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Best Practices inSchool ImprovementPlanningAn interactive workbook for K-12 administrators to guide theimprovement planning process, from setting the foundation toacting upon improvement.1Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

Best Practices inSchool ImprovementPlanningSchool improvement planning is a systematic, data-driven process for planning and evaluatingimprovement over time. Distinct from institutional research and auditing, improvement planning aims toreduce the gap between a school’s current level of performance and its potential performance.At its most effective, school improvement planning is a dynamic practice that engages data and peoplein the improvement process. However, many plans fail to address the processes for improvement, insteadfocusing solely on the outcomes of improvement.To help schools and districts use school improvement planning most effectively, Hanover Researchreviewed the literature and spoke with education experts to determine not only what administratorsshould consider when developing their improvement planning framework, but also how to achieve eachspecific improvement goal.Table ofContentsI.Steps for School Improvement Planning 3A three-phase planning framework that provides best practices tips, from plan creation toimplementationII.Data Collection Needs and Variables 6A worksheet outlining six key components for capturing and acting upon improvement dataIII.Implementation Considerations 12A checklist to guide progression from one planning step to the next2Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

I. Steps forSchool Improvement PlanningSTEP 1STEP 2STEP 3Set theFoundationDevelop anImprovement CultureAct UponImprovement1. SET THE FOUNDATIONUNCOVER AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTConducting a needs assessment will identify current gaps and their driving factors. Emphasize student learning and performance over specific teachers’ practices and actions. Compare different schools within the system to identify trends in school climate and culture,curriculum and instruction, leadership, family and community engagement, professionaldevelopment and staff capacity, and assessment techniques. Use third parties to evaluate school data, instruction, internal processes and procedures, andexternal policies or community factors that may impact success.SET RIGOROUS YET ATTAINABLE GOALSFocusing efforts on a few key goals supports positive morale and continued improvement. Target two to five priority areas. Reading achievement, math achievement, and school climateare common areas of improvement plan focus. It is helpful to select priority areas based onexisting school and district initiatives to prevent stakeholders from being overwhelmed bynew concepts. Align your long-term goals with the academic calendar, but divide short-term targets byquarter, month, and even week.3Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

Steps for School Improvement Planning2. DEVELOP AN IMPROVEMENT CULTUREESTABLISH SUPPORT STRUCTURESEngaging staff as partners in improvement ensures buy-in and engagement with the process. Create leadership groups comprising of the principal, assistant principal(s), and teacher advocates. Build district implementation taskforces of 8-12 individuals that are responsible for communicatingwith schools, and delivering ongoing support through site visits and training sessions. Provide access to professional development opportunities before launching your plan to ensureprincipals are prepared to exert transformational, instructional, and strategic leadership.USE DATA TO DRIVE DECISION-MAKINGImplementing, measuring, and assessing school improvement across a variety of metrics provides criticalinformation for improvement plans. Understand student learning trends by analyzing assessment data, curriculum delivery, social andemotional learning, and attendance and drop-out rates. Identify strengths and challenges in your school climate by surveying parents, teachers, andstudents, as well as the community. Develop benchmarks to monitor plan implementation by setting and measuringpre-determined success metrics.STRATEGY IN ACTIONAlexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) developed a stakeholder taskforce when embarking onits middle school improvement initiative. Hanover Research distributed best practicesresearch to help all taskforce members gain a common, research-driven understanding of priority areasthroughout the school improvement planning process.“The Middle Schools for Tomorrow Workgroup was brought together to allow parents, students, teachers, and thelarger community to take an active role in crafting their vision of the future for ACPS middle schools. The workgroupwas asked to create their idealized middle school, take a critical look at current practices within Alexandria middleschools, and ultimately lay the groundwork for how the division should move strategically forward.Hanover Research, in conjunction with school division staff, were integral in this work by supplying best practicesresearch around identified topics, crafting and administering a survey, providing quantitative and qualitative dataanalysis, and responding to stakeholder feedback throughout the six-month process. Decisions are only as good as theinformation used in forming them, and the research and data analysis provided allowed the stakeholder group tomake the highest quality decisions not only in reaction to where our middle schools had been, but also moreimportantly where they must go.”Clinton Page, Chief Accountability Officer, ACPS4Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

