Professional Development and Coaching

“It’s nice to know people whose opinion you can trust.” ALEXIS JACKSON, kindergarten teacher, Michigan Technical Academy, Detroit

The Institute for Excellence in Education is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization providing professional development and school improvement support to K-12 educators across the country. Our goal is to transform education by empowering teachers to become masters of their craft and fostering outstanding learning communities where students excel. IEE coaches are experienced classroom teachers and school leaders who know how to embed effective research-based practices into classrooms to meet the needs of every student.

Through professional development and coaching, we are changing the conversation in schools and transforming instruction to drive sustainable increases in student achievement.

Our BeliefsOur team’s shared beliefs are built from a passion to provide every student with excellent learning opportunities.

-- All decisions, big or small, must place the needs of students above the needs of adults.

-- Good relationships are fundamental, and they must be built and maintained among students and educators.

-- All deep, sustainable school improvement occurs from the inside out.

-- The adults in every school control all the variables necessary to ensure student success.

-- In 21st century education, collaboration is not optional; it is essential. It is a skill that must be learned and developed.

-- The key to transforming educational practice is understanding the influence of identities and beliefs on behavior.

-- No curriculum, program, or strategy can replace effective teaching.

-- Data must consistently guide decisions about teaching and learning.

-- In schools, high-quality adult conversations are a prerequisite for student success.

-- Self-directed, reflective educators are pivotal to school success.

Student Achievement Through Professional Development and Coaching

Our ApproachEducation is a complex system that requires dynamical solutions tailored to the ever- changing needs of each school environment. IEE supports your school improvement process in a research-based and deliberate manner. We know that you know your school best. And we know that you have a vision for what you want your school to become. That’s why we begin by working alongside your educators and students — learning your school’s unique values, goals, and challenges — and we help you achieve your goals and implement your vision for your school. Everything we do is focused on empowering your educators to increase their students’ learning.

Implementing the changes necessary to reach your student achievement goals, however, is not easy. Excellence cannot be mandated, and behavior changes cannot be demanded. That’s why we rely on the Cognitive CoachingSM and Adaptive Schools® models to facilitate change in schools. Our coaches use Cognitive CoachingSM to mediate adult thinking and learning. While coaching provides teachers and school leaders with a “thought partner” as they apply their new learning and changes to their practice, Cognitive CoachingSM systematically changes educator practice and ultimately improves educator effectiveness. We use the Adaptive Schools® model to build collaborative capacities in schools. Collaborative cultures hold shared responsibilities for student learning. They value continuous learning and seek opportunities to learn and grow from one another. This model has been hailed as “life changing” and served as the “aha” moment for school leaders across the country.*

IEE focuses on the two areas most critical to determining student success: educator effectiveness and collaborative culture. The most important factor in student learning is teacher effectiveness, and IEE’s coaches increase teacher effectiveness by partnering with teachers to embed the most effective instructional strategies into their classroom. Research shows that school leadership is the one mechanism that accounts for a school’s overall quality of teacher instruction and student achievement. IEE leadership coaches work alongside your leadership team to build a school culture and learning environment that keeps your teachers and students engaged, motivated, and on-track for success.

IEE PULLED ALL OF US TOGETHER INTO ONE

COHESIVE UNIT. WE ARE WORKING AS AN ENTIRE TEAM

— FOCUSED ON THE SUCCESS OF THE ENTIRE SCHOOL.

Regina Grube, math teacher, Lee High School, Wyoming, Michigan

Student Achievement Through Professional Development and Coaching

You know where you want your school to go. We help you and your team get there.

*Adaptive Schools® and Cognitive CoachingSM are programs of Thinking Collaborative.TM

Our ServicesWe utilize a 360-degree full-immersion approach to supporting schools in their continuous improvement processes. Professional development at IEE is a comprehensive combination of new learning in the form of workshops and supported implementation of that new learning in the form of job-embedded coaching. We support schools of every demographic and at all performance levels.

Professional DevelopmentThe Institute for Excellence in Education provides high quality professional learning experiences for all participants. IEE PD is grounded in Learning Forward’s Standards of Professional Learning, providing school communities with holistic and systematic experiences that lead to sustained changes in practice. Our presenters are expert facilitators trained in leading adult learners through new processes and cognitive conflict. We work with schools to identify their professional development needs and ensure learning is embedded in the school improvement process.

Job-Embedded CoachingOngoing job-embedded coaching is vital to implementing sustained changes in a school environment, since it ensures that new learning is carried out with fidelity. IEE’s coaches work side-by-side with educators, modeling new methods and co-teaching in classrooms, for the specific purpose of empowering educators to make continued improvements to their practice. Our team of experienced coaches offers expertise in a variety of areas, such as leadership, instruction, content-area specialties, data, and technology.

Learning WalksLearning Walks are a systematic and collaborative method for gathering quantitative and qualitative data to inform decision making. Learning Walks allow teams of educators to visit a school with a focus on specific criteria. The team collects evidence regarding implementation and level of effectiveness of the identified criteria. The findings are provided to the school in the form of “noticings” suggesting growth areas and next steps for the school to examine.

IEE DID NOT PUT BAND-AIDS ON OUR ISSUES. THEY PERFORMED SURGERY ON THE ROOT CAUSE OF OUR PROBLEMS.

Dan Simon, principal, Grant High School, Grant, Michigan

*Adaptive Schools® and Cognitive CoachingSM are programs of Thinking Collaborative.TM

Increasing Student Achievement!

Grant High School, Grant, MichiganWith IEE’s help, Grant High School rose from the bottom 5th percentile of Michigan’s schools to the 92nd percentile in just 3 years! Grant High School has maintained its growth and was again named a Reward School for the 2013-2014 school year.

IEE helped to increase college readiness at Grant by creating a school-wide focus on the ACT test. Our coaches worked individually with every

11th grade student to create an academic plan for meeting the acceptance requirements of the student’s desired college. ACT preparation now begins in the 9th grade at Grant, and excitement for the test is maintained throughout the year for all grade levels.

Shields Elementary School, Saginaw, MichiganIn January 2012 Shields Elementary School began using our Focused Instructional Model in third-grade math. At that time, only 10% of Shields’ third-graders were testing at proficient levels in math. After only a half-year of FIM implementation, math proficiency in the same cohort of students increased by 48%. Swan Valley School District is now using our FIM math program in all grade levels at their elementary schools and has expanded the model into other content areas.

2013-14School Year

20.3 ‘11-‘12

64 ‘13-‘14

Average ACT composite score

Percent of students proficient in math

17.5 ‘07-‘08

10 ‘11-‘12

* IEE’s first year at Grant

Reid Elementary3-year snapshot

1847 572013-14

School Year

Oscoda High3-year snapshot

6367 762013-14

School Year

Tawas Area Middle3-year snapshot

2751612013-14

School Year

Covert Elementary3-year snapshot

Four New Reward SchoolsFour schools working with IEE were identified as 2013-2014 Reward Schools by the Michigan Department of Education for their rapid improvements in student achievement! Take a look at the phenomenal gains they’ve made in Michigan’s Top-to-Bottom Rankings:

Our partner schools are experiencing tremendous growth! How can we help your school experience increased student achievement? Call us today. Office phone: 989-317-3510 and ExcellenceInEd.org

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711 West Pickard Street, Suite M, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48858 989-317-3510

IEE STARTS BY LISTENING.

Emilio Rodriguez, English teacher, Mumford High School, Detroit

“It’s nice to know people whose opinion you can trust.” ALEXIS JACKSON, kindergarten teacher, Michigan Technical Academy, Detroit