Steps to consider in conducting a school profile are (Kansas State Board of Education, 1992; Anderson & Gabriel, 1987):

1. Determine why the profile is needed and what the school hopes to accomplish as a result
2. Build a database that accurately reflects the school
3. Obtain data on all students (if the school desires to look specifically at certain student populations, the data can be disaggregated at a later point)
4. Examine different types of data, including behavioral (i.e., attendance rates, disciplinary records, and citizenship awards), performance (i.e., standardized test scores, grade point averages, and retentions), and school climate information (i.e., student/teacher attitudes and perceptions, participation in extra-curricular activities, and student conduct records)
5. Organize the data into a format that is informative and easy to understand
6. Analyze the data; this may be done by comparing or contrasting school data with state or national data, or data from previous profiles
7. Report the results of the profile
8. Evaluate the findings
9. Develop goals accordingly

Goals. Setting school goals is an effective way of guiding the efforts of staff toward the shared vision. Goals should:

• Be developed and agreed upon by all staff—not imposed on teachers by school or district administration
• Apply to all students, be simple and realistic (Hilliard, 1991)
• Be both long and short range (Anderson & Gabriel, 1987)
• Be highly visible throughout the school community (Cotton, 1995)
• Seek to remove recognized internal and external barriers to learning (Hilliard, 1991)
• Work to reduce the sense of alienation and estrangement from teachers, classmates, and school that so many children on the margins feel (Wang, Reynolds, & Walberg, 1995)

Family Involvement. Open relations among the school, parents, and others in the community are essential in any learning-for-all mission. Enlisting family support is key to the success or failure of the effort to:

• Involve families in the planning of school goals and outcomes (Markavitch, 1994)
• Encourage communication—talk with parents about the importance of schools serving all students; share literature and research with them that reinforces this vision; help them realize how important their involvement is to the success of their child; listen to their responses and ideas; work together to achieve the school goals (Mathews, 1994; Wang, et al., 1995; Matluck, 1987; Cotton, 1995)
• Strive to make families feel welcome in the school by providing a variety of activities that suit different comfort levels (i.e., encourage parents to get involved as volunteer tutors, classroom assistants, school advocates, or fund-raisers) (Wilberg, 1995)
• Help parents understand the importance of working with their children on school activities; this will reinforce instruction taking place at school, and communicate to children that school is a priority in their lives
• Conduct vigorous outreach activities especially for traditionally underrepresented parent groups
• Recognize and accommodate for language and/or cultural diversity; invite families to choose a role in the school community that makes them most comfortable
• Make sure that expectations for student learning are clearly communicated to students and their families (CCSSO, 1990b)
• Build an inclusive school climate that fosters participation by all

Outside Support. Gaining the support of the outside community including businesses, social service agencies, and policymakers is crucial to the effort. Partnerships will enhance the school’s service network and make serving all students a community mission. Keep in mind, however, that if outside support systems are shaky, start small (Williamson, 1994; Golomb & Hammeken, 1996). Some suggestions for partnerships are:

• Work with local businesses to involve community members in the school and its mission, and to put students in touch with their community resources
• Work with local social and health agencies to provide services and educate students and their families about pertinent issues
• Keep an "open door" policy in the school that invites community members and policymakers to become involved in the school and its mission

School Leadership. The principal’s role in helping to bring about a new way of serving students is of utmost importance. The school principal should:

• Model the strategies he or she wishes staff to emulate
• Emphasize that learning is the most important reason for being in school (Cotton, 1995)
• Recruit teachers and hire staff members who will support the school’s mission and contribute to its effectiveness (Cotton, 1995)
• Involve the entire staff in the planning and implementation of a learning-for-all mission (Cotton, 1995)
• Be actively involved in furthering the efforts of the school toward effectively serving all students and realize that the principal is commonly the key to a successful effort (Mathews, 1994; Lezotte, 1994)
• Fully support teachers and understand the demands that a learning-for-all mission places upon them (Williamson, 1994; Matluck, 1987)

Professional Development. Professional development for each teacher is another key component to every successful learning-for-all mission. For student learning to improve, teacher learning must also improve (Foxwell, 1993). The following list outlines recommendations for effective professional development.

• Provide significant and appropriate professional development opportunities that are consistent with the changes you wish to see the teachers emulate (CCSSO, 1990a; CCSSO, 1990b; Williamson, 1994)
• Work to make professional development a regular part of teachers’ jobs, not a rushed activity that is tacked on to the end of the school day, or a one-day workshop that is expected to drastically alter teaching styles (Williamson, 1994; United States Department of Education [USDOE], 1995; Matluck, 1987)
• Train teachers to understand and address the diversity and special needs within their classroom walls; many students experience learning difficulties that stem from teachers’ lack of understanding of student differences and knowledge of how to address them (Heron & Jorgensen, 1995; Barry, 1992)
• Give teachers sustained time for collective planning; they need time to work together, chances to learn from one another, and opportunities to celebrate success (Hilliard, 1991; Williamson, 1994).
• Realize that desired changes will not be evident over night
• Encourage teachers to collaborate and learn from one another effective instructional techniques for of all students (Mathews, 1994; Heron & Jorgensen, 1995; Williamson, 1994)
• Ensure that staff know how to access and use research that could further enhance their effectiveness in serving all students (Larke, 1992)

Curriculum. A well-organized curriculum that has continuity from grade to grade increases the likelihood that students will experience academic success. In making curricular decisions, schools can keep in mind the following:

• Guide curriculum decisions with the goal of student achievement, rather than the goal of covering content
• Select curriculum, texts, and instructional materials that support the school’s effort to serve all students
• Align all levels of curriculum implementation—from teachers to district leadership—to ensure maximum learning and valid assessment of school effectiveness (Matluck, 1987)

School Climate. A positive school climate can contribute greatly to the success of all students. When students feel good about their school and what it represents, it will be reflected in the work they do each day. Of the many things schools can choose to do to improve climate, some suggestions are:

• Communicate to students through actions and words that respect of all persons in the school is not an option and that acts of cruelty, intolerance, or violence will not be accepted (Wilberg, 1995)
• Celebrate successes, both small and large, of achievement and behavior gains (Matluck, 1987)
• Provide opportunities for students to excel in their particular strength (Cotton, 1995)

Service Coordination. Coordinate the various services the school provides to children so that teachers, both regular and special education, are in constant communication with each other and are able to collaborate to best serve each student (Hilliard, 1991).

• Provide time for regular and special education teachers to meet and discuss specific students and overall instruction
• Allow teachers to integrate instruction so as to offer children streamlined, comprehensive learning experiences

Monitor Progress. Regular monitoring of the school’s progress toward its goals will reveal areas in which the school has been successful and areas that need to be given more attention. This can be done by (Cotton, 1995):

• Collecting and summarizing information about student performance
• Checking alignment among tests, curriculum, and instruction
• Conducting schoolwide assessments of performance, morale, climate, and behavior

---

This document's URL is: © 2001 Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Date of Last Update: 09/19/2001 Email Webmaster Tel. 503.275.9500