Services │ District and School Improvement Center
AIR’s research-based school improvement services help our partners at the state, district, and school level build the systems and expertise needed to sustain results over the long term. We offer the following mix-and-match services, as well as custom offerings. Get in touch with us to create a plan specifically tailored to the needs of your school, district, or state.
- District and whole school/turnaround improvement services
- Leadership coaching
- Instructional coaching
- Collaborative needs assessment
- Continuous improvement management and planning
- Professional learning communities
- Statewide systems of support
- Other services
District and Whole School/Turnaround Improvement Services
District and school improvement is complex and requires multiple components to work in tandem while embedded in a continuous improvement process. AIR’s district and school improvement framework is both evidence-based and customizable, in acknowledgement of the unique needs of districts and schools. Our framework addresses the key elements of school improvement—Leadership that Drives Change, Safe and Supportive Environment, Student Access and Opportunity, Family and Community Engagement, and Educator Effectiveness—to build a sustainable system, increase the capacity of leaders and teachers, and ensure equity for all students. Our team, composed of experienced school turnaround leaders and coaches, has used this framework to support district and school improvement efforts and consistently produce positive results.
Leadership Coaching
We believe that school leaders must be results-driven instructional leaders and change agents. These core beliefs have resulted in an industry-leading model for leadership coaching that is focused on developing the skills and behaviors that will lead to improved outcomes for all learners. Our leadership development and competency-based coaching model is focused on nurturing the knowledge, skills, and competencies of school leaders to ultimately lead to improved outcomes for all learners. Our approach provides responsive, needs-based support that challenges principals and assistant principals to develop competencies; deepen instructional leadership skills; build distributive leadership skills; leverage knowledge and experience; and become disciplined strategic planners, communicators, implementers, and monitors. Learn more about leadership coaching
Instructional Coaching
Effective instructional coaching is designed to build capacity through direct, classroom-based support because teachers have the greatest impact on student achievement. AIR partners with instructional coaches in increasing their capacity in the art of coaching, supporting teachers in implementing school improvement plans with fidelity, and building teacher capacity and understanding of instructional practices. Learn more about instructional coaching
Collaborative Needs Assessment
The foundation for continuous improvement requires more than just a report with key findings and recommendations. All stakeholders—district and school leaders, staff, students, families, and community partners—must have a shared understanding of a district or school’s greatest strengths and challenges so that they can focus resources on what matters most. The AIR Collaborative Needs Assessment approach includes a balance of data and client context to develop priorities specifically to address a client’s needs. This model culminates with AIR’s co-interpretationism process, a focused review and analysis of data with key stakeholders. We consider this service to be key in supporting statewide systems, districts, and schools engaged in continuous improvement.
Continuous Improvement Management and Planning
We provide services for your leadership team to develop a targeted, differentiated, and systematic school improvement approach to build capacity and provide coherence to your improvement efforts. Our offerings—Intentional Data Review, District Leadership Team Support, Planning and Project Management, and Data-Driven Culture—drive transformation.
Professional Learning Communities
Building the capacity of teacher leaders throughout the school building is essential to carrying out and sustaining quality instruction. AIR offers support to establish and sustain effective, teacher-led professional learning communities (PLCs). We deliver a combination of evidence-based professional development, facilitator coaching, and progress monitoring tools that are aligned to evidence-based attributes of effective PLCs and that lead to a sustainable culture of continuous professional learning and improved instructional practice.
Statewide Systems of Support
Statewide systems of support require a breadth and depth of expertise. We offer state education agencies (SEA) hands-on expertise to design guidance, build support services, and monitor progress across districts and schools. Our services leverage our district and school improvement expertise to assess needs, build capacity, and monitor improvement efforts in urban, rural, and suburban districts. We have helped SEAs transform their systems to drive higher student achievement statewide. By collaborating with district, school and instructional leaders to connect the dots between strong leadership teams and successful students, AIR works at the SEA level to build statewide systems of monitoring and support to ensure a coherent system for continuous improvement.
Other Services
In addition, we offer professional development or technical assistance in PLCs, social and emotional learning (SEL), multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), supporting English learners (ELs), and other school improvement services specific to your school, district, and/or state. With our broad base of expertise across a spectrum of education topics, we offer evidence-based support for almost any need your school, district, and/or state might have.
Learn more about IL-EMPOWER, our suite of services specifically aimed at districts and schools using the Illinois Quality Framework and supporting rubric or other identified tools.
