Benefits and Features

Springboard Schools provides each partner district with a Springboard Schools Instructional Support Team that works closely with school and district instructional leaders to meet the challenges that will enable them to raise achievement for all students and close the achievement gap. All instructional support team members—or coaches—are experienced educators with records of success in their own schools and districts as well as expertise at building the organizational capacity of other school and district leaders.

Each Instructional Support Team aims to be seen not as an external agency making demands on the district, but as an integral part of the district team that is working to improve teaching and learning.

Springboard Schools believes strongly that those who support school districts in their important work must have a high degree of accountability for their success. Accordingly, each Springboard Schools partnership will have a defined scope of work and a clear statement of the obligations of Springboard Schools to meet client needs.

Instructional Support Teams use a variety of strategies to assist their district partners. They may make presentations, facilitate group inquiry-based discussions, observe and provide constructive feedback to their partners, or serve in consultative capacities, as appropriate. Springboard Schools coaches confer regularly to evaluate their own progress, making sure their work meets client needs. In addition, Springboard Schools’s work has been and will continue to be subject to rigorous external evaluation procedures. Regular reflection and critical feedback based on data are essential to our process.

Other benefits of the Springboard Schools partnership include reduced-cost access to Springboard Schools’s very successful professional development meetings at Leadership Network gatherings and selected professional learning opportunities. In addition all coaches have the support of Springboard Schools’ Research and Program teams, who support all Springboard Schools work.