Focused Schools

The coaches in New Bedford Public Schools are determined to ensure that full day PDs have impact. This past week they worked in small groups to formulate quality indicators of PD and follow up that will guarantee impact. #FocusedFramework4

Worcester Public Schools Worcester MA coaches who are working in an Action Research Team focused on supporting new teachers are developing "choice boards" for learning. #CoachingMatters #FocusedFramework4 #FocusedFramework2

These Simon Sinek sticky notes are a must view. We have used them in a couple of leadership sessions this week and the follow up conversations have been powerful. #leadershipmatters #trustisimportant #technical #adaptive

I was on a team zoom call this week. Midway through our meeting, my colleague, Janice, posed a powerful question. Click the link to read our most recent blog post.

Leaders from Fitchburg High School in Fitchburg Public Schools are working to finalize their "one pager" to clearly define what good work looks like regarding "communicating thinking". #FocusedFramework3 #LeadershipMatters

One Action Research Team in Worcester Public Schools Worcester MA is studying various coaching cycles that can be used by school and district based coaches. #CoachingMatters

Last year, the hose in my dishwasher broke. For any of you who have experienced this, you can easily figure out what I am going to say next: There was water everywhere! Click the link to read our most recent blog post.

Focused Schools would like to congratulate Mammoth Middle School for being recognized as a California Distinguished School for all the hard work of their whole stakeholder community. "Mammoth Middle School in Mammoth Unified School District (Mono County) made significant progress toward closing achievement gaps for several groups. English learners, Hispanic, and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged student subgroups in particular all increased scores on their English Language Arts assessments. The school district implemented numerous programs to help struggling students, including intervention, support classes and tutoring, and ongoing professional development for educators with Focused Schools."

I’m so grateful for what I get to do. I truly am. At the same time, I wish there was more that I could do. Click the link to read our most recent blog post.

Using padlet, the ILT at Forest Ave Elementary School have created a resource library to support their evidence-based learning practice.

Department heads and instructional coaches at North High School in Worcester Public Schools Worcester MA are working to focus on BOLD action steps.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this notion of persevering. One of the things I know about myself is that my ability to persevere is directly linked to my commitment to stopping. Click the link to read our most recent blog post.

Leaders at North High School are starting the year off right. Looking specifically at failure rate, they used an abbreviated data cycle to identify good news, urgent messages, and bold next steps. This information will serve as the foundation for department conversations.

Could it be possible to actually have a one page document that represents a district improvement plan? Probably not. However, this is evidence that one district in MA has actually figured out a way to articulate the big picture and the end goal on one page. Hats off to the leaders in New Bedford for a job well done!

Do you ever feel like we are living on the movie set of Groundhog Day? I absolutely do. And, sometimes, I feel like this statement is on repeat with me. What a week! Click the link to read our most recent blog post.

Happy New Year and Happy Monday! Our team is so excited to turn the calendar to 2021. It feels like a fresh start. As we move into this new year, know that our commitment remains the same: to help you achieve your goals for the students that you serve. Be sure to check out the top five posts of 2020.