The Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and similar initiatives call for schools to raise levels of achievement and ensure that all students meet the established proficiency levels. The attainment of these goals is a challenge for many schools, and, as a result, the focus of state education agencies (SEAs) in many parts of the United States is shifting from monitoring schools to providing technical assistance and training in support of improvement. For SEAs in the Pacific, this is not an entirely new role; nonetheless, the Pacific SEAs seek to bolster support to schools striving to raise student achievement.
Research and promising practices indicate that effective state systems of support include the following elements:
The following Web-based resources include research findings, reform initiatives, promising practices, and self-assessment tools that can serve as a starting point as you explore state systems of support.
California Department of Education Virtual Library. The virtual library is a collection of resources, including current articles, links to federal and state programs, and profiles of schools that are making progress in improving student achievement that may be helpful for districts with high-priority schools.
Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement (CCSRI). The CCSRI provides a variety of publications, reports, and archived webcasts, as well as an extensive database of resources from other organizations.
Center on Innovation and Improvement (CII). The CII is one of five national comprehensive centers. The center has a variety of resources on supplemental education services, school reform, and state systems of support, including the recently-releasedHandbook on State Systems of Support.
Equity-Driven Achievement-Focused School Districts: A Report on Systemic Success in Four Texas School Districts Serving Diverse Student Populations. This report, prepared by the Dana Center at the University of Texas, presents an in-depth study of four school districts that build their improvement efforts around meeting the needs of diverse students.
Learning First Alliance. The Learning First Alliance is partnership of national education associations focused on improving student learning in public schools. Their publications include Beyond Islands of Excellence: What Districts Can Do to Improve Instruction and Achievement