This page is maintained by John McCabe and John Boniello, Lower Hudson Special Education School Improvement Specialists. Click here to send them a question or comment.
WHAT WORKS
Quality Improvement Process
School Teams: Promoting a Spirit of Inquiry
“It’s better to have a great team, than a team of greats.” – Simon Sinek
Have you ever been on a team in which one person is driving the agenda? Is it possible to create teams that promote inquiry that is owned by the entire team and not just a few players? Shared inquiry is the key to having teams that produce “stable gains in student learning” (Garmston & Wellman, 2016). Yet, in many teams tensions can develop when members feel that they are being judged or engage in judging others.
Have you ever been on a team in which one person is driving the agenda? Is it possible to create teams that promote inquiry that is owned by the entire team and not just a few players? Shared inquiry is the key to having teams that produce “stable gains in student learning” (Garmston & Wellman, 2016). Yet, in many teams tensions can develop when members feel that they are being judged or engage in judging others.
From SMART to PEERS Goals
As educators, we have all created goals, for our students, teachers, classrooms, selves, and schools. Often, we have created SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely), and now, Jim Knight helps us take a step further by developing goals that are also compelling. What exactly does he mean when he encourages us to move from SMART to PEERS goals?
Without Adequate School Funding – How Do We Close the Achievement Gap?
I was so involved following the results of the presidential election that I failed to follow ballot initiatives in many states on school funding. It turns out that voters mostly rejected attempts to increase school funding in this election. As stated in a New York Times editorial on November 12, 2016, “inadequate school spending over prolonged periods will leave many students behind, especially low-income students.”
Toolkit
Quality Improvement Process Toolkit
- Golden Circle Tools: The Why, How and What of the Quality Improvement Process: The concept of the Golden Circle, developed by Simon Sinek and articulated in this TED Talk is used by QIP Teams to ensure that their work is driven by a meaningful Why, or student outcome, and identifies Hows and Whats for the school to implement that are directly aligned to that student outcome.
- RSE-TASC Explicit Instruction Walk-Through Tool: The RSE-TASC Explicit Instruction Walk-Through Tool is both a teaching tool and a data collection tool. It identifies research-based practices that have been proven to be effective for all students, but particularly effective for students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and student of poverty.