A sampling of the replicable practices highlighted in the report include,
- Baltimore Public Schools: Under Superintendent Dr. Sonja Santelises’s leadership, her team in Baltimore made investments in high dosage tutoring and expanded internal summer learning which helped more than 400 additional students graduate during 2022;
- Ector County (Texas): Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri and his district team championed innovative efforts to confront a near 20 percent teacher vacancy rate which raised teacher pay by more than $13,000 and raised the bar on qualifications for principal and teacher leader roles;
- Dallas Independent School District: Former Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa’s team’s focus on establishing career pathways, an effort which resulted in 1,100 students – nearly 12 percent of the graduating senior class – graduating in 2021-2022 from high school having already earned an associate degree; and
- Laramie County School District One (Wyoming): Superintendent Margaret Crespo and her team’s efforts to make post-secondary readiness programs more flexible and more accessible to the district’s high schoolers which resulted in a 300% enrollment increase in college level and dual enrollment courses.
“There are no easy answers to complex challenges, but we can shift the paradigm and move beyond the status quo. Our areas of focus provide district leaders, policymakers, school boards and anyone else interested in education innovation with a model of promising and replicable practices,” said Leighann Lenti, Chief of Partnerships for UVA-PLE.
“Innovation should spark success. The courageous superintendents and education leaders who are driving change are providing a pathway for better student outcomes and a foundation for more equitable opportunity,” said Amy Dujon, M.Ed., Director, DA Leadership Institute. “The UVA-PLE report offers an array of replicable practices from systems and districts of all sizes. While the systems that are spotlighted vary greatly, each leader is united in their laser-like focus on student achievement.”
UVA-PLE has partnered with more than 400 schools across 100 districts in 25 states since 2003. Fifty percent of UVA-PLE’s recent partners have reported double-digit gains in math or language arts in only two years.
This press release originally appeared online.
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