Components of School Improvement

School improvement is an ongoing conversation across the country. There have been millions of dollars spent on research and programs that promise to help schools achieve better performance. In my opinion, there are resources that don’t receive enough attention for the impact that they have on school improvement, the teachers and staff that work in our schools.

We’ve all heard the reasons that schools may not perform well. From socioeconomic status to student population demographics to historical school data, there have always been reasons presented for schools not performing as they should. There’s something to be said about teachers that, despite all of the excuses that could be made, successfully provide quality learning experiences for students in their classrooms.

The first layer of school improvement starts with our teachers. Teacher efficacy is the building block of student success. Teacher efficacy is a teacher’s belief in their ability to effectively teach and guide students toward success. This is important because not every student that comes into the building believes in themselves and their abilities.

A teacher’s relationship with their students directly impacts the level at which a student learns. We all know that if you don’t have a good relationship with a person you don’t want to hear anything they have to say. I’m not saying that students and teachers are going to be best friends, but there has to be mutual respect between both parties. Usually, if you show an interest in students they will be open to talking with you. Of course, there will be some students, despite your efforts, that will be hard to get through to. This is the nature of working with human beings. The key is to always give them respect.

Routines and procedures help to set the environment for learning. Most people can become comfortable when they know what to expect in certain places. Students are no different, consistent environments help them to settle in and focus on learning. How to enter the classroom, what to do when they need help, how to move around the classroom, where to find materials, these are all essential to daily functioning within the classroom.

Let’s talk about teacher pedagogy. This is the methods and practice of teaching, combining theories, strategies, and techniques to help students learn effectively. As a teacher, what is being done in the classroom to help students learn? What does the direct instruction look like? Are there opportunities for students to work together? Are you working with students that need extra help in small groups? What type of feedback do students receive throughout the time they are in your classroom? Do students know where they stand academically in your classroom?

The next layer of school improvement involves school administration. Just as relationships are important between teachers and students, school leaders should be able to foster good relationships with teachers, staff, students, and parents. This should be a priority as the school community looks to school administrators to set the tone for the campus.

The relationship between teachers and school administrators has a direct correlation to student performance. School leaders should invest time in getting to know the people that they serve on a daily basis. This involves being visible and having multiple conversations with everyone in the school community. This sets the stage for academic success.

Campus leaders set the expectation for the campus academic performance. Teacher feedback and observation is a component of helping schools to improve. In order to provide feedback to teachers, it is critical for administrators to be in classrooms. Feedback must be well received by teachers to be useful.

Lastly, let’s discuss data. It’s crucial that we know where students are academically at all times. This is the best way to meet the needs of all learners. We have to know which students need opportunities to extend their knowledge, which students are almost to mastery, and those that will need ongoing interventions to fill gaps.

In order for schools to make progress, all staff in the building have to work together. Location, demographics, and socioeconomic status cannot be used as excuses for lack of progress. A collective mindset that all students will make academic progress is a powerful force. Educators are resourceful and creative. I truly believe that when a school community decides that failure is not an option the sky is the limit.