Center for Leadership and Educational Equity’s Monthly eNewsletter – February 2025
Our collective power expands when we support each other to foster the unlimited potential of each and every student.
Partner with CLEE for Proven Success
WHY
School improvement efforts must include those most affected by them. Centering student impact and outcomes in school improvement is also crucial to ensuring that improvements are effective. CLEE’s facilitation and design are rooted in the belief that individuals and groups working together can achieve better results than those working in isolation: ‘None of us are smarter than all of us.’ Those closest to the work are best positioned to drive meaningful change.
HOW
Grounded in research-based practices, we focus on effective methods rather than rigid prescriptions, building capacity in schools to adapt to both changes and challenges. The primary focus is student impact, with focus groups providing deeper insights into their experiences and needs. This approach not only benefits individual participants but also fosters broader, systemic improvements across schools and districts.
IMPACT
CLEE holds our work to thehighest level and uses and engages in evolving research to ensure that we are providing the most up-to-date and effective, research-based programming. Our programming is evaluated not only for the effectiveness of professional learning but also through three clear measures of impact.
The extent to which:
- individuals have changed practice
- learning communities have changed practice
- student learning outcomes have increased
By the numbers
Self-assessment data from a recent program for educational leaders in Massachusetts shows a 42% increase in participants rating themselves as proficient in driving continuous improvement, rising from 45% to 87%.
Kirsten Ebersole LaCroix, CLEE Senior Director of Program Scaling
ACT NOW
- PLANS Federal Grant; RI, MA, CT: Free, Comprehensive School Improvement Support in CT, MA and RI
- Principal Residency Network (PRN): Principal Certification in RI and now in MA!
Meeting More Needs:
- Facilitator Training
- Strategic Planning
- Communities of Practice
- One-on-One Coaching
- Continuous Improvement Training to support capacity in implementing strategic plans or other priorities such as HQIM, School Improvement Plans, MTSS, or other
Boost Student Outcomes with Free, Comprehensive School Improvement Support
Available in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Plan, Lead, Act, Network, and Sustain (PLANS)
Join CLEE’s USDOE grant-supported professional development program! We can support you with Individualized Coaching, High Engagement Learning Sessions, Anytime Learning and Resources, and Data Monitoring for Student Impact. Our work together will engage stakeholders, staff, school improvement/leadership teams, school leaders/principals, and principal supervisors.
Benefits to District and Schools
- Increase high and equitable ELA/math learning outcomes
- Retain school leaders
- Achieve school-wide goals
- Activate stakeholder engagement and widespread leadership agency
- Boost school improvement processes
- Increase district and school coherence through effective leadership practices among school leaders, school teams, and principal supervisors
Getting Into Classrooms – Instructional Rounds Drive School Improvement
Classrooms are the heart of schools, but how often do the many tasks and responsibilities of school and district leaders impede their opportunity to spend concentrated time in them? Instructional Rounds offer an opportunity to gain context for student outcomes, observe instructional practices, and test assumptions. Through facilitated classroom observations within a community of practice, leaders focus on a specific question, gathering feedback and data to guide improvement efforts. These visits can provide critical context for understanding data — whether by helping to anticipate results before assessments or offering clarity on outcomes.
These visits aren’t about monitoring or evaluating anyone. Instead, they give leaders a chance to reflect on classroom successes, engage in thoughtful partnership with colleagues, and refine their understanding of what’s driving student success. By sharing insights and discussing strategies, leaders can support each other more effectively and take actionable next steps to improve practice.
Janelle Clarke-Holley, CLEE Senior Director of Program Implementation
Instructional Rounds help align district goals, school improvement efforts, and classroom practices. They strengthen collegiality, promote collaboration, and foster a shared understanding of how to move forward. This process is a powerful tool for continuous growth for district leaders, school improvement teams and building leaders.
While leadership time often fills with logistics and transactional tasks, it is crucial to intentionally set aside time to be in classrooms. Instructional Rounds creates an efficient format for classroom visits. Partnering with CLEE to launch this practice can enhance school and district performance by keeping leaders connected to the core of the work and cultivating a culture of ongoing improvement
Become a Principal in MA or RI in 11 Months!
The Principal Residency Network (PRN) will equip you to be a highly-effective principal. Our hands-on mentoring from an experienced leader will prepare you for the complexities of school leadership. As one of the longest-running residency-based preparation programs in the country, PRN builds your skills, knowledge and dispositions to address today’s educational challenges and lead for student impact and innovation. Take your first step toward becoming a transformative principal who creates learning environments focused on student success.
92% of grads hired to leadership positions and 95% of grads hired to leadership stay in leadership positions for at least 5 years.
Apply to PRN in Massachusetts
Applications are due June 1, 2025
Apply to PRN in Rhode Island
Applications are due March 21, 2025
Join a PRN Info Session
Monday, March 3, 2025; 4:30 – 5:30pm
I Am Interested in PRN
The PRN Interest Form will help us to better support you as you continue to explore the PRN.
Tell Us What You Want to Learn
We need your input as a key community member to make sure our FREE virtual professional learning series meets your interests and needs. What do you want to learn?
Take the Virtual Equity Series Survey and give your input on topics and times for CLEE’s upcoming FREE 90-minute interactive virtual sessions where you can learn new facilitation techniques, frames, and strategies to lead adult learning.
Take the Virtual Equity Series Survey
Each month, CLEE offers a question or two to help you reflect on what you are experiencing. Thinking about the importance of questioning and what your answers mean is one more step in your growth as a leader for equity.
Join CLEE on social media to follow the monthly questions and share your answers.
How can you encourage greater collaboration and stakeholder involvement in your improvement efforts moving forward?