Frequently Asked Questions

What is Springboard Schools?

Springboard Schools is a network of education professionals including teachers, administrators, researchers and others who are dedicated to helping California’s schools and districts improve student performance and narrow the achievement gap. It was founded in 1995 as the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC).

What does Springboard Schools do?

Springboard Schools’s “research to action” approach to improving schools consists of three parts: 1) we study high-performing, low-resource schools to understand what they’re doing right; 2) we provide professional development to educators and administrators; and 3) we partner with school districts to provide intensive, on-site coaching so new ideas are transformed into practical strategies for change.

Who are Springboard Schools' clients?

Springboard Schools works with education leaders at all levels of the system, from teachers to district administrators. Our clients are school districts across California. They range from large (Fresno Unified, with more than 80,000 students) to small (Exeter, with 2,000 students) and include urban, suburban and rural districts. Springboard Schools is one of very few organizations in the state that offers a model for change at the district level as well as the school level – a model that is already showing results. Over the years, we have worked with more than 70 districts and more than 300 schools.

Whats unique about Springboard Schools?

Springboard Schools’ approach is unique in three ways: 1) we begin with research about best practices in high performing, high poverty schools and school districts – and then work with our clients to customize our services to meet their needs; 2) we work alongside school and district leaders to build their capacity to improve and sustain the results they get; and 3) every step of our program is informed by our own continuous improvement process – what we call the “Cycle of Inquiry.”

What is Springboard Schools's Cycle of Inquiry?

We created this unique data-based decision-making process for improving schools because we believe the best results start with asking the right questions. We also believe that examining student achievement data alone is not enough; we must also closely examine how teachers teach and how schools and districts are organized. All of this has a huge influence on student learning. The Cycle of Inquiry process can be used at multiple levels of a school system, from the classroom to the boardroom.

What results can you point to?

Springboard Schools’s program for improving schools was rigorously evaluated over a five-year period by an independent research team at Stanford University’s Center for Research on the Context of Teaching (CRC). CRC’s intensive study documented that test scores in Springboard Schools schools rose more rapidly than those in a carefully matched group of schools that did not take part in our program. Those schools that implemented the Springboard Schools model most faithfully made the biggest gains. [Bay Area School Reform Collaborative: Phase One (1996-2001) Evaluation; Center for Research on the Context of Teaching, Stanford University]

How is Springboard Schools funded?

Springboard Schools was founded in 1995 with a $50 million grant from the Annenberg and the William and Flora Hewlett foundations. Today, Springboard Schools is supported in part from fees charged to districts for our services and in part by a diverse coalition of foundations, corporations and individuals committed to investing in the improvement of public education.