Implementing the Data Wise process for school improvement to close the achievement gap

Abstract

This Education Leadership Portfolio will document the journey of May B. Leasure Elementary School faculty members as they implement the Data Wise Process for School Improvement in their weekly Professional Learning Community meetings. The expected outcome of the implementation was to improve the current state of Leasure's Professional Learning Community meetings and to increase student achievement. Led by the school's leaders, the implementation included training from the Data Wise Team at Harvard University on how to organize for collaborative work, how to inquire about school data by digging deeper and how to identify dilemmas and then act on our findings to create instructional solutions for students and teachers. As a result of the implementation, Leasure Elementary School is experiencing its highest test scores since 2009 and is closing the achievement gap in test scores between regular education and special education students. Leasure Elementary School has become a partner with Harvard University and is the featured school for a Data Wise online course which features video footage of Leasure team members engaged in the Data Wise process, participating in Professional Learning Community Meetings, and personal interviews. The principal of Leasure Elementary School is now a Teaching Fellow and national Data Wise Coach Candidate for the Harvard University Data Wise team, where she continues to lead the Leasure school team, in addition to helping new school teams, begin their journey as they implement the process.