Steps for School Improvement Planning3. ACT UPON IMPROVEMENTRESPOND TO PROGRESSConducting continuous evaluations allows administrators to react to successes and failures in real time. Conduct teacher, parent, and student surveys annually or bi-annually to inform theimplementation process. Evaluate how the district is adhering to the processes mapped out in the plan rather thanfocusing solely on student achievement. Make data-driven adjustments to school budgeting, staffing, instructional, and communityinvolvement policies as needed.COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR STAKEHOLDERSBeing transparent about change amplifies credibility and community buy-in for your plan. Promote “quick wins” to your stakeholders when data indicate positive results. Survey internal audiences to measure the impact of professional development and identify thesupport structures needed for effective plan integration in the classroom.STRATEGY IN ACTIONPalo Alto Unified School District applied results from a recent Hanover strategic planningsurvey administered to parents, teachers, students, and district staff in order to developits highly-praised Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP). Through the survey,Hanover identified that nearly 50 percent of district stakeholders were only somewhat satisfied with schoolsupport for under-performing students. This finding prompted administrators to adapt their accountability planand develop focused learning strategies that target under-performing students. Stakeholder feedback led to quickand direct action.Effective school improvement planning hinges upon the ability of districts to use data to understand theirdistrict or school, set goals, and evaluate progress against these goals. Yet many administrators struggle toimplement a systematic process to collect, analyze, and communicate with stakeholders the right data tocatalyze school improvement. To aid in this process, Hanover developed a worksheet so that school and districtadministrators can outline important research questions and common data points for making data-driven schoolimprovement plans.5Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

II. Data CollectionNeeds and Variables1. DEFINING GOALSWhat school improvement goal or initiative are you analyzing?What outcomes do you need to measure?2. IDENTIFYING PURPOSEWhat is the purpose of the analysis? (e.g., to inform an initial needs assessment, to produce a mid-point progress report or end of the yearsummary)3. DETERMINING AUDIENCEWho will use the analysis?(e.g., students, parents, teachers, administrators)6Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement PlanningHow will this population use the analysis?

Data Collection Needs and Variables4. OUTLINING QUESTIONS AND BENCHMARKSWhat key questions related to the school improvement goal or initiative will the analysis seek to answer?List succinctly in order of priority. These questions will be expanded upon in Step 5.1.2.3.4.5.Are there any pre-existing goals or benchmarks for your given initiatives? (e.g., goal of X% participation in a specific program)5. COLLECTING DATAWhat data are needed to answer the key questions (Step 4, above) related to the school improvement goal or initiative?Do you have these data readily available? If not, what collection method should be employed to gather the data?Below is a list of common metrics used for school improvement initiatives. These metrics may be part of the analysisused to answer the key questions from Step 4. The level of the data needed (e.g.,student, grade, school, district) willvary based upon your specific research question.7Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement Planning

Data Collection Needs and VariablesDEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS-RELATED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVESCommon DataPointsWhat is thedata source andlocation?Who isresponsible berGenderRace or ethnicityDate of birthClassificationELL/LEP statusSpecial educationstatusGifted ortalented statusEligibility for freeor reduced-pricelunchesHomeless ormigrant statusAt-risk nover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement PlanningHow often isit collected/updated?How many yearsof data areneeded/ available?What can belearned fromthis metric?

Data Collection Needs and VariablesSTUDENT LEARNING-RELATED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVESCommon DataPointsWhat is thedata sourceand location?Who isresponsible forcollecting?Academic InterventionParticipation in anintervention program(e.g., Read 180)PerformanceScores on standardizedor other commonassessmentsCourse grades and/orGPACollege and Career ReadinessEnrollment in advancedcourses (e.g., AP or IB)Participation rateson college-entranceexaminations (e.g., SATor ACT)Scores on collegeentrance examinationsOn-time gradepromotionOn-time graduationstatusDropout statusCollege applicationstatusCollege acceptancestatusFirst-yearpostsecondary retentionand performanceBehaviorScores on socialemotional learningassessmentsAttendanceDisciplinary actions(e.g., detentions and/orsuspensions)Transportation status9Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement PlanningHow often isit collected/updated?How many yearsof data areneeded/ available?What can belearned fromthis metric?

Data Collection Needs and VariablesSTUDENT ENVIRONMENT-RELATED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVESCommon DataPointsWhat is thedata source andlocation?Who isresponsible forcollecting?Student, teacher,parent, communityfeedback on schoolclimate surveysParent attendance atschool/district eventsTeacher and staffmember attendanceat school/districteventsPer studentstaff counts:administrators,teachers, and supportstaffPercentage ofteachers who meetthe federal definitionof highly qualifiedPercentage ofteachers whomeet or exceedexpectations (basedon performanceevaluation data)Teacher/staffretention ratesDollars investedin technologyinfrastructure orimprovementsDollars invested incapital expendituresResponse timeto maintenanceproblems10Hanover Research I K-12 Education I Best Practices in School Improvement PlanningHow often isit collected/updated?How many years ofdata are needed/available?What can belearned fromthis metric?