Tools + Resources
The Great Schools Partnership develops cutting-edge tools that educators can use to guide school and instructional improvement. We take pride in co-developing tools with educators in the field and using their varied experiences and expertise to inform both the process and products. Our tools are designed to give educators purposeful guidance as they work to develop a customized process of continual improvement that fits the needs of their students, teachers, and communities.
HIGH LEVERAGE POLICY FRAMEWORK
Drawing from the fields of education policy, school redesign, organizational change, leadership development, and program evaluation, the New England Secondary School Consortium's High Leverage Policy Framework is a detailed exploration of education policy from rationale to development to implementation. By taking into account the larger social and political “ecosystem” in which policy is formed, written, and implemented, this tool provides policy makers and educators with a step-by-step framework they can use to identify and develop effective, high-impact policies in their states, districts, and schools. Using a common definition of high-leverage policy—i.e., policies that not only increase educational equity, aspirations, achievement, and attainment for all students, but that also generate positive change throughout the educational system—the Consortium's High Leverage Policy Framework is a first step toward a more holistic view of education policy, leading the way for more thoughtful and sustainable guidelines for learning in the 21st century.
LEARNING IN ACTION: HOW TO CONDUCT AND LEARN FROM HIGH-QUALITY SITE VISITS
This tool helps educators plan a thoughtful, coordinated site visit to another school to learn about successful programs and strategies. The guide walks school leaders through a step-by-step process for turning a site visit into a powerful professional learning experience, including selecting the right schools, investigating the evidence of success, and following up with a practical strategy for sharing and implementing what they have learned with colleagues. This practical, user-friendly tool features guiding principles for success, checklists for both visiting teams and host schools, and recommended site visit schedules.
LEARNING IN ACTION TOOLKIT: RESOURCES FOR USE IN PLANNING AND CONDUCTING HIGH-QUALITY SITE VISITS
This collection of resources is intended to support the learning, planning, and teamwork required to execute the site visits described in Learning in Action: How to Conduct and Learn from High-Quality Site Visits. Together, the guide and toolkit ensure that visiting teams have a meaningful professional development experience when visiting a school. The toolkit consists of more than thrity descriptions of resources, including helpful tips for when and how the resources can be used.
HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN RUBRIC
The High School Redesign Rubric was developed in response to numerous requests from educators looking for step-by-step guidance as they designed and implemented school-improvement efforts in their school. Many examples and suggestions for improving high schools are outlined in the tool, but its real value is providing a structure and process that teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and community members can use initiate meaningful conversations about the programs and opportunities they are offering to students.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REDESIGN RUBRIC
Modeled after our High School Redesign Rubric, this tool was created to help middle-level faculties undertake a systemic school-improvement process aimed at successfully transitioning students into high school. This tool synthesizes some of the best thinking and research on middle-level education and helps schools identify critical strategies and leverage points that can be used to improve student learning and achievement.
HIGH LEVERAGE POLICY FRAMEWORK
Drawing from the fields of education policy, school redesign, organizational change, leadership development, and program evaluation, the New England Secondary School Consortium's High Leverage Policy Framework is a detailed exploration of education policy from rationale to development to implementation. By taking into account the larger social and political “ecosystem” in which policy is formed, written, and implemented, this tool provides policy makers and educators with a step-by-step framework they can use to identify and develop effective, high-impact policies in their states, districts, and schools. Using a common definition of high-leverage policy—i.e., policies that not only increase educational equity, aspirations, achievement, and attainment for all students, but that also generate positive change throughout the educational system—the Consortium's High Leverage Policy Framework is a first step toward a more holistic view of education policy, leading the way for more thoughtful and sustainable guidelines for learning in the 21st century.
LEARNING IN ACTION: HOW TO CONDUCT AND LEARN FROM HIGH-QUALITY SITE VISITS
This tool helps educators plan a thoughtful, coordinated site visit to another school to learn about successful programs and strategies. The guide walks school leaders through a step-by-step process for turning a site visit into a powerful professional learning experience, including selecting the right schools, investigating the evidence of success, and following up with a practical strategy for sharing and implementing what they have learned with colleagues. This practical, user-friendly tool features guiding principles for success, checklists for both visiting teams and host schools, and recommended site visit schedules.
LEARNING IN ACTION TOOLKIT: RESOURCES FOR USE IN PLANNING AND CONDUCTING HIGH-QUALITY SITE VISITS
This collection of resources is intended to support the learning, planning, and teamwork required to execute the site visits described in Learning in Action: How to Conduct and Learn from High-Quality Site Visits. Together, the guide and toolkit ensure that visiting teams have a meaningful professional development experience when visiting a school. The toolkit consists of more than thrity descriptions of resources, including helpful tips for when and how the resources can be used.
HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN RUBRIC
The High School Redesign Rubric was developed in response to numerous requests from educators looking for step-by-step guidance as they designed and implemented school-improvement efforts in their school. Many examples and suggestions for improving high schools are outlined in the tool, but its real value is providing a structure and process that teachers, administrators, school boards, parents, and community members can use initiate meaningful conversations about the programs and opportunities they are offering to students.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REDESIGN RUBRIC
Modeled after our High School Redesign Rubric, this tool was created to help middle-level faculties undertake a systemic school-improvement process aimed at successfully transitioning students into high school. This tool synthesizes some of the best thinking and research on middle-level education and helps schools identify critical strategies and leverage points that can be used to improve student learning and achievement.