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Imagine these year-end scenarios for your school or district:

• State testing up 22% across ELA and math
• 37% reduction of schools labelled a D or F, with a move up to B or C
• Moving from one of the lowest-rated schools in the county to the top 10
• A first-time graduation rate of over 90%

Add to these students who see—embrace—themselves as learners and buy in to your program from the school community, and you have the outcomes many principals and superintendents dream of.

For leaders at San Antonio ISD (TX) and Greenville County Schools (SC), this is the reality, the result of districtwide commitments to improving the culture of learning. During the edLeader Panel “System-Level Transformation: How Greenville County Schools and San Antonio ISD Are Improving Student Achievement,” school and district administrators discussed the keys to their growing success. The edLeader Panel was part of Trailblazing Leadership Week, featuring insights from education leaders in the trenches of providing a high-quality learning environment for all.

Systemic Change

While both school districts were underperforming as a whole, there were bright pockets where a few buildings would show improvement. Investigations uncovered inconsistencies with students having access to grade-level instruction, the quality of the learning materials, and the overall focus at the schools.

Dr. Susan Stevens, Associate Superintendent of Academics for Greenville, said an essential step was creating an instructional protocol across the district. This lets them dive into and create requirements for high-quality instructional materials and instruction, as well as a shared understanding of the state’s educational standards and how to meet them. Dr. Robert Hernandez, Network Instructional Superintendent for San Antonio, added that using PLCs to look at data and internalize how to teach the lessons has helped grow instructional consistency.

Instructional Consistency

At the building level, every teacher needs to have the same vision: Every student can learn and grow. In turn, that means every student deserves high-quality instruction. According to Dr. Dawn Hooker, Principal at Alexander Elementary School in Greenville, this not only means using standards-based instruction but also that educators are teaching to the rigor called for so that all students build their basis of knowledge. Creating this consistency, starting with Tier 1 instruction, called for changes in the culture for both teachers and students.

All students needed to see themselves as contributors, and the teachers needed to believe in the potential of each learner. Santa Lopez, Principal at Davy Crockett Academy in San Antonio, emphasized that families need to be part of this culture change, too. They are supporting the students outside of the classroom and need to understand the expectations.

Keep the Students Learning Together

Of course, even though the goal is to have students at least meet grade-level expectations at the end of the year, students will take many paths to get there. In order to maintain instructional consistency and provide differentiated learning, principals and teachers had to rethink how they approach classroom lessons.

At Davy Crockett Academy, for instance, all students generally receive the same Tier 1 lesson as a whole. Then, the teachers evaluate student mastery and move them into small groups. This allows the students who are more advanced at a skill to move forward to more complex lessons, while providing on-the-spot instruction for students with a gap. Dr. Hooker said that at her school, the special education and intervention teachers are in the main classroom as well, so that the rigor is consistent for all.

Principals as Education Leaders

For both districts, the ideal place for a principal is doing an instructional walk in a classroom or meeting with a PLC to discuss a challenge or guide the next set of lessons. This can only be done, though, when the principals are freed up from their administrative tasks. While those tasks can’t disappear completely, the central offices for both districts have focused on shifting duties to the district level so that the principals’ main responsibilities are tied to instructional leadership.

The principals also receive coaching for this redefined role so that they are providing impactful feedback to their teachers. And with this continuous cycle of observation and coaching, the principals help their educators become more effective.

Data as the Starting Point, End, and Everywhere in Between

Both districts use benchmarking to see where the students are with their skill levels, but the panelists all agreed that instructional rigor requires constantly looking at data and evaluating where students are. Just because a student has proficiency in one math skill, for instance, doesn’t mean that they will easily master the next. Their teachers are examining the data daily to help them plan their next lessons. And then, instead of weekly, PLCs often meet as needed so that teachers can address an issue when it happens.

Most importantly, the schools, administrators, and teachers are giving and receiving continuous support. Having this system in place helps everyone stay focused on their new learning culture.

Learn more about this edWeb broadcast, System-Level Transformation: How Greenville County Schools and San Antonio ISD Are Improving Student Achievement, presented by ERDI.

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Article by Stacey Pusey, based on this edLeader Panel