The Five Essential Supports framework identifies five organizational conditions for school improvement¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The five essential supports framework posits that school improvement depends on five organizational conditions: effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction. As the report states, "The framework asserts that effective leadership, acting as a catalyst, is the first essential support for school improvement." Leadership stimulates the other four supports, and their value lies in integration and mutual reinforcement rather than any single support acting alone. The framework also situates these supports within a broader context of mutual trust.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Requires measurement through surveys of both teachers and students capturing organizational practices across all five domains

Constraints¶

• The framework was developed and validated in Chicago Public Schools; this report extends it to Illinois statewide
• The report notes that "we cannot make any conclusions about causal effects on student outcomes" given reliance on one year of survey data

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in public schools

Target Learning Objectives¶

• School organization and improvement conditions that support student attendance, learning gains, and graduation

Claims¶

• Family voices contributed to differentiating strong and weak organizational conditions across all essentials, not only Involved Families [+W]

Related Theories¶

• The five essential supports framework: five mutually reinforcing organizational dimensions that enable or inhibit improvement in classroom practices
• The Early Education Essentials framework: six organizational essential supports for ECE programs
• Five essentials framework of organizational supports for school improvement
• Five Essential Supports framework for improving student learning
• Five Essential Supports for School Improvement (5Es) framework
• Model of Essential Supports for Student Learning

Examples¶

• 5Essentials Survey system measuring school organizational conditions
• Five Essentials—Early Education surveys: teacher and parent surveys measuring five organizational constructs in pre-k settings
• Use 5Essentials survey data to identify where to improve students' school experiences and teachers' relationships with parents to support attendance

Key Sources¶

• Klugman, J., Gordon, M. F., Sebring, P. B., & Sporte, S. E. (2015). A First Look at the 5Essentials in Illinois Schools. UChicago CCSR Research Report. https://illinois.5-essentials.org/2014_public/