Using R & D to Improve Local Schools [microform]

To assist in local school improvement, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) has developed an approach in which teams of local educational leaders are made aware of the results of effective schooling research and are trained in the processes of change and improvement. Research reviews have shown specific elements of schooling at the classroom, building, and district levels that promote school effectiveness in the areas of leadership, school environment, classroom instruction and management, curriculum, and assessment and evaluation. Using a NWREL-developed "Resource Kit" of references containing specific methods and techniques, the team looks to the resources to better understand the methodology necessary to reach their previously selected improvement goal. As each practice or group of practices is implemented, the leadership team monitors its progress according to its plan, the actual practices, and the changes in student achievement and/or behavior. As each implementation plan developed by the school leadership team is completed and practices are put into place in the school, the team once again begins the process, incorporating new research findings that may be available. (MLF)