14 PARAMETERS TO INCREASE ALL STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT
Lynne Sharratt and Michael Fullan are two highly esteemed Canadian educators who have an international profile in educational research and school leadership and system reform. I, like many leaders, read many of their books and have been highly influenced by their work.
Some of their recent work http://learningforward.org/docs/default-source/jsd-february-2013/sharratt341.pdf?sfvrsn=2 have focussed on work done in the world famous York region in Ontario, Canada.
They have summarised their research into 14 Areas for all schools to focus on that build school improvement.
- Shared beliefs and understandings.
A. Each student can achieve high standards given the right time and the right support.
B. Each teacher can teach to high standards given the right assistance.
C. High expectations and early and ongoing intervention are essential.
D. Teachers and administrators need to be able to articulate what they do and why they teach the way they do (adapted from Hill & Crévola, 1999).
2. Embedded literacy/instructional coaches.
3. Daily, sustained focus on literacy instruction.
4. Principal instructional leadership.
5. Early and ongoing intervention.
6. Case management approach: Data walls, case-by- case meetings.
7. Professional learning at school staff meetings.
8. In-school grade/subject meetings: Collaborative Marking of student work.
9. Centralized resources.
10. Commitment of district and school budgets for literacy learning and resources.
11. Action research/collaborative inquiry.
12. Parental and community involvements
13. Cross-curricular literacy connections in each subject area.
14. Shared responsibility and accountability.
