|
High-performing schools
How do educators, students, and communities transform their schools into places where everyone learns and performs at high levels? Use these resources to find models, explore strategies, and ask questions that lead to results.
NSDC Articles
- Leaders as creators of high-performance cultures, by Dennis Sparks, November 2003 Results
- The transformation at Taft School, by Joan Richardson. April 2003 Results
- Closing the divide, by Valerie von Frank. March 2003 Results
- The secrets of 'can-do' schools, by Joan Richardson. February 2003 Results
- Positive or negative, by Kent D. Peterson. Summer 2002 Journal of Staff Development
- Diverse, mobile students successful in DOD schools, by Joan Richardson. March 2002 Results
- Thinking small, by Priscilla Pardini. Fall 2001 Journal of Staff Development
- A storybook breakthrough, by John Norton. Fall 2001 Journal of Staff Development
- Great job, now do it better, by Ron French. Fall 2001 Journal of Staff Development
- Six districts, one goal of excellence, by Gordon Cawelti. Fall 2001 Journal of Staff Development
- Follow the winners: An interview with Jim Lanich and Ross Santy, by Dennis Sparks. Spring 2001 Journal of Staff Development
- Learning benefits everyone, by Joan Richardson. Winter 2000 Journal of Staff Development
- Winning schools demonstrate value of staff development, by Dennis Sparks. December 1999 Results
- Exemplary schools model quality staff development, by Joellen Killion. December 1999 Results
- What can we learn from big gains in writing? by Mike Schmoker. December 1999 Results
- World-class learning: Making the best even better, by Joan Richardson. November 1999 Results
- High poverty doesn't have to mean low performance, by Joan Richardson. September 1999 Results
Questions to Consider
- These questions may help you reflect on and discuss what you learn in this section of the NSDC web site.
Other Web Sites
Catalog of School Reform Models
http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/catalog/index.shtml
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory and the National Clearinghouse for Comprehensive School Reform, 2001
Reform models include 28 whole-school examples and several entries that emphasize improvement in one or more subject areas.
Dispelling the Myth Online
http://64.224.125.0/dtm/
EdTrust
This database allows educators, journalists, researchers, policymakers and advocates to identify high-performing, high-poverty, and/or high-minority schools using their own criteria.
Hope for Urban Education: A Study of Nine High-Performing, High-Poverty Urban Elementary Schools
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/urbanhope/
The Charles A. Dana Center, The University of Texas at Austin, 1999
These nine urban elementary schools across the United States served children of color in poor communities and achieved impressive academic results.
Just for the Kids
http://www.just4kids.org/US/
Just for the Kids' activities include the analysis of school performance data, study of high-performing schools, and tools to help use best practices research in school improvement efforts.
Profiles of Successful Schoolwide Programs: An Idea Book
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/idea_profiles/index.html
U.S. Department of Education, 1998
Eight schoolwide programs are profiled in this book, with the intent of promoting a dialogue about the possibilities for school change.
Reinventing High School: Six Journeys of Change
http://www.essentialschools.org/pubs/casestudies/casestudies.html
Jobs for the Future and the Coalition of Essential Schools, 2000
These case studies profile six high schools that are undertaking long-term processes of reinvention. -
Project Advance Mini-Grant: End of Grant Report
http://www.nsdc.org/library/model/lasdcreport.pdf
Louisiana Staff Development Council, 2001
The role of staff development in the success of high-poverty schools in Louisiana is examined in this report.
Characteristics of Successful Schools
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/sit/cssintro.html
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2001
This guide provides Wisconsin's framework for creating successful schools, with seven characteristics described in detail. A school self assessment is included.
Common Elements of High-Performing High-Poverty Middle Schools
http://www.nmsa.org/services/msj/msj_march2002.htm#a
Susan Trimble, Middle School Journal, National Middle School Association, 2002
A research study of high-poverty schools in Georgia identified school practices associated with high-performing schools.
Critical Issue: Creating High-Achieving Learning Environments
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le400.htm
Kent Peterson, North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1995
Engaging all students in complex authentic tasks is the focus of this collection of strategies and insights.
Islands of Hope in Sea of Dreams
http://www.wested.org/wested/pubs/online/PDawards/
Joellen Killion, 1999
This report summarizes a study of eight award-winning schools recognized in the first two years of the U.S. Department of Education's Model Professional Development program. The study aims to describe how teachers learn in these schools, how their learning is supported, and the characteristics of the schools that allow these teachers to excel.
Nine Characteristics of High-Performing Schools
http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/NineCharact.asp
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington State, 2001
This list describes the characterstics evident in high-performing schools.
Professional Development: Learning From the Best
http://www.ncrel.org/pd/toolkit/lftb/index.htm
Emily Hassel, The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
Lessons learned from the winners of the U.S. Department of Education Model Professional Development awards guided the creation of this toolkit.
