School Improvement & Reform

1003(g) Title I School Improvement Resources

Resource Spotlight

These websites provide hands-on tools and research-based resources for SIG schools and school divisions.

The School Turnaround Learning Community (STLC) is an online community of practice for state, division and school leaders implementing school turnarounds. Available resources on the STLC include research-based practices and practical examples from states, districts, and schools inventing on-the-ground solutions. In addition, it facilitates activities including training, discussions and Q&A sessions with experts on school turnaround implementation.

Doing What Works (DWW), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education (USED), provides an online library of resources that may help teachers, schools, divisions, states and technical assistance providers implement research-based instructional practice. Much of the content is based on information from USED’s Institute of Education Sciences What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), which evaluates research on practices and interventions and reports the results. From that, DWW provides examples of ways educators might apply those research findings.

Spotlight on School Improvement is a collection of articles and commentary selected by the editors of Education Week for their insights on:

School Improvement Grant awards in urban, rural, and suburban schools;
Understanding the four federal models for school improvement;
How one Kentucky high school implemented a turnaround model with a School Improvement Grant;
The role of leadership in advancing turnaround goals.

Nine articles and commentary are available in a free, downloadable PDF from the site.

Important Information

To assist schools and divisions in utilizing data to assist students at risk of failure or who are not meeting expected growth measures, the Virginia Dashboard is available. This web-based data analysis and reporting tool offers a single platform for collecting and analyzing multiple types of longitudinal student data such as student achievement, attendance and discipline data. It is available to any Virginia public school at an annual cost of $500 per school.

The Virginia Dashboard can be used as an alternative to the existing Virginia Early Warning System (VEWS) tool. It can also can be used by schools in improvement to streamline the quarterly reporting process.

Current checklists are available of the School's/Division's Indistar site.

Cohort 1
(Year 2 School Improvement Grant recipients)

January 12, 2012– Mock Board Meeting & Mid-Year Reflections (Holiday Inn - Airport, Richmond)
- Implementation Progress Table (XLS)
- Mock Board Meeting Assignment (PDF)
  - 18-Month Powerpoint (PPT) Presentations
    - Armstrong High School (Richmond City)
    - Boushall Middle School (Richmond City)
    - Colonial Beach High School (Colonial Beach)
    - E.W. Chambliss Elementary School (Sussex Co.)
    - Fries School (Grayson Co.)
    - James Russell Middle School (Brunswick Co.)
    - John Langston Focus (Danville City)
    - King & Queen Central High School (King & Queen Co.)
    - Norfolk City Public Schools (Lake Taylor Middle School and Ruffner Middle School)
    - Peabody Middle School (Petersburg City)
    - Prince Edward County High School (Prince Edward Co.)
    - Sussex Central Middle School (Sussex Co.)
    - T.C. Williams High School (Alexandria)
    - Thompson Middle School (Richmond City)
    - Vernon Johns Junior High School (Petersburg City)

Guidance

U.S. Department of Education Guidance on School Improvement Grants under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, federal fiscal years 2009 and 2010

1003(g) Approved Grant Applications

For approved applications from local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving School Improvement Grants (SIG) beginning with federal fiscal year 2009, see Cohort Materials.

Resources for 1003(g) Title I Schools

Handbook on School Improvement Grants – from the Center on Innovation & Improvement (CII)
Self Assessment, Instructional Indicators from The Mega System, CII (XLS)
Technical Assistance Workshop - Reforming Instruction (PPT)
Evidence Based Resources For Keeping Students On Track To Graduation (PDF)

Intervention Models

Priority schools and school divisions receiving SIG funds for "Tier I" and "Tier II" schools must implement one of the following four USED intervention models in their persistently lowest achieving schools:

Turnaround Model
Restart Model
School Closure
Transformation Model

Resources below assist in the implementation of these models:

The Reform Models (Word)
How to Select a School Improvement Model – from the Center on Innovation & Improvement (CII)
Crosswalk Between RFP and SIG (Word)
RFP#DOE-2010-03 Low Achieving Schools Turnaround Partners (PDF)
- Notice of Contract Award (PDF)
- Cambridge Education (PDF)
- Edison Learning (PDF)
- Johns Hopkins University (PDF)
- Pearson (PDF)
- More about VDOE Request for Proposals
Transformation Toolkit for Implementing the SIG Transformation Model (PDF) – Center on Innovation & Improvement
Mass Insight: Designing MOUs for Lead Turnaround Partners (PDF)
Mass Insight: Lead Turnaround Partners (PDF)
Mass Insight: School Turnaround Models – Emerging Turnaround Strategies and Results (PPT)

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