIR will host a presentation and discussion focusing on the latest international results from the OECD’s 2018 Education at a Glance. The webinar will highlight findings related to the following questions: How much time do students in the United States spend in the classroom compared to their international peers? How do early childhood education systems differ around the world? How do salaries for teachers and school heads vary by country? How can I find and work with these data?
26 Oct 2018
Report

Beyond Accountability: Improving the Use of Information to Support Teaching and Learning Through Continuous Improvement Cycles

States and school districts have made significant investments in systems to measure teacher performance, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning. In this report, AIR experts share their findings from the two-year Beyond Accountability project, in which four school districts identified a specific problem of practice and used plan-do-study-act cycles, an iterative process, to develop, test, and revise their strategies to address that challenge.
Image of students and teacher at whiteboard
24 Oct 2018
Service

Using Networked Improvement Communities to Improve Educational Practice

To improve education at the school and district levels, it takes real-world, face-to-face partnerships among a variety of stakeholders at the school, district, and state levels, with support from researchers. AIR experts support and study networked improvement communities to find out what works.
14 May 2018 | 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Event

From ESSA Plans to Implementation: A Look at Fifty State Plans and Opportunities to Advance Effective School Improvement

Are you still wondering what is in state ESSA plans? Or what might change in schools as a result? AIR and EducationCounsel met to discuss the trends across ESSA plans and what must come next to significantly improve outcomes for students among lowest-performing schools.
1 Apr 2018
Report

Study of Title I Schoolwide and Targeted Assistance Programs: Final Report

The schoolwide program and the targeted assistance program are two approaches related to the ideas established in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that focused on funding being provided to assist low-achieving students in high-poverty schools. This study compares services and resources provided by each approach and the ways these approaches go about allocating their resources.
19 Dec 2017
Report

From Combat to Collaboration: The Labor-Management Partnership in San José Unified School District

Amidst numerous issues plaguing the San José Unified School District, the San José superintendent and the San José Teachers Association president came together to find common ground and chart a new path. This report shares the lessons learned over 24 years of collaboration between the district and the union, and the path they are charting moving forward.
1 Oct 2017
Report

Lessons Learned in Massachusetts High School Turnaround: A Resource for High School Leaders

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has an ongoing commitment to improve support provided to all schools, with an emphasis on the lowest performing schools. This report summarizes findings from AIR’s qualitative analyses of turnaround practices that appear challenging for low-performing high schools, as well as promising practices used by improving and higher performing high schools in the state.
Adult leaning in to coach student
13 Sep 2017
Video

Leadership Coaching for School Improvement

By increasing the capacity and stability of leaders and teachers, low-performing schools may improve student performance and increase graduation rates. This video explores a leadership coaching program that has produced considerable improvements at an Illinois high school.
5 Sep 2017
Policy Brief

Looking Back to Move Forward: Progress and Opportunity in District of Columbia Public Schools

Although DCPS has made measurable progress over the past five years in terms of the goals laid out in the former Chancellor’s strategic plan, gains have not been evenly distributed among all student groups or across all of DC’s eight wards. To summarize the extent to which DCPS met its goals over the past five years and to highlight specific areas for continued improvement, AIR prepared a policy brief reflecting on DCPS’ progress.
1 Sep 2017
Brief

Supporting English Learners and Students with Disabilities: Strategies from Turnaround Schools in Massachusetts

Meeting the needs of English learners (ELs) and students with disabilities (SWDs) is a critical yet challenging responsibility for all schools. This brief highlights four key strategies that emerged from the exploration of practices and systems in place in Massachusetts turnaround schools that successfully provide appropriate interventions to all of their ELs and SWDs.
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