The extra step ERS took really made the difference. Most
consultants stop at the door – your organization came in the door
and sat down with us and that was really meaningful.
You kept the work going well beyond the PowerPoint presentation, making
the project crunch in the district work positively.
— Harrison Collier,
Director Professional Development, Cincinnati Public Schools/
Mayerson Academy
School System Leadership Considerations
A successful partnership with ERS requires that a school system look objectively at goals, spending, and activities and be firmly committed to on-going reflection, discussion, and improvement.
Choosing Where To Begin
Addressing the leadership team’s most urgent questions and concerns will invariably reveal the important resource levers and decision points for any system. A variety of questions have served as starting points for our work, including:
- How do we design, implement, pay for and communicate a strategic professional development system to support improvement initiatives?
- How do we fund, support and supervise schools that empower principals, giving more control and flexibility over their resources?
- How do we fund small schools, charter schools and other portfolio schools?
- How do we help school leaders organize their people, time and money for higher student performance?
- How do we organize and allocate resources in the system's central offices to best support school improvement?
Applying Research, Analysis, and Experience
Whether the leadership team’s focus begins with funding equity or school-level practices ERS’s diagnostic tools, analytic processes, and comparative client data provide a data-driven, client-tested construct for team discussions and decisions.
Planning for Partnership Over Time
We work closely with the leadership team, reporting to the Superintendent and cabinet in working sessions generally occurring on a monthly basis. We jointly interpret findings with a leadership-appointed work team. Our initial diagnostic work takes between six and nine months and is usually followed by diagnostic work in other areas, training, or support for design and implementation.
Investing Up-Front
Past experience has shown us the importance of investment at the start to ensure that the leadership team supports and endorses the work. In addition, to begin our diagnostic work clients need to meet our specific data requests with data that is in a complete, useable format. Although we are experienced with preparing and integrating data, the process often requires an initial investment of district time.
Presenting Controversial Findings and Difficult Choices
Our presentations reflect the accuracy of our findings, even when they challenge leadership beliefs or expectations.* We work with leaders to make sure that we incorporate their experience and understanding as checks on the accuracy of our work. We expect to generate spirited discussion and generate the need for some politically difficult choices. Although this kind of work can unite a leadership team, it also causes tension when the team is not prepared for the findings and discussions.
Preparing Thoughtful Communication of Results and Implications
We strive to make our work clear and actionable for leadership teams. We also recognized that internally useful information can be politically and publicly problematic when shared broadly and out of context. We work first to get the most complete, accurate and un-biased answers from the leadership team and chosen partners. Together we determine how best to communicate these findings in ways that will promote improved organizations, teaching and learning.
Because our work requires commitment from the district and intense dedication from ERS, we engage in numerous conversations prior to beginning this work to address:
- What are the system’s most urgent issues and resource-related questions?
- Does the school system have sufficient leadership time and attention to address these issues thoughtfully?
- Is the school system willing to address the difficult facts and choices required to rethink resources?
- Does the system have staff that can support this work?
* Examples of controversial findings are: 1. When adjusted for student needs, certain categories of students and schools receive more funding than other groups; and 2. Although school resource levels are higher than perceived, their current use is inefficient, requiring shifts in staffing.