Research-based Successful Strategies
ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/ccxiv/rbss.pdf
Region XIV Comprehensive Center at Educational Testing Service
This publication contains several research reports from the 1990s highlighting factors that contribute to success in high poverty schools in particular.
Selections from Results: The Key to Continuous School Improvement, 2nd Edition
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/schmoker99toc.html
Mike Schmoker, 1999
The book describes strategies for school improvement and provides examples from different schools across the country.
Selections from The Results Fieldbook: Practical Strategies from Dramatically Improved Schools
http://www.ascd.org/readingroom/books/schmoker01toc.html
Mike Schmoker, 2001
This sequel to the book above includes more in-depth examples and vignettes from schools that have made effective changes.
Successful Texas Schoolwide Programs: Self-Study and Planning Guide
http://www.starcenter.org/promise/selfstudy.htm
The Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas at Austin, 1997
From a study of twenty-six high-achieving, high-poverty schools in Texas, this planning giude emphasizes interrelated characteristics for success organized into seven themes.
Successful School Reform Efforts Share Common Features
http://www.edletter.org/past/issues/2000-ma/schoolreform.shtml
Andreae Downs, Harvard Education Letter
This article describes how effective reform efforts succeed in creating cultures of excellence as they implement standards.
-
A First Look at What We Can Learn From High-Performing School Districts:
An Analysis of TIMSS Data From the First in the World Consortium
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/FirstLook/
U.S. Department of Education, 1999
This report examines a high-performing consortium of U.S. school districts and describes their achievement on an international assessment of math and science.
Gaining Ground: Achieving Excellence in High Poverty Schools
http://www.ccsso.org/hps/gainingground.html
High Poverty Schools Initiative, Council of Chief State School Officers, 1999-Present
Issues of the Initiative's monthly newsletter are available here and describe the work of the schools involved.
High Performance Learning Communities
http://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/hplc/hplc.html
The Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, and New York City Community School District #2
This web site documents the progress of District #2, a success story of urban school improvement.
The High Performance Learning Communities Project
http://www.rppintl.com/hplc/
Research, Policy, and Practice International, 1999-2001
This initiative was created to help schools support all students in achieving at high levels.
IDRA Newsletter: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools
http://www.idra.org/Newslttr/1997/Jun/Zarate.htm
Intercultural Development Research Association, 1997
Articles include an interview with the principal of a Blue Ribbon school and strategies for creating a sense of respect in schools with students from many cultures.
School Communities that Work: A National Task Force on the Future of Urban Districts
http://www.schoolcommunities.org/index.html
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
The Task Force's purpose is to develop and propose several alternative designs for supporting networks or communities of high-performing schools more effectively.
Schools to Watch
http://www.schoolstowatch.org/what.htm
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
Through the Schools to Watch initiative, the National Forum identified four schools across the United States that were well on their way to meeting the Forum's criteria for high performance.
-
Enter the NSDC Bookstore
Leading Beyond the Walls: How High-Performing Organizations Collaborate for Shared Success
Edited by Francis Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith & Iain Somerville
In this 285+ page book, Peter F. Drucker, Stephen R. Covey, Peter M. Senge, Jim Collins, Noel Tichy, Regina E. Herzlinger, C.K. Prahalad, and Sally Helgesen are among those who explore new ways of building relationships, new approaches to marketing, new models of employee relations, strategies for establishing partnerships and alliances, and other innovations. (Jossey-Bass, 1999)
Portraits of Six Benchmark Schools: Diverse Approaches to Improving Student Achievement
Gordon Cawelti
This 65+ page book reports the results of the author’s in-depth study of six schools that are successfully educating at-risk student populations. These schools are succeeding against the odds by using a variety of approaches. However they do share a number of key characteristics, including a schoolwide focus on clear standards and helping all students achieve, a strong principal, committed staff members, faculty teamwork, and multiple and sustained reforms. (ERS, 1999)
Teachers Who Learn: Kids Who Achieve: A Look at Schools with Model Professional Development
WestEd
What does it take to translate teacher professional development into impressive learning gains for students? A research study of eight schools that won the U.S. Department of Education's National Award for Model Professional Development has been distilled into this brief and compelling story of successful school reform. A culture of learning--for teachers, students, the entire community--pervades these schools, and this book provides a glimpse of what it looks like. Teacher voices and vignettes give life to the guiding principles that researchers identified across these disparate sites. Annotated lists of resources provide concrete help in putting these principles into practice. (WestEd, 2000)
Inventing Better Schools: An Action Plan for Education Reform
Phillip C. Schlechty
Reci Book Award. Provides the tools to negotiate your way through the continual process of reinventing schools. Thoughtful, practical, and full of step-by-step advice. Includes samples of actual mission statements and strategic plans of successful school districts. (Jossey-Bass, 1997)
|
|
|
|
