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When It Comes to SLCs, District Support Is Key

Just as “it takes a village to raise a child,” it often takes a district to transform a school. According to Diana Oxley, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory expert on small learning communities (SLCs), “District leadership is critical for turning a 20th century comprehensive high school into a 21st century learning organization.”

Across the country, districts that are under pressure to close achievement gaps and raise proficiency levels are receiving federal funds to reorganize their large (1,000-plus student) high schools into SLCs. For a district working with one or two high schools, coordinating the transformation to SLCs is a complex endeavor. For districts like Florida’s Miami-Dade School District—which supports SLC implementation in all 26 of its high schools—it’s a monumental undertaking. But the research on best practices is clear: In order for high schools to transform and sustain that new culture, they need district leadership that supports the restructuring by removing bureaucratic barriers and also plays a visible role in the reform process. There is just no substitute for having a powerful advocate leading the charge.

In addition to district-level support, schools need a clear understanding about the practices that can make SLCs effective and sustainable. That’s where NWREL’s The Core & More program is ready to help.

The Story Behind The Core & More

Since 2001, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has contracted with NWREL’s Recreating Secondary Schools (RSS) Program to coordinate the national partnership that has provided SLC technical assistance to more than 1,200 high schools nationwide so far (including 91 in the Northwest).

The federal grantees are required to send teams composed of district and school staff to a leadership institute where they learn about the complexity of SLC implementation. Frequently, leadership teams ask for additional assistance tailored to their sites. In response, the RSS Program has developed The Core & More for Small Learning Communities. This fee-for-service professional development and support program is designed to help large comprehensive high schools restructure into a variety of smaller units (career academies, houses, autonomous small schools, and small learning communities) to create a more personalized, rigorous, and relevant environment for optimal learning.

To meet the growing demand, RSS has added new staff members who are providing training to sites such as the Atlanta (Georgia) School District, Davis (Utah) School District, and Miami-Dade (Florida) School District. The NWREL staff has found that when the workshop series is conducted “on location,” district leaders and central office staff are more likely to be integral participants, which results in a systemwide understanding of this transformative work. At the same time, NWREL staff can emphasize the importance of aligning multiple initiatives and securing vocal support from the superintendent.

The Workshop Series

In the program, “The Core” consists of two implementation workshops tightly focused on key components to implement SLCs. In the first workshop, leadership teams begin to review current structures, look at research on SLC best practices, and learn strategies for designing and improving SLCs. The second implementation workshop, Creating Systemwide Support for SLCs, guides teams in aligning school policies and practices with SLC goals. School teams build a five-year plan to shift staff, curriculum offerings, academic departments, and governance to support SLC implementation. There’s follow-up facilitation with additional workshops (as needed) so that teams engage in a continuous improvement process.

The “More” is geared to supporting the leadership team as it works with the entire staff. Workshop topics—including increasing equity across SLCs, differentiated and interdisciplinary instruction, and supporting instructional change—are tailored to meet specific needs of the district and its schools. The trainings help “position teams of teachers across subject areas to create more coherent and challenging programs for students,” notes Oxley.

Building District Capacity

After working with several megasized districts, the RSS Program is developing a strategy to address the issue of ensuring sustainability. Since one of the major deterrents to effectively maintaining an SLC program is staff turnover, RSS now recommends building on-site training capacity so the district can continue to not only support the work but also adapt it over time. The goal is to train individuals who understand how to access available resources to meet the unique needs of each high school.

Districts or schools interested in The Core & More for small learning communities can contact Francie Lindner (lindnerf@nwrel.org or 800-547-6339, ext. 602) or Diana Oxley (oxleyd@nwrel.org or 800-547-6339, ext. 613).