Strategies / Solutions
Through whatever lens school improvement is viewed, there is wide agreement that the foundational meaning of school improvement challenges educators to commit to continuously push beyond the line of current competence, to frame and ask new and deeper questions, and to see more than the completion of a management plan.
AdvancED’s commitment to school improvement is evidenced by our use of a research-based set of standards and a clearly defined structure for evaluating the extent to which a school needs to implement improvement measures. The AdvancED Accreditation Protocol provides guidance and support with continuous improvement efforts to education institutions around the world. Continuous improvement is at the heart of accreditation. Our approach is a formalized, disciplined process for taking on the complexity of improvement. The strategies embedded in the steps to accreditation are, in and of themselves, essential to ensuring improvement. Each year, thousands of schools and districts submit to an accreditation process that involves:
- Thorough self-analysis using the five AdvancED Standards for Quality
- Comprehensive peer review that provides both commendations and required actions for improvement
- Commitment to continuous improvement by monitoring and evaluating efforts on a yearly basis
By engaging in accreditation a school will move beyond the internal and isolated discussions about school improvement, and submit their educational environment to a rigorous process of analysis and evaluation. And though school improvement is a formal, disciplined structure of continuous monitoring, evaluation, and adjustments, it is the tireless dedication of educators and administrators to the continuous improvement of our schools and students that leads to true organizational effectiveness.
