A case study of Delaware’s largest school district suggests a link between its improvement efforts and increases in student performance.
“New Directions in Christina: Accomplishments for Children, Challenges Ahead” is available from the Community Training and Assistance Center.
The report, produced by the Boston-based Community Training and Assistance Center, examines systemwide strategies carried out over the past two years in the 19,000-student Christina public schools. Among those strategies: new curricular materials, assessments to gauge student progress throughout the year, and a process of improvement planning in which schools analyze their own data.
During that two-year period, the report notes, the district saw both an increase overall in student achievement and a closing of achievement gaps between students from different socioeconomic back-grounds. The Community Training and Assistance Center has provided technical support to the dis-trict.