Strategies for Transformation

ERS has developed a vision for how schools must strategically manage their resources to support students, and how school systems must organize to support schools in these efforts. We have defined seven strategies around resource allocation that enable school systems to realize this transformation:

• Funding Ensure equitable, transparent, and flexible funding across schools, adjusted for (or according to) student needs. Deliberately allocate resources to give the most support to schools and students with greatest need and to encourage innovation that improves instructional effectiveness.
• Teaching Restructure the Teaching Job. Transform the way school systems shape the teaching role—including how they hire, train, support, compensate, and promote teachers—to encourage and reward teacher effectiveness, contribution, collaboration, and professional growth.
• School Design Organize people, time, and money to maximize learning. Support schools in making site-specific choices on how to leverage available resources to achieve learning priorities by enhancing teaching quality, creating personal learning environments, and maximizing strategic use of students’ time.
• Instruction Ensure access to aligned curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional development. Establish clear learning standards and implement curriculum and instructional practices designed to meet those standards, a means to assess student progress, and targeted, job-embedded professional development.
• Leadership Build school and school system leader capacity to improve instruction and organize people, time, and money strategically. Measure leadership effectiveness, identify and hire talented individuals equipped with the appropriate skills, support professional growth, and promote policies to retain successful staff.
• Central Office Redesign central roles for empowerment, accountability, and efficiency. Structure the Central Office so that it goes beyond compliance to support instructional needs effectively and efficiently, tailoring support based on student and school needs and strengthening accountability for results.
• Families and Communities Partner with families and communities. Incorporate new kinds of partnerships that actively involve families and community resources to supplement and improve student learning.