Stepping Up The Rigor, Part 4
Lessons for the Long Haul

Although several big hurdles had been cleared by summer break—application done, funding approved —much work remains. The core team spent much of the summer in training for Success for All. And while the school's grant may be renewed for two more years, this won't happen unless student achievement improves dramatically. At some point, the money and the outside support will go away, and Lake Labish will be 100 percent responsible for maintaining its improvements.

But Biffle, inspired by the way her staff came together this year, believes that what the school learned from the CSRD process will keep it going. The staff learned that they could restructure programs, use time and resources more efficiently, and boost student performance. By improving the reading program on their own as they went through the application process, the staff proved that they were strong enough to change.

"CSRD is a really good, sound practice for taking a look at how you do business and how you utilize resources, against the backdrop of accountability and performance," Biffle stresses. "And, to me, there is no other discussion to have. I mean, I think that is why we wake up every day and come to work."

The extra help and funding that will come over the next three years should take Lake Labish to new levels of achievement. But the school has already learned its most valuable lessons from the CSRD program: That lasting change takes time and commitment. And that Lake Labish has plenty of both.

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