Technical assistance providers should plan to work themselves out of a job by building districts' internal capacity¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

This strategy directs external providers and districts to design partnerships so district staff gradually take over the work. The report recommends that "TA providers should plan to 'work themselves out of a job,' by building districts' internal capacity to continue the work beyond their contract together." Partnerships were designed with heavy initial collaboration followed by progressively less support as district staff took the reins on elements such as professional development or designing PLCs.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• An explicit goal of the partnership must be building the district's internal capacity to implement the standards

Constraints¶

• The report notes ongoing funding is often important, if not required, to sustain these improvement efforts

Target Learners¶

• District staff and administrators who will sustain standards implementation after external funding ends

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sustaining district capacity for standards-aligned mathematics instruction beyond a funded initiative

Affordances¶

• Strategic Ta Provider Partnerships

Related Strategies¶

• Build district capacity so improvement gains are sustained without direct external supports
• Use university–district research partnerships to build district evaluation capacity and train practitioner-scholars
• Establish continuing one-to-one specialist relationships so expert skills transfer to the tribe
• Build agency analytic capacity by hiring technically skilled staff, partnering with vendors, and providing data-use training
• Provide schools with resources, technical assistance, and well-validated measurement tools to support SEL

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Perry, R., Marple, S., & Reade, F. (2019). Educators collaborating to improve mathematics: Three structures that mattered in Math in Common districts. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. https://www.WestEd.org/permissions