Creating School Profiles
(based on material prepared
by Rick Ast and Tim Caleval)
In order to begin
the work of school improvement, an administrator
must establish a clear picture of the school and
create a plan for where and how improvement will
take place.
What are the characteristics of a successful
school?
- a learning environment which promotes
high expectations for learning
- a safe environment that celebrates diversity and appreciates democratic
values
- leadership whose vision promotes instructional effectiveness and works
collaboratively with staff to develop a quality educational program
- a clear mission and commitment to "learning for all"
- ongoing authentic assessment of student achievement based on curricular
goals
- a partnership existing between home and school which supports the mission
and goals of the school
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Why create a school profile?
- allows an administrator and staff to describe
the many facets of school life and develop a comprehensive
picture of the school community
- to highlight the programs and strengths that are the foundation of the school
- create an awareness of the ongoing efforts at work within the school
- to align school goals with system initiatives and programs
- to develop a process which will clarify goals for improving school effectiveness
What is a school profile?
Each school is uniquely shaped by the interactions of students, staff, parents,
community, geography, history, culture, economics, and other forces (both
internal and external to the school).The profile is a selection of material
from the school's portfolio created with a specific focus in mind. For
example the profile may be created for the purpose of marketing the school,
for profiling assessment and student achievement. Each school’s
profile will be unique.
There is no single blueprint for a school profile or how to go about developing
a school profile, but experience and research prove that a worthwhile profile
is characterized by:
- a focus on taking stock of school assets, capacities, challenges, performances,
and outcomes;
- being inclusive of everyone in the school community – students, staff,
parents, and community;
- systematically gathering and carefully examining data about all facets of
the school;
- thinking big and starting small, developing a school profile is a process
that evolves from simple to complex over time, with viable and realistic timelines;
- including the history and community context and conditions within which the
school is situated;
- timely support and provision of resources from central services;
- use of a variety of quantitative and qualitative indicators to learn about
the multifaceted life of the school;
- production of baseline data to inform school decision-making and from which
improvement and effectiveness can be measured;
- using a consensus approach to decision-making in developing the profile;
- the thoughtful and collaborative efforts of the whole school community building
on their capacities, creativity and responsibility for school effectiveness.
These characteristics
are intended to guide and serve as a foundation for
engaging a process of developing a worthwhile profile,
which a school may use to better understand and make
good decisions about improving effectiveness. For
many participants, creating a school profile can
be a powerful learning experience in itself, as they
decide what they want to know about their school
and then collect the data and use it in accomplishing
their goals.
Successful schools aren’t created from prescriptive lists, policies
and procedures. They are created locally, one school at a time, and work
from professional knowledge, decisions, judgments and relationships,
where local school people (staff, students, administrators, parents and
community partners) are empowered to share in the choices and responsibilities
of making the school a better place.
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