Springboard Schools Timeline

Springboard Schools is committed to improving the academic performance of all California students and eliminating the predictability of achievement gaps between student groups. Springboard Schools (previously the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative – BASRC) works with educators from a diverse network of schools and districts. We seek to provide education leaders – including teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members – with access to the ideas, tools, and support they need to make continuous improvement "business as usual" in public education.

2007

• Springboard Schools releases report on Middle Grades Best Practices.
• Springboard Schools Launches Central Valley and Southern California High School Best Practices Networks with focus on English language learners.

2006

• Springboard Schools launches new series of highly-focused Leadership Seminars.
• Springboard Schools releases report on School Districts Best Practices.
• Springboard Schools briefs US Congress and California Policy-makers on High School best practices.

2005

• Springboard Schools releases report on High Schools Best Practices.
• Springboard Schools briefs US congress on High School best practices.
• BASRC becomes Springboard Schools, expands program area to entire state.
• BASRC launches a new effort to support Program Improvement districts.

2004

• BASRC launches a Best Practices Study designed to identify effective strategies in place in high performing, high improving and gap closing schools and districts, and begins work on a Best Practices Website to enable education leaders to tap into practices that have effectively enhanced student achievement.
• BASRC holds the first of a series of Best Practices Institutes.

2003

• BASRC expands its focal district partnerships to include two additional districts.
• BASRC partners with Just for the Kids–California to develop an online clearinghouse of California public school data. The JFTK-CA partnership includes a web site with valuable comparison data for schools with similar demographic profiles for educational decision making.
• BASRC completes a nationally recognized study of schools in the Bay Area that are successfully narrowing the achievement gap. The study is the first ever to compare gap-closing schools with non-closers, and provides solid insight into the key factors that facilitate change in gap-narrowing schools.

2002

• BASRC launches an online course to teach educators teachers and school leaders the Cycle of Inquiry, BASRC’s continuous improvement process.
• BASRC develops networks for Local Collaborative Coaches, Principals, and District Leaders.
• BASRC establishes four "focal district partnerships" which incorporate coaching at multiple levels for superintendents, principals, and teacher leaders.

2001

• Hewlett-Annenberg Challenge funding sunsets June 30, 2001, but BASRC receives an additional $25 million in funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and $15 million from the Annenberg Foundation to support continued work from 2001-06.
• BASRC is one of only three Annenberg sites to receive continued funding.
• BASRC moves into its own home at 181 Fremont Street in San Francisco.
• BASRC invites schools and districts to apply for membership and grant funding. Schools and districts are required to apply together as "Local Collaboratives" (clusters of schools working with their district).
• BASRC awards grants to 27 Local Collaboratives.

2000

• BASRC establishes an Equity R&D Initiative to build a knowledge base about promising practices to address the needs of under-served students and promote equitable learning environments.
• BASRC makes closing the achievement gap the explicit focus of its inquiry-based reform model.
• Recognizing that support for school reform is still rare in many Bay Area school districts, BASRC launches a nine-district initiative, the "District/School Learning Community" to learn more about successful district/school partnerships.

1999

• BASRC meets its matching requirement, having identified more than $100 million and 450 organizations working toward a shared vision of good schools.
• BASRC establishes a Leadership R&D Initiative to explore ways to support principals and district administrators.

1998

• BASRC allocates all of its grant funding to schools. The collaborative now includes 87 leadership schools and 270 member schools, districts, and support organizations.
• BASRC's School/University Partnership R&D grows to include eight school/university partnerships.
• BASRC initiates the "Review of Progress," a three-day peer review among all leadership schools to determine their progress in improving student achievement and creating a school culture where continuous improvement is the norm.

1997

• Five school/university partnerships are approved for funding in 1997 as part of BASRC's School/University Partnership R&D
• 600 educators attend BASRC's first Collaborative Assembly where BASRC schools learn from each other and from outside experts.

1996

• During the summers of 1996 and 1997, teams from BASRC leadership schools attend BASRC's residential summer institutes to learn about the "Cycle of Inquiry," BASRC's continuous improvement reform model.
  
• Several R&D projects are created including School-to-Career (a joint effort with the University of California's National Center for Research in Vocational Education), Technology and School Change, and the Bay Area National Digital Library.

1995

• In response to the Annenberg challenge, a small group of foundation, education, business and community leaders create a plan for the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative.
• William Hewlett and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation offer a reverse challenge to Ambassador Annenberg by committing $25 million. Annenberg matches the $25 million and on May 17, 1995 the $50 million Hewlett-Annenberg challenge is announced.
  
• BASRC initiates an educational grant application process, including a rigorous portfolio review. Prospective members submit portfolios which are evaluated against BASRC's rubric. The rubric focuses on five key components of whole school change: 1) best practices of teaching and learning; 2) high standards for students and teachers; 3) systems to manage the change process; 4) partnerships with stakeholders; and 5) a professional learning community.