School Improvement: The Only Two Things That Matter An Overview of Free Resources
Filled with Practical, Doable Solutions for Raising Student Achievement 1. What are the only two things that matter in school
improvement?
2. Have you heard about the school in Colorado that increased the percentage of students who were at or above grade level in reading from 12 percent to 64 percent in one year or the middle school that reduced the number of referrals from 250 to 95 in the period of one year? How’d They Do That?
3. What are the nine simple categories of research-based instructional strategies known to directly impact student achievement? How many teachers at your school know and understand how to use those strategies? 4. Have you seen the “Curriculum Matrix,” a guide that compares our state tests to NC standards so that your teachers can determine the priority (high, medium, low) that our state testing program gives to individual standards? Do your teachers know how to determine whether a standard is likely to be tested? Can they identify the skills that are essential, nice or know, or not as important for students when they leave school? 5. Do the teachers at your school clearly distinguish between results-based collaboration and the appearance of teamwork? 6. Do you know how to plan staff development that raises student achievement? It is simple and it is powerful.
7. Studies show that high achievers do two things that underachievers do not do. What are they?
8. Do the parents of your students know about the software that is better than any Internet filter out there? Do you know where parents can order FREE high quality DVDs and color booklets on Internet safety?
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