Build district capacity so improvement gains are sustained without direct external supports¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

Because ESSA gives LEAs a central role in school improvement, the article reports that SEAs work to develop district capacity to lead and sustain change. Approaches include working directly with districts to provide tools and resources for identifying and implementing high-leverage interventions (Alaska, Kentucky), helping districts identify external vendors to build specific skills (Louisiana), and helping districts establish an improvement framework at the outset (South Carolina). The stated aim is that "SEA leaders aim to build local capacity so that improvements are sustained without direct external supports."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• SEAs must engage with districts over time, modeling systems and the continuous improvement cycle so districts can eventually put systems in place themselves

Constraints¶

• The article presents this as an intended aim of SEA leaders, not as a tested outcome

Target Learners¶

• District (LEA) staff leading improvement in CSI/TSI schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sustaining school improvement interventions after external support ends

Affordances¶

• Six Sea Strategies School Improvement Essa

Claims¶

• The SEA-as-resource-provider role was the most commonly emphasized approach, named in 10 of 23 state ESSA plans. [~W]

Related Strategies¶

• Recommendations for state education agencies and districts implementing formative assessment at scale
• Technical assistance providers should plan to work themselves out of a job by building districts' internal capacity
• Provide schools with resources, technical assistance, and well-validated measurement tools to support SEL
• Assess district capacity (students per teacher and class periods per day) and learn from early implementer districts before scaling credit-requirement changes

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Dunn, L., & Ambroso, E. (2019). Balancing act: State and district roles in school improvement under ESSA. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED602966