Well Done, Class of 2023!

And Congrats to ISA Coach Christina Farinacci-Roberts!

On May 8 ISA coach Christina Farinacci-Roberts was honored by New York State Assemblymember Phil Steck as one of eight 2023 Women of Distinction. Christina was recognized for her work as an educator, entrepreneur, and volunteer, and Assemblymember Steck shared that the purpose of these awards is to honor community members whose work often goes unnoticed. Congrats, Christina!

ISA Offers School Improvement Planning and Leadership Retreats

ISA is pleased to announce three-day leadership retreats designed to support school principals and school leadership teams with 1) developing school improvement plans for 2023-24 and 2) facilitating school leadership retreats that provide principals with a thought partner with expertise in professional learning that supports improved academic achievement. ISA’s process has been implemented in school districts across the nation.

ISA team members Dr. Betty Greene-Bryant and Dr. Marvin Pryor (above) will help run the retreats.

Each retreat includes an examination of school and student performance data, structured planning with the principal and school leadership team, and a written report on the findings and recommendations and/or the completed school improvement plan for district approval. Prior to the retreat, ISA will meet virtually with the principal to gather information and discuss the logistics for their three days together.

Are you interested in scheduling a three-day leadership retreat focused on school improvement planning or developing a deep dive for your leadership team that includes reflection, planning, and team-building? We are here to support your team in preparing for 2023-24 and are scheduling now for this June, July, and August.

Click here to schedule an initial consult.

From the Brown Center on Education Policy: Uncovering the Sources of Gender Wage Gaps Among Teachers

The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution has a policy brief based on the paper Uncovering the Sources of Gender Wage Gaps Among Teachers: The Role of Compensation Off the Salary Schedule.

As the team at Brookings wrote, “gender-based wage gaps are ubiquitous in U.S. labor markets, even in occupations where women make up most of the workforce. This dynamic extends to the K-12 educator workforce, where women account for roughly three quarters of the teaching workforce but make an estimated $5,000 less than men annually, based on a 2019 study using nationally representative data.”

The authors shared that the “policy brief summarizes the findings of our recent study investigating gender wage gaps among public school teachers. In our study, we used survey data from the National Teacher and Principal Surveys. Our analysis provides unique insights into the different sources of school-based income for teachers. Further, the data allows us to disentangle labor supply (e.g., teachers choosing to perform extra work) from employers’ decisions to compensate them for their labor.”

Click here to read more.

From the National Association of State Boards of Education: High Schools That Matter

For more than 30 years, ISA has partnered with educators in many high schools, and so we were very interested to read this from the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).

In this issue of The State Education Standard, various authors reimagine the high school experience, illuminating the data, policy reforms, and engagement with students, families, and educators that must align to make redesign possible. For example, read how Angélica Infante-Green, the commissioner of elementary and secondary education in Rhode Island, persevered so that new graduation requirements aligned with college admission standards to address inequities in college and career readiness.

Click here to read more.

From the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL): Building Authentic School-Family Partnerships Through the Lens of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

As the team from CASEL, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Texas A&M wrote when it released this report in January, “the SEL Innovations series aims to help the field imagine new, more expansive, and equitable approaches to SEL and wellness to ensure that all children, adolescents, and adults feel safe, supported, and seen so that they can thrive. This report focuses on the conditions and guiding actions to foster authentic school-family partnerships.”

Click here to read more.