Partners in School Innovation

We partnered with a TK-8 school in South San Jose that wanted to focus on embedding ABAR practices throughout their professional development and school operations. With leadership coaching and targeted professional development, they enhanced their commitment to cultural proficiency and inclusivity, fostering culturally responsive teaching and a more inclusive learning environment. Read the full story of how together in partnership, we revolutionized the teaching and school culture by embedding anti-bias and anti-racist practices: https://lnkd.in/ghrkCacv #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationLeadership #EducationForAll #StorytellingForChange #ABAR #AntiBiasAntiRacistEducation #AntiRacism #CaliforniaSchools #SanJose [Image description: A cover image for a case study titled "What Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Work Looks Like in Education: An Elementary School's Story." The image features a photo of various books on cultural proficiency and equity, and at the bottom there is the Partners in School Innovation logo.]

Stories help people learn, connect, and heal. More importantly, stories are critical to achieving equity because they build empathy and bring to light the lived experiences of those who are most often overlooked. With a sprinkle of creativity and a dash of intentionality, you can tap into the power of stories to build momentum as you work to disrupt inequity in educational systems. There are many approaches to engage school teams, students, and community members in meaningful reflection. Here are six ways to surface stories that matter and catalyze change that call everyone in to reflect as a team: - Doing a “Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed For” exercise - Building a “Story Frame” reflection together - Running a “Stop, Start, Continue” protocol - Conducting a deliberate team development self-assessment - Trying a heat mapping exercise - Holding an artifact share-out session Read more about how to facilitate each of these here: https://lnkd.in/ggjQx2MU. #DistrictLeadership #StorytellingInEducation #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationForAll #EducationLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #StorytellingForChange

"Support staff's labor is inextricable from student learning, and our work as school and system leaders will never reach its full potential until we treat their leadership as core to transformational change." Wise words from the “The Centrality of Operations Leaders in Transformational Change” article authored by our board member Jennifer Cheatham and CEO Derek Mitchell in the latest issue of AASA, The School Superintendents Association's "School Administrator" magazine. They dig into the ways that schools can use the Partners in School Innovation Change Agent Framework (which focuses on mindsets, leadership, adult learning, transformation approach, and change management) to cultivate leadership in their bus drivers, nurses, custodians, accountants, and others who are all critical influences on student success. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gFF2C3gA (don't have a login? it's also available at https://lnkd.in/gHYinmzQ ) #AASAMag #education #EducationLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #SupportStaff #SchoolExcellence #EducationalLeadership [Image description: A screenshot of a digital magazine spread of two pages which feature the article "The Centrality of Operations Leaders in Transformational Change” next to a line illustration of people of various occupations.]

The Leadership for Learning Framework has helped us celebrate learning by focusing on intentionality - not just results. Incorporate this framework into your reflections by considering the level of intentionality present in your change efforts (low or high?). Then consider the degree to which you got results (low or high?). Now find the quadrant that matches with your intentionality and results. Quadrants With Low Intentionality: - Losing -> When results are low and we don’t know why, we generate very little knowledge about what it will take to achieve greater equity in our school/classroom. - Lucky -> When we achieve positive results but we don’t know why, we have very little chance of replicating successes, and it will be difficult to generate stories that others can learn from in their equity and improvement work. Quadrants With High Intentionality: - Leading -> When results are high and we can name actions and strategies that led to results, we have a great opportunity to spread and build upon our successes. - Learning -> When results are low, but we have information about why this is the case, we are better prepared to succeed going forward. Stories grounded in this quadrant help others know what to avoid and support the refinement of strategy by treating mistakes as learning opportunities. This is an often overlooked source of knowledge! For more resources like this, check out our Community (it's free to join!) where 575+ equity-focused leaders in education are sharing resources weekly: https://lnkd.in/g7A7zqhh [Image description: Graphic with y-axis of Results and x-axis of Intentionality with the four quadrants aforementioned in post as boxes within the graph. The bottom left is "Lost"; bottom right is "Learning"; top left is "Lucky"; and top right is "Leading."] #Leadership #AlwaysBeLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #Learning #Reflection

Winning together is how we approach our work with schools and districts seeking transformative change. Our recent partnership with school leaders and district administrators in Philadelphia showcased how investing in targeted teacher development leads to significant student success 🚀✨ Together, we crafted a two-year professional learning program to improve math instruction, which included monthly professional development and on-site coaching. 📊 ⬇️ Hear directly from the teachers who experienced the change, as they share how this program shaped their teaching and their students' learning. Dive deeper into the program's structure and the impact of this professional learning program here 👉: https://lnkd.in/g9RaP6cf #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationForAll #ProfessionalDevelopment #StorytellingForChange #TeachingMath #MathInstruction #PhiladelphiaSchools [Image 1 description : A graphic with a quote by a Middle School Math Teacher in Philadelphia that says: "The chance to collaborate with other math teachers who face the same challenges and successes is incredible."] [Image 2 description : A graphic with a quote by a Middle School Math Teacher in Philadelphia that says: "I always leave the sessions with new ideas or perspectives on looking at data and planning for my class."]

