Talent development plans are well-articulated representations of a district's or school's advanced learning opportunities. These plans show how a bright student progresses through the available programming and provide families with information about their child's options and opportunities. In addition to reviewing the basic pieces of a talent…

Public education is the most important investment America makes in its future, a tangible expression of values and aspirations for society. Schools profoundly influence how students understand themselves, the roles and responsibilities they are expected to fulfill, and the country they will collectively create. A vision for public education is an…

The 21st century is the century of life science. With the rapid development of life science and technology, the social needs of biological professionals are changing dramatically, and the requirements for their theoretical quality and practical ability are becoming higher and higher. The construction of characteristic disciplines in Henan Province…

To support systemic thinking about school improvement, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd developed a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework, which is presented in this article, has four domains that have proved central to rapid, significant improvement: (1)…

This document profiles San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), a Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grantee, who adopted a strategic approach to teacher recruitment and retention that included an organizational district redesign and implementation of a master teacher program using revised talent management practices and an aligned,…

In March and April 2018, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd continued its Thought Leadership Forum series, hosting two online forums on talent development for state education agency officials who are members of the Leadership Council of the Network of State Turnaround and Improvement Leaders. The monthly forums for 2018 are intended to…

The National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) and the National Center for School Turnaround (2018) published the "Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: An Implementation Framework" as a companion to the Center for School Turnaround's (2017) recent publication of "The Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: A Systems…

This article addresses the role of National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools in the process of data-informed decision-making for both improving and addressing achievement gaps in participatory specialized STEM high schools.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education announced the "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" initiative to use decades of research and professional experience to transform public education and advance education equity. There are three focus areas: (1) Achieve Academic Excellence; (2) Boldly Improve Learning Conditions; and (3) Create Pathways…

The first IDEA Public Schools' campus opened in 2000, just miles from the US-Mexico border in Donna, Texas. Fast-forward nearly two decades, and 79 IDEA public charter schools serve approximately 45,000 students across six regions, and those students consistently outperform their peers statewide on a range of metrics from proficiency to graduation…

Identifying and maintaining talent is important in any organization, but in a low-performing school, it is perhaps "the" most important component to achieving turnaround. Given the importance of teachers and leaders for students and schools, districts and states are wise to hone their efforts related to identifying, attracting,…

In recent years, rapid school improvement--known most commonly as school turnaround--has emerged as the chief focus of dramatic and systemic efforts aimed at giving students better schools. To assist states, districts, and schools in leading or managing these efforts, in 2017 the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd developed "Four Domains…

In recent months business leaders across the state have committed to a new effort to make Michigan a top ten education state by 2030. The Michigan Achieves initiative is designed to make that ambitious and urgent goal happen for "all" students in the state. These leaders know with certainty what others in Michigan are beginning to grasp:…

The Center on School Turnaround at WestEd has developed a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework shares, in practical language, the critical practices of successful school turnaround in four domains, or areas of focus, that research and experience suggest are central to…

Across the United States, there are schools whose students are significantly outperforming and out-improving those from nearby schools. In almost any geographic location in America, within a 30-minute drive there exist schools where classrooms are alive with stimulating learning, day in and day out. Not too far away from these schools are schools…