50 Ways to Close the Achievement Gap

Carolyn J. Downey is professor emeritus of educational leadership in the College of Education at San Diego State University. She formerly was the superintendent for the Kyrene School District, Phoenix-Tempe, Arizona. Downey has written several books and numerous articles. She is the author of the training program "The Three-Minute Walk-Through and Reflective Feedback for Higher Student Achievement." Her most recent book with Betty E. Steffy, William K. Poston Jr., and Fenwick W. English is 50 Ways to Close the Achievement Gap. She was the major architect of the CMSI Individual School Audit using the 50 Characteristics for Higher Student Achievement. She is the author of several of the Principal-Teacher Series for Higher Student Achievement training materials. She received her MS from the University of Southern California and her PhD from Arizona State University. Betty E. Steffy is a retired professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State University. She formerly was a dean of a School of Education at a regional campus of Purdue University and served as deputy superintendent of instruction in the Kentucky Department of Education. She served as a superintendent of schools in New Jersey and as a director of curriculum for a regional educational agency in Pennsylvania. She created the professional development model entitled Life Cycle of the Career Teacher. She is the author/coauthor of ten books in education and numerous articles and symposium papers at UCEA and AERA. She earned her BA, MAT, and EdD from the University of Pittsburgh. Learn more about William Poston′s PD offeringsWilliam K. Poston Jr. is an Emeritus Professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he served for 17 years. A former math and physics teacher, he accumulated 25 years of experience in educational administration including 15 years as a superintendent in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, and in Billings, Montana. His experience includes serving as executive director of the Iowa School Business Management Academy—the licensure program for school business managers in Iowa—for 15 years. He is the originator of curriculum-driven budgeting, and he has led over 75 curriculum audits. Poston has written 13 books and over 40 journal articles and continues to provide extensive service to schools in the areas of evaluation, curriculum management auditing, performance-based budgeting, and organizational quality improvement. Fenwick W. English (Ph.D.) is the R. Wendell Eaves Senior Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a position he has held since 2001. As a scholar/practitioner he has held positions as a school principal and superintendent of schools in California and New York and as a department chair, dean, and vice-chancellor of academic affairs at universities in Ohio and Indiana. He is the former President of the University Council of Educational Administration (UCEA) and of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA). His research has been reported in national and international academic forums. He edited the 2006 SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration, the 2009 SAGE Library of Educational Thought and Practice: Educational Leadership and Administration; and the 2011 SAGE Handbook of Educational Leadership (2nd Ed.). In 2013, he received the Living Legend Award from NCPEA for his lifetime contribution to the field of educational leadership.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsIntroductionSix Standards for High-Performing Schools1. Standard One: Establish a Well-Crafted, Focused, Valid, and Clear Curriculum to Direct TeachingStrategy 1: Embed External Assessment Target Objectives in the Written Content Standards and Link to State StandardsStrategy 2: Have Clear and Precise District Curriculum Objectives - Content, Context, and Cognitive TypeStrategy 3: Deeply Align Objectives From External AssessmentsStrategy 4: Sequence Objectives for Mastery Well Before They Are TestedStrategy 5: Provide a Feasible Number of Objectives to Be TaughtStrategy 6: Identify Specific Objectives as Benchmark StandardsStrategy 7: Place Objectives in a Teaching SequenceStrategy 8: Provide Access to Written Curriculum Documents and Direct the Objectives to Be TaughtStrategy 9: Conduct Staff Development in Curriculum and Its Delivery2. Standard Two: Provide Assessments Aligned With the CurriculumStrategy 10: Develop Aligned District Pre-Post Criterion-Referenced AssessmentsStrategy 11: Have a Pool of Unsecured Test Items by ObjectiveStrategy 12: Establish Secured Performance Benchmark AssessmentsStrategy 13: Conduct Assessment TrainingStrategy 14: Use Assessments DiagnosticallyStrategy 15: Teach Students to Be "Test Wise"Strategy 16: Establish a Reasonable Testing Schedule and EnvironmentStrategy 17: Disaggregate Assessment DataStrategy 18: Maintain Student Progress Reports3. Standard Three: Align Program and Instructional Resources With the Curriculum and Provide Student Equality and EquityStrategy 19: Align Programs With the Curriculum to Ensure CongruityStrategy 20: Use Research Data That Document Results to Drive Program Selection, and Validate the Implementation of Programs With Action ResearchStrategy 21: Evaluate Programs to Determine Their Effectiveness in Strengthening Student Achievement of Curriculum ObjectivesStrategy 22: Align Textbooks and Instructional Resources With the District Curriculum Objectives and Assessment in Both Content and Context DimensionsStrategy 23: Use Technology in Design or Selection Procedures to Ensure Strong Connections to System Learning Expectations and FeedbackStrategy 24: Provide Training in the Use of Instructional Resources and Their Alignment With System Curriculum Objectives - Content, Context, and Cognitive TypeStrategy 25: Select or Modify Instructional Resources for Lessons to Ensure Full Alignment With System Objectives and Tested LearningStrategy 26: Place Students in Programs and Activities in an Equitable Manner and With Equal Access to the CurriculumStrategy 27: Implement Effective Programs and Strategies With English Language Learners4. Standard Four: Use a Mastery Learning Approach and Effective Teaching StrategiesStrategy 28: Implement a Mastery Learning ModelStrategy 29: Align Teaching With the CurriculumStrategy 30: Provide Differentiated Curriculum and Instruction as Well as Differentiated Time to LearnStrategy 31: Provide Practice to Master the CurriculumStrategy 32: Use Effective Instructional PracticesStrategy 33: Use Powerful Vocabulary Development StrategiesStrategy 34: Establish Individual Learning Plans for Low-Achieving Students5. Standard Five: Establish Curriculum Expectations, Monitoring, and AccountabilityStrategy 35: Provide for High Expectations for Achievement for Each StudentStrategy 36: Monitor the CurriculumStrategy 37: Visit Classrooms and Provide Follow-upStrategy 38: Use Disaggregated Data in the Decision-Making ProcessStrategy 39: Focus Staff Appraisal on Professional Growth6. Standard Six: Institute Effective District and School Planning, Staff Development, and Resource Allocations, and Provide a Quality Learning EnvironmentStrategy 40: Develop a District Planning Process That Is Strategic in Nature and Provides Guidance for the Development of District and School Long-Range PlansStrategy 41: Create and Implement a Singular, Focused, Multiyear District Plan That Incorporates Change Strategies for Higher Student AchievementStrategy 42: Align School Plans With the District PlanStrategy 43: Implement Aligned Teacher Training to Reach District and School GoalsStrategy 44: Implement Administrative Training Aligned With the Curriculum and Its Assessment and District Plan PrioritiesStrategy 45: Provide Differentiated Staff DevelopmentStrategy 46: Link Resource Allocations to Goals, Objectives, Priorities, and Diagnosed Needs of the SystemStrategy 47: Provide Qualified and Adequate PersonnelStrategy 48: Remove Incompetent Staff or Help Them Achieve Satisfactory FunctioningStrategy 49: Provide a Quality Learning EnvironmentStrategy 50: Provide Quality FacilitiesSummaryReferencesIndex

"Each of the 50 strategies explains what the strategy is, why it is important, and how it can be implemented. This book will be a tremendous resource for educators."