What are your team's professional development (PD) plans this upcoming year? Perhaps they should include our open Community courses! Here's what Trendha Hunter, Chief of Staff at Bank Street Education Center, had to say about taking one of our data-focused courses: "[Data for Liberation] was a great foundational course in understanding how to shift mindsets of people who engage with data at any level to understanding the power they have in data collection, data analysis, and storytelling… I particularly loved the focus on telling stories which move away from deficit thinking and being more rigorous in our evaluation to ensure equity. The multimedia resources were well placed and curated well - I can't wait to share this course with the research and data analysts at my organization." To see the Data for Liberation course and what else is available, start by browsing our complimentary on-demand courses here: https://lnkd.in/gNSRCTMP For teams that have more unique circumstances, we often co-create custom courses for schools as well. Let us know if you'd like to collaborate on what an effective PD program would look like for your specific school situation. [Image description: Graphic in light orange background with headshot of Trendha Hunter, Chief of Staff at Bank Street Education Center, and a testimonial quote about the impact of the Data for Liberation course Partners in School Innovation developed. The Partners in School Innovation logo is featured in the top right corner. The URL www.partnersinschools.org features at the bottom.] #DistrictLeaders #SchoolLeaders #Teachers #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationForAll #ProfessionalDevelopment #OnlineCourse #DataStorytelling

Equity in education is not only about instructional approach and curriculum; it's also about accessibility and technology. April Kay Vauss, superintendent of Irvington Public School District, shares in District Administration 7 strategies for using technology to promote equity and accessibility: 1. Persist in providing technology equity and access 2. Support and empower educators 3. Prepare scholars for a tech-saturated world 4. Create and offer learning experiences that transcend time and place 5. Collaborate with like-minded leaders 6. Choose partners with a human touch 7. Embrace continuous learning Such valuable insights from a leader who has embarked on a long tech journey and rallied district-wide engagement over time! More details are in the article here: https://lnkd.in/gFD8AKnU #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationForAll #Accessibility #DEI #SchoolTechnology

📘 In partnership with an elementary school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, we used the Results-Oriented Cycle of Inquiry (ROCI) to support them with leading improvements in reading instruction across grades. What is the ROCI? It's a structured, research-based framework that helps schools and districts: ✍️Establish clear, actionable goals ➡️ Plan and act against goals 🔍 Assess outcomes and adapt as needed Guided by this approach, they saw significant boosts in teacher confidence and student outcomes. 🙌 🔗 Interested in how the ROCI can transform learning outcomes? Read this school’s story to see this powerful strategy in action: https://lnkd.in/gncxZ-Cd — #education #equity #EducationEquity #K12Education #EducationalLeadership #EducationForAll #ProfessionalDevelopment #StorytellingForChange #TeachingReading #ReadingInstruction #CaliforniaSchools [Image description: Infographic of the Results-Oriented Cycle of Inquiry (ROCI) shown as a circular flow diagram with five segments: Set Goals, Plan, Act, Assess, and Reflect & Adjust.]

Check out “The Centrality of Operations Leaders in Transformational Change,” in which board member Jennifer Cheatham and CEO Derek Mitchell offer expert advice for the latest issue of AASA, The School Superintendents Association's "School Administrator" magazine. They elaborate on why you can’t overlook a district’s bus drivers, nurses, custodians, accountants and others if you seek to cultivate academic excellence, and in the article, both offer strategic approaches to involving and developing support staff further. Read all of the insights at https://lnkd.in/gFF2C3gA (don't have a login? it's also available at https://lnkd.in/gHYinmzQ ) #AASAMag #education #EducationLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #SupportStaff #SchoolExcellence #EducationalLeadership

Education leaders planning for the upcoming school year, check out ASCD's 4 tips for re-imagining PD into a professional, engaging, and impactful experience for all educators: 1) Treat teachers as professionals 2) Establish meaningful norms 3) Allow space for constructive disagreement and resistance 4) Sustain instructional coaching Learn more at https://lnkd.in/g5WarR53. And if you're looking for a partner to help you create or supplement professional development programming, our dynamic team is ready to support with strategy and implementation catered to your school's/district's needs! #education #EducationalLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #TeacherPD #PD