1    School Funding
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Transformational Strategy: Ensure equitable, transparent, and flexible funding across schools adjusted for student need

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  1. Allocate Resources Equitably
 Students with similar needs (i.e., SPED or ELL) receive the same level of resources regardless of what school they attend. This is more likely if school budgets are determined by:
  • Allocating staffing $ through per pupil formulas.
  • Adjusting up and down based on actual enrollment.
  • Insuring small schools (<350) have sufficient, but not excessive, resources by deliberately considering school size in budget allocation formula.
  • Providing students with greater learning challenges (e.g., SPED, ELL poverty or low proficiency) additional resources to support these needs.
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  1. Create Funding Transparency
 The district reports school budgets with all funding sources, and presents it in a format that is easy to understand and compare across schools. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  The rules for how positions and dollars are allocated to schools are clearly published and rigidly adhered to. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  1. Ensure Funding Flexibility
 Principals can make decisions (hiring, adjusting schedules, trading resources, etc.) without requiring a full faculty vote or having staff they would not have selected placed in their building. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know

2    Teaching
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Transformational Strategy: Restructure teaching to foster individual and team effectiveness and professional growth

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  1. Measure Teaching Effectiveness
 All teachers in the district receive accurate and rigorous evaluations each year based on clear standards for teaching effectiveness and student performance. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Facilitate Hiring & Assignment
 Virtually all teaching positions are filled by August. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  The district identifies schools with a high concentration of new teachers and ensures additional support. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Ensure Team Collaboration & School-based PD
 All core teachers in the district participate in at least 90 minutes of collaborative planning time a week. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Collaborative planning is focused on student data and supported by teacher leaders/coaches to ensure that time is used well. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Teacher professional development is primarily job embedded (versus course based) and driven by student performance data. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Promote Individual Growth & Retention
 The district rigorously evaluates teachers before making tenure decisions and promotes only those who are high performing. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Teacher professional development is individualized based on measured performance and identified learning need. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  1. Restructure Career Path & Compensation
 The district’s career path provides opportunities for strong teachers to pursue multiple leadership paths (e.g., administrative or teacher leader). Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  The teacher compensation increases over their career accumulate more due to increased performance and leadership contribution, than simply increasing years of experience (step) or accumulating course credits. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know

3    School Design
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Transformational Strategy: Support schools in organizing talent, time, and money to maximize learning

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  1. Design Portfolio of Schools
 The district actively plans school sizes and configurations to cost effectively balance: (1) Providing highly-effective programs (e.g., SPED, ELL) (2) Utilizing existing facilities (3) Allowing equitable access across neighborhoods (4) Fostering innovative partnerships. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  The district has a clear plan for staffing small (<350) and under-filled schools to ensure cost effectiveness. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  The district deliberately manages the assignment of special education and ELL programs to balance quality instruction and the need for inclusion with cost effectiveness (fill rates). Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Promote State-of-the-Art "Strategic School Designs"
 The district provides schools with a menu of school design options (aligned schedule, staffing, intervention) so that each school can choose the best plan for its size, priorities, and instructional designs. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Schools have the flexibility to lower and raise specific class sizes based on unique content area and student needs. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  Schools are encouraged to create teacher teams of diverse experience to maximize impact of skills and combined expertise. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  The district helps schools to maximize academic time for core subjects and extended learning time for students who need it. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Schools implement cost-effective early intervention models that identify learning needs early and organize rapid intervention for at-risk children. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know

4    Instructional Support
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Transformational Strategy: Ensure access to aligned curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development (PD)

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  1. Align Curriculum
 The district publishes learning standards, topics of study, and approved curriculum materials for each grade level, mapped to state and local standards. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Provide Assessment Systems
 Teachers frequently assess student progress and use the results to adjust their instruction. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  Percent of school leaders and teachers that are trained and proficient in using data to inform school improvement and classroom practice. 0-25% 25-50% 50-75% 75-100% Don't Know
  1. Target Professional Development
 The district has a system that identifies areas of improvement within each school, helps schools develop a multiyear PD plan, and deploys PD resources based on the school’s need. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know

5    Leadership
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Transformational Strategy: Build school and district leader capacity

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  1. Measure Leadership Effectiveness
 The district evaluates principals on clear and rigorous standards of performance, and uses evaluations to determine appropriate levels of support and compensation or changes in job responsibility. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Manage Hiring & Assignment
 The district strategically places its best leaders in the toughest assignments. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Promote Growth & Retention
 The district uses a leadership building strategy for high-potential school leaders that: (1) provides intensive training in successful school leadership (2) strategically places them in schools where they can have the most academic impact and professional growth (3) infuses significant operational support throughout the school year. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know

6    Central Services
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Transformational Strategy: Redesign central roles for empowerment, accountability, and efficiency

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  1. Measure School Performance
 The district sets targets for academic performance growth for all schools that are easy to understand and used to drive instruction. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Differentiate School Support
 The district differentiates school support and resources based on each school’s academic performance, practice, and leadership capacity. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Turnaround Low-performing Schools
 Does your district have a deliberate turnaround strategy for persistently low-performing schools? No Yes Don't Know    
  If yes, how many of the six practices below does your strategy have?
  • — Diagnose the needs and resource levels of the school
  • — Ensure transformational leadership
  • — Assemble expert teacher teams
  • — Provide sufficient expert instructional support and collaborative planning time
  • — Target student support (extra time, tutoring, etc.)
  • — Provide additional problem-solving, support, and monitoring from the central office
0 components
1 component
2 components
3 or more components
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  1. Integrate Data
 The district integrates student, teacher, and resource data through a system that is easy for administrators, teachers, and central office staff to use. Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Don't Know
  1. Ensure Efficient Operations
 The district tracks the costs and service quality for each central department, and manages its spending in response to change in key cost drivers (e.g., enrollment or funding streams). Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know

7    Partnerships
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Transformational Strategy: Partner with families and communities

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  1. Maximize Community Resources
 The district actively partners with community providers to offer enrichment and social service support. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know
  1. Engage Families
 The district supports schools to partner with parents around meeting student learning goals. Never Sometimes Frequently Always Don't Know