The Making School Work Improvement Framework is based on 10 key practices grouped into 5 focus areas.
FOCUS AREA: LEADERSHIP FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Key Practice – High Expectations (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Create a culture of high expectations in every classroom and throughout the school.
Key Practice – Culture of Learning (Elementary)
Create a culture that inspires learning and promotes excellence for students, teachers, and the school community.
Key Practice – Culture of Continuous Improvement (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Engage the whole school community in continuously using data to identify problems and develop plans to solve them.
Key Practice – Leadership of Continuous Improvement (Elementary)
Engage the whole community in using data to identify problems and in developing plans to solve them.
FOCUS AREA: ALIGNED CURRICULUM
Key Practice – Integrated Curriculum (High School, Career Center)
Teach academic content through the lens of real-world problems and projects.
Key Practice – Integrated Literacy (Middle, Elementary)
Design and deliver instruction that promotes the development of literacy skills by integrating literacy standards in all content areas.
Key Practice – Aligned Curriculum (Middle, Elementary)
Design and deliver instruction that helps students understand the full extent of the standards.
FOCUS AREA: CAREER PATHWAYS
Key Practice – Access and Equity (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Ensure that all students, including underrepresented and nontraditional students, have access to high-quality learning and career pathways.
Key Practice – Access and Equity (Elementary)
Support each child and family with the curricular, instructional and social-emotional resources they need to thrive.
Key Practice – Programs of Study (High School, Career Center)
Ensure each student develops and completes a personalized program of study that leads to postsecondary and career success.
Key Practice – Work-Based Learning (High School, Career Center)
Provide each student with a continuum of real-world learning experiences that connect classroom and workplace learning.
Key Practice – Quality Career/Technical Education (Middle)
Provide developmentally appropriate career exploration experiences that prepare each student to make informed career pathway choices in high school.
Key Practice – Career Awareness (Elementary)
Provide each student with authentic learning experiences that tap into children’s natural curiosity and spark awareness of their community, country and world.
FOCUS AREA: SYSTEMS OF SUPPORT
Key Practice – Guidance and Advisement (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Offer guidance and advisement that empower students to pursue a full range of career and college options after high school.
Key Practice – Parents and Communities (Elementary)
Establish meaningful opportunities for parents and community partners to support teaching and learning.
Key Practice – Interventions and Enrichments (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Provide students with the extra help or accelerated learning strategies they need to be successful and to graduate college and be career ready.
Key Practice – System of Support (Elementary)
Provide high-quality academic and social-emotional counseling and support services that prepare each student for educational success.
FOCUS AREA: ENGAGING INSTRUCTION
Key Practice – Student Engagement (High School, Career Center, Middle)
Use research-based instructional strategies and innovative technology practices to engage each student.
Key Practice – Engaging Instruction (Elementary)
Design and provide robust, standards-driven instruction that challenges students to complete high-quality assignments.
Key Practice – Teacher Instructional Collaboration (High School, Career Center, Middle, Elementary)
Provide teams of teachers with the training, time and support they need to work together to plan instruction, assignments and assessments.