How To Improve a School: Transitioning for Success

Education impacts nearly every aspect of our society’s progress and development. Furthermore, as research uncovers new avenues to increase student growth while providing innovative opportunities to enhance learning, it is important to not only take advantage of these techniques but also to fine-tune tried and true methods.

The Need for Student Interest and Engagement Models

Students at conventional schools use traditional school schedules based on their ages, grade levels, test score results, and individual learning needs. Many students feel that these traditional school procedures follow a regular pattern of learning a subject, memorizing it, and taking standardized examinations.

However, through more innovative methods, students now have the opportunity to form long-lasting relationships with their peers and teachers in productive institutions, particularly at the high school level, while developing and learning in a different atmosphere- one that gives students ownership over their own learning.

The innovative classroom allows students to discover their passions and enroll in classes that interest them. For this to happen, schools need to reformat scheduling to provide opportunities for more in-depth study and to improve student engagement.

In these versatile classes, students have the opportunity to develop their skills as they focus on career options, access career guides and mentors, problem-solve, and transfer skills to the real world through questioning, debates, and discussions. They also learn to collaborate, work independently, and acquire important social and emotional skills.

Five Tips for Designing a Successful School Improvement Plan

As with any worthy project, the planning stage is crucial to ensure that a school meets its goals and objectives as well as implements new procedures for optimal results. Here are five considerations for the early stages of the innovation process:

  • Step 1: Assess the Current State of Your School

A strategy for improvement must start with a thorough understanding of current school procedures and student results- especially present levels of student achievement. These are the starting points for any improvement project and the benchmarks against which a school's progress is measured.

Data on current student outcomes and school procedures must be collected systematically and reliably. If the starting data is incorrect, it becomes a challenge to make significant conclusions about current outcomes or practices on which to base preparations. Data must be collected professionally, impartially, and accurately to reflect the school's actual performance.  When collecting and analyzing data be sure to include the input from several perspectives.  Students, families, community organizations, support staff, teachers, and administrators should be considered integral providers.

  • Step 2: Define Achievable Goals

A school improvement plan describes specifically what the administration and collective school team hopes to achieve throughout the transition process. Some desired improvement targets involve student success, attendance, post-secondary school achievements, attitudes, and extracurricular involvement levels.

A helpful method when it comes to goal-setting is to work backward. Determine exactly where the school should be upon successful completion of the new system, then use those goals to design the steps required to make them a reality. This process involves recognizing the need to set priorities, set realistic goals, and allocate the time necessary for significant and long-term change.  This will also allow you to understand the method of measurement, maintain a clear understanding how goals are to be measured and stay consistent.

  • Step 3: Develop and Implement a Strategy for Improvement

After a school has determined the outcomes it wants to achieve, the next stage is to determine exactly how those improvements will be accomplished. They must choose the approach or techniques the school will employ to make these goals happen.

More effective, evidence-based school and classroom methods result in greater student achievement, and a school improvement plan outlines the practices that a school wishes to use in order to facilitate greater success. It also highlights what will be needed to implement the strategy, such as cultural changes, staff professional development, personnel reorganization, or physical resources. Once the methods are determined and the resources are identified it is critical to find those who are to be accountable in small teams to ensure implementation with fidelity is occurring across your teams.

  • Step 4: Track and Measure Progress

The fourth step is to determine how to assess and confirm progress throughout the venture. Improvement conclusions require metrics that can be compared over time, but sample collection must also be significant enough to indicate actual progress rather than potentially random oscillations of data. The measurement tool would have been determined in the defining goals phase, it is imperative to define intervals at which progress will be measured.  Depending on the data, make it a habit to regularly review data so necessary adjustments can be made to maximize student success.  When there is evidence of a trend in outcome measures across time, it is easier to draw conclusions with confidence.

  • Step 5: Evaluate and Reflect on Progress

Finally, a time for reflection is a necessary component of a school improvement plan to evaluate how well the execution of improvement strategies is progressing as well as whether there need to be modifications to ensure that the system will meet targeted goals. Included in this process will be to make this a cycle of improvement.  Once you evaluate and reflect, you can go back to step 2 and determine achievable goals thus repeating the cycle and constantly remaining relevant to the student population and school community needs.

Additional Tips to Improving the School System

Not every change needs to be dramatic and significant- sometimes even small changes can have a major effect on how well students perform. Every school administrator should keep an eye out for different ways to make their institution better. Innovation should be combined with enhancing older methods to provide a combination for success.

The following tips are a good place to start for administrators seeking a variety of ways to enhance their school systems:

  • Maintain a Professional Demeanor

Serving as an example for students is important to help them understand proper behavior. Teachers need to model professional dress and proper communication techniques. This offers students the chance to learn what it’s like to be a professional simply by observation. If teachers take school seriously, the students will see its value and demonstrate this focus as well.  Implement the expectations for students among staff as well, for example, if community-building circles are part of your restorative practices initiative then allow for those circles to be part of the teacher PLC’s, staff meetings, etc.

  • Write a Weekly Column to Post

Bringing the community on board with any changes is an important element for success. A newspaper column, social media post, website blog, or utilizing any method that sends a message to all parents can celebrate school achievements as well as those of teachers and students. It can also address any issues that the school is facing as well as school needs. Writing the weekly column will provide the public with a weekly glimpse of what is going on at the school and can serve as a good forum to solicit community feedback about potential school enhancements and procedural changes.  Know your resources and understand the best ways to communicate with your community.

  • Organize a Monthly Open House or Game Night

Build rapport and communicate with families by holding an open house or game night regularly. Each teacher will create games or activities specific to the subject they are currently teaching, and students and their families can join in the activities together.

Not only will this allow parents to visit their children's classrooms, meet their teachers, and participate in activities related to the subjects they are currently studying, but it also enables families to have a greater role in their children's education and establish a solid relationship with their children’s teachers.  Understand that this opportunity can be used to celebrate diversity, culture, academics, clubs, and to highlight local community organizations.

  • Create a Greeter Program

Whenever there is a school event, assign a selection of students to participate in a greeter program. Their job is to represent the school positively and greet each guest at the entrance, escort them to the office or event location, and provide information and other assistance as needed.

As a result, visitors will feel welcome at the school and students will improve the school atmosphere by projecting a welcoming and customized experience. A good first impression is crucial. Most visitors will enjoy a positive first impression if friendly greeters welcome them to the building.

  • Weekly Lunch With Parents or Guardians

The principal can invite a small group of parents or guardians to the school once a week. They can then enjoy lunch in a conference room with teachers and school administration as they discuss current events and concerns related to the school.

This gives parents the chance to get to know administrators and teachers while creating a forum for them to express their thoughts and enthusiasm for the school. Parents will feel like they have a greater stake in the educational process and will be more supportive of school endeavors.

  • Organize an Annual Business Fair

Invite several local firms to participate in an annual business fair. The entire school will spend a few hours learning about the businesses, including what they do, how many people work there, and what skills they require.

Members of the business sector have the opportunity to promote their services and build interest in what they do while providing students with valuable information about future job prospects.  

Final Thoughts

Improving a school is not a simple process, but it is a necessity. Because there is no uniform educational approach, implementing, formulating, and disseminating information about this process falls on the school administration. As a result, community support, research, and careful planning are key to finding new ways to increase student learning and growth within a school or district.

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Mariel Sallee, MS