Improving ELA Outcomes & Laying the Foundation for Consistent Long-Term Success at Promise Academies

Abstract

Reliably delivering high quality academic outcomes at scale is a significant challenge facing the education sector. The more rigorous bar set by the Common Core has deepened this challenge for school systems. During the Ed. L.D. residency, my strategic project focused on developing an English-Language Arts improvement strategy to drive immediate student growth during the current school year and simultaneously lay the foundation for consistent long-term success. My capstone explores the role and limitations of creating shared instructional infrastructure across schools as a mechanism for improvement, the importance of capacity building investments, and the implications for organizational design to ensure the quality of both. My residency provided me with ample opportunities to learn about the balance between centralization and autonomy, the importance of relational trust in garnering authentic feedback, the power of culture, and the need to align leadership approaches to context.