Closing the Acheivement Gap by Supporting/Facilitating School Improvement

Just because school improvement teams and school improvement plans are mandated does not mean that all the effort makes a difference.

All too often, school improvement planning is seen as another external requirement. We find examples where engagement in school improvement is limited to a principal reluctantly taking time from an already over-burdened schedule to fill out the required forms that bureaucrats dutifully file away. In the worst-case scenario, so much energy goes into the planning, that when the task is complete, the primary result is a collective sigh of relief as everyone returns to business as usual.

Information technology in and of itself cannot eliminate barriers or magically lead to engagement in school improvement process. However, where there are serious efforts to make continuous improvement an integral part of the day-to-day work of schooling, technology can play an important role with things like the delivery of personalized, just-in-time tools/resources; facilitating support & communication, automating data collection, assisting in data analysis, tracking implementation, and reducing the burdens of reporting.

The aim of this effort is to help schools close the achievement gap and meet AYP; by:

• Increasing engagement of school employees in systemic change.
• Producing higher quality school improvement plans.
• Reinforcing the natural desire to work smarter and do better.
• Increasing/improving student learning results.