Newsletter Archives
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Fall 2007: Creating Results Systems (HTML)
There are some districts focused on creating a relentless culture of performance and accountability. They have begun to use results systems as a means to connect analysis to action and produce results. Throughout the organization, they set critical metrics and work to meet them. They produce gains in student learning because they do what is working and end practices that are not.
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Fall 2006: High Schools That Work (HTML)
The Power of Focus explores high schools that work and encourages all governmental, non-profit, and for-profit groups that are working with school improvement to take frequent opportunities to share what they are learning about assisting schools in increasing student learning, thus improving practice and impact for all groups.
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Spring 2006: Superintendents and Student Achievement (HTML)
Successful superintendents place the focus on student learning by establishing a districtwide vision centered on meeting student learning needs, and by tying district goals for student performance to that vision. They set clear expectations by establishing the primacy of the principals' instructional leadership role verbally and in writing and they hold principals accountable for being instructional leaders. They implement site visits and walkthroughs that focus on instructional practices and follow up with written feedback. Further, they align principal supervision and evaluation processes with the instructional leadership focus and include review of student performance data.
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Winter 2006: Lesson Learned (HTML)
Central office policies and mandates should be evaluated based on how they help principals and teachers improve instruction and student learning. Policies that cannot stand up to this scrutiny should be eliminated. School staff need to be involved in designing instructional policies and in making decisions about how they will be implemented.
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Spring 2005: A Focused Plan for District Improvement (HTML)
We often find that Superintendents and their Cabinet have clear ideas about how to improve student learning. What they need is time and support to realize their vision, to strategize how they might refocus a traditional Central Office into a results oriented, instruction-focused, and customer-service driven organization called Central Services.
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Fall 2004: What Makes a Good Assignment (HTML)
The first step toward achieving "good work" from students is to provide them with "good assignments." For the past several years at Focus on Results, we have pursued a deeper understanding of the characteristics of good assignments with schools and school leaders across North America.
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Summer 2004: Improving Performance in the Central Office (PDF, 91 KB)
The missing ingredient in the national debate about helping all children be successful learners is the role of central office. In our work with schools to improve performance we have found that it is essential to work in parallel with central office departments to improve their performance.
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Spring 2004: Using Data to Drive Action (HTML)
Over the last seven years we have worked with hundreds of schools who have changed the way they worked with their data. How do they do it? They build their strategy around these four simple steps.