Springfield, MA Continuous Improvement: School Teams for District Transformation

Springfield Public Schools is in the middle of a five-year project with CLEE to engage teams in every school “to provide leadership and momentum that will further racial equity in their school by implementing best practices, educational opportunities, and programs with a focus on anti-racist practices that ensure racial equity.” Our work is also aligned to the Springfield Portrait of a Graduate the district developed to guide the long term outcomes for every student. Each school team joins other schools in a three-year cohort, and teams get CLEE’s Continuous Improvement Training in professional learning sessions and coaching support.

The school-based teams are focusing on:

• Facilitating adult learning in their schools
• Developing skills to use data to increase equity
• Understanding root causes
• Implementing frequent change ideas

Ben Doren, CLEE Continuous Improvement Coach and Facilitator

Each school in the district has a team that works with a CLEE Coach for three years, aligning support to the content in the professional learning sessions. This time commitment is essential to develop the capacity for a school team to lead this equity work, learn how to facilitate collaboration with colleagues, and evaluate the effect of the changes they propose and enact with their colleagues. CLEE coaches guide the school teams by asking Essential Questions over the three years: What is our team’s role in this work? What is our realm of influence? Where are we going? What does a student centered and anti-racist instructional core look like, sound like, and feel like? How do we sustain improvement to get better at equitable outcomes for all students in the coming years?

This is hard and important work for Springfield Public Schools as they change practices and remove barriers to ensure each and every student can learn at high levels, feel a sense of belonging and joy at school. This is the work that supports each family in achieving their dreams for their children. It is exciting for the educators and leaders to learn how to do this together.