Strategic
Learning Initiatives Partners with Struggling Chicago School
Transforming Student Achievement
Rapidly at Low Cost
Accelerating & Sustaining Student,
Teacher and Parent Learning
Offering a Proven Way to Transform Schools on
a Scale that Matters
Chicago, IL - Strategic Learning Initiative’s new project will continue
to scale the transformation results that once struggling schools have achieved
across the country.
The project is funded by $900,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
Chicago’s Greater Auburn-Gresham
Development Corporation, the Children’s Literacy Initiative, and New Legacy
Partnerships are partnering to accelerate and evaluate student achievement.
They are implementing a 3-year
project, demonstrating SLI’s innovative, low-cost, and nationally recognized systemic model
for school transformation.
This model utilizes existing school staff and curricula. It is
based on the values of trust, open communication, integrity and respect. Two schools, in one of Chicago’s lowest income neighborhoods,
will implement SLI’s process for transforming student, staff and parent
learning. SLI’s success is a result of integrating the systemic research from
high performance schools and businesses plus on-site coaching. It is uniquely
qualified for the work.
Classroom effort for Elementary and
High schools centers on SLI’s Focused Instruction
Process which enables teams of teachers, students, administrators and
parents to utilize a continuous and sustainable quality improvement process.
Staff of the two schools will receive on-site coaching and training, networking
with each other and with future schools.
SLI Staff also support parents in learning the Common Core Standards and
social emotional skills to help their children with homework and relationships.
The SLI process integrates: Rigorous Instruction, Shared Leadership, Professional
Capacity Building, Family Engagement, Networking among Neighborhood Schools, a School
Culture of Respect, and Collaboration, plus Systemic Problem Solving.
The
project’s goal is to support schools in their plan to accelerate and sustain
the rate of improvement of adult, student, and organizational learning by
applying their nationally recognized transformation model including the 8-Step
Focused Instruction Process. If the school
leadership and grade level teams implement the model with fidelity, SLI
guarantees significant improvement in the school culture and student
achievement.
The project
offers, on scale that matters, a proven way for district leaders to rapidly transform
neighborhood networks of struggling schools.
“The results
achieved by the Focused Instruction Process exceeded my expectations. Our
partnership with Strategic Learning empowered staff and parents to innovate, plan,
implement and assess student learning continuously. The partnership established benchmarks at
every grade level. These goals are then
shared by colleagues to help everyone grow in the same direction.” (Chicago
Principal).
About Strategic Learning Initiatives
Strategic Learning Initiatives is a 23-year old Chicago nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the
lowest income communities of learners using research-based, high performance
strategies. With schools in five states, their systemic approach without
removing staff is affordable, scalable, and sustainable. It has a validated
record of proven achievement. For more
information, visit www.strategiclearning.org.
About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K.
Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation
by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations
in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an
equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions
for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school,
work and life.
The Kellogg
Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United
States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis
is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and
where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places are
in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New Orleans, Mexico and Haiti. For more
information, visit www.wkkf.org.
