A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Power

1a. How much influence does the school have on decisions related to curriculum and instruction? (low; medium; high)

1b. How much influence does the school have on decisions related to personnel? (low; medium; high)

1c. How much influence does the school have on decisions related to budget? (low; medium; high)

2a. How active are the teachers in decision making forums? (marginal or nominal activity; mixed level of activity; active across the full range of school decisions)

2b. How active are members of the community in decision making forums? (marginal or nominal activity; mixed level of activity; active across the full range of school decisions)

2c. How active are the students in decision making forums? (marginal or nominal activity; mixed level of activity; active across the full range of school decisions)

3. How many teachers are involved in decision making groups? (limited; some; almost all)

4a. How many mechanisms exist for involving people in decision making? (governance council; council subcommittees; other governance groups; other advisory groups; grade or subject teams)

4b. Is there a separate decision making group for curriculum and instruction issues? (no; yes)

Knowledge

1. What proportion of the staff participate in professional development activities? (some; most/all)

2. In what knowledge and skill domains do staff receive professional development? (teaching and instruction; participative; functional/managerial; use of technology)

3. Are professional development activities purposely planned to build school-wide capacity for organizational improvement? (no; yes)

4. How regularly do staff participate in professional development activity? (sporadically; on an ongoing or continuous basis)

Information

1a. To what extent is information about goals regularly disseminated internally? (low; high)

1b. To what extent is information about school performance regularly disseminated internally? (low; high)

1c. To what extent is information about school/SBM activities regularly disseminated internally? (low; high)

1d. To what extent is information about research/innovations taking place elsewhere regularly disseminated internally? (low; high)

2a. To what extent is information about goals regularly disseminated externally? (low; high)

2b. To what extent is information about school performance regularly disseminated externally? (low; high)

2c. To what extent is information about school/SBM activities regularly disseminated externally? (low; high)

2d. To what extent is information about research/innovations taking place elsewhere regularly disseminated externally? (low; high)

3a. How often are staff surveyed for input to guide school decisions? (never; once a year or less; more than once a year)

3b. How often are community members and/or students surveyed for input to guide school decisions? (never; once a year or less; more than once a year)

Rewards

1. Is the teacher evaluation system based on performance in terms of goals and/or outcomes? (no; yes)

2. Is the school evaluation system based on performance in terms of goals and/or outcomes? (no; yes)

3. Are there any formal systems for tying rewards or sanctions at the school to performance? (no; yes)

4. To what extent are informal rewards used at the school? (low; medium; high)

Instructional Guidance System

1. Is there a district or state curriculum framework? (no; yes)

2. Is there a school vision delineating its specific mission, values, and goals? (no; yes)

3. To what extent is there shared understanding among teachers about the instructional direction of the school? (low; medium; high)

Leadership

1a. As part of his/her role, does the principal focus on managing the change process? (no; yes)

1b. As part of his/her role, does the principal focus on building the school climate? (no; yes)

1c. As part of his/her role, does the principal focus on optimizing the availability of resources (i.e., finding ways to get them and/or reallocate them)? (no; yes)

1d. As part of his/her role, does the principal focus on managing the interface with the community? (no; yes)

1e. As part of his/her role, does the principal focus on bringing in information regarding educational research and innovative practices? (no; yes)

2. Is the principal viewed as a leader in the area of curriculum and instruction? (no; yes)

3a. To what extent does the principal promote widespread involvement in school decisions? (low; medium; high)

3b. To what extent does the principal share information broadly? (low; medium; high)

4a. How many individuals besides the principal/assistant principal have taken on instructional leadership at the school? (none; a few; many)

4b. How many individuals besides the principal/assistant principal have taken on general leadership at the school? (none; a few; many)

Resources

1. How much outside grant funding (i.e., other than entitlement funds such as Chapter 1 money) with which to implement innovations has the school received? (almost none; some; a lot)

2. How many partnerships has the school developed with the business community that provide resources for the school? (almost none; some; a lot)

Teaching for Understanding

1. To what extent has curriculum and instruction been changed to focus on problem solving and creating instead of simply reproducing knowledge? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

2. To what extent have new instructional approaches been adopted that are oriented towards active learning? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

3. To what extent have methods of "authentic assessment" been adopted, i.e., those based on samples of work that illustrate understanding and application rather than memorization and reproduction? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

4. To what extent have new instructional approaches been adopted that are towards cooperative learning? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

Use of Technology

1. How much technology has been made available at the school for students to use for educational purposes? (a little; a lot)

2. To what extent have teachers and students incorporated the use of technology into their teaching and learning? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

3. To what extent has the curriculum been changed to include a focus on technology and its use? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

Educating All Students

1. How many multi-graded (elementary school) or untracked (high school) classrooms has the school implemented? (none; some; all)

2. To what extent has curriculum and instruction been changed to include a specific focus on bottom-half or at-risk students? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

3. To what extent has individualized instruction been adopted at the school? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

4. To what extent has curriculum and instruction been changed to include an emphasis on multi-culturalism? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

Integrated Approaches

1. To what extent has the school adopted the use of team teaching, i.e., teams of teachers taking responsibility for a larger portion of the learning of a defined group of students? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

2. To what extent has the curriculum been changed to be more interdisciplinary in nature? (very little; moderate amount and/or still in transition; considerable)

3. To what extent has the school developed linkages with the community that provide educational opportunities for students? (very little; some; considerable)

4. To what extent has the school developed linkages with the community for the provision of other relevant services? (very little; some; considerable)
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[Part 6: Conclusion]

[References]