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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The East Liverpool City School District is taking part in an improvement review with the Ohio Department of Education and Insight Education Group.
Insight Education Group is an organization that works with education leaders to develop improvement strategies and provides supports to help implement changes for improvements. They work with schools in over 30 states with more than 250,000 educators which impacts over four million students, and they have helped these schools obtain more than $500 million in grant money.
Director Dr. Claire Jones and Tarik White, liaison both of the Office of Intensive Supports, Ohio Department of Education (ODE), presented in person at the April 27 board meeting the One Plan in which the district will be participating, along with Dr. Peter Leida, partnership manager, Insight Education Group who presented virtually.
Leida said the Insight Education Group works in collaboration with districts or the DOE to help them develop sustainable solutions to overcome their greatest challenges by immersing themselves into the challenges of educators so they can help district leverage their assets. This method allows the districts to continue maintaining sustainable improvements.
Leida said the review had been underway for a few weeks at the time of the meeting. They spent the week following the meeting touring the schools in the district.
White gave an overview of the review process and how they were trying to streamline the process to seem less punitive and evaluative and make it more of a support plan that is collaborative, comprehensive and supportive while being easy to read and points directly to areas of improvement.
White also said that they typically work with the three lowest districts in the state and asked them if they would like to participate in this pilot program.
The review will focus on structures and systems resources, effective school improvements, culture and community, curriculum, instruction and learning along with recruitment, development, retention and promotion of talent.
The review takes place in four phases:
¯ Phase one: Planning and evidence collecting which includes check-in meetings and document gathering
¯ Phase two: An on-site review which includes observations, focus groups, interviews and walk through
¯ Phase three: Initial data review and introductory report writing which is sent to the district within two days of on-site reviews. This preliminary report includes growth areas and recommendations
¯ Phase four: Data integration and final report writing, which is sent to the ODE within two weeks of onsite review. This report includes findings and evidence that supports the preliminary report
East Liverpool City School District is wrapping up phase three and getting ready to enter phase four.
Jones said that the report would help the district dictate the narrative and would also highlight the district's strengths.
School Superintendent Jonathan Ludwig said the district is excited to be part of this project which he feels can help the district become better and that there are a lot of things the district is proud of, and he hopes they can showcase, but the district also realizes that they are not naive enough to believe that they can't get better. He is hopeful that with a supportive administrative team coupled with ODE and ideas from Insight the district can improve.