Whitman Elementary - Tulsa Public Schools

Whitman ES District Capacity
District: Tulsa Public Schools
Principals interview, from an approved pool of teachers who have met a specific criteria as analyzed by our
district partners using the Gallup Insight (strength finder) specifically calibrated to determine promise for
urban educator excellence.
Regarding Curriculum: Student achievement data drive decisions at each school. Schools leadership focus on
unpacking the content standards to meet student needs based on what the students’ achievement data tell
them. The curriculum is standard – and will focus solely on Common Core expectations. Teacher and leaders,
working in Professional Learning Communities, make decisions for individual students and schools. These
decisions include specific instructional practices using the Common Core’s expectations ‐ all designed to
improve student academic performance. The district supports schools with analysis of successful curricular
interventions (ie; Doug Reeves’s curriculum audit) so that a choice menu is readily available for selection by
principals and their teacher teams. Narrowing the plethora of interventions to only those with strong
implementation records (especially locally) helps schools and principals to select promising practices – rather
than stabbing blindly at the “intervention of the week.” The district further supports principals through staff
and leadership development of skills in using rubrics to increase the level of implementation of successful
practices. Strategically increasing building‐level conversations around implementation – rather than “trying
new interventions” is critical to improving student achievement. Principals and teacher leaders are
accountable for the decisions they make and for the outcomes of those decisions. This is reflected in their
Mid‐Year and End‐of‐Year Reviews – and in their annual performance review.
Regarding Budget: At each district building, principals decide individual budget and expenditures each year ‐
based on student and staff needs. The decisions are based on data and research. TLE data drive staff
development budget decisions. Student achievement data drive building decisions for yearly budgets in
curriculum or instructional delivery. For example: Data that reflects increased need for reading intervention
drives a principal’s decision to increase funding for Read 180 licenses or increased staffing in this area. Or:
Data that indicates need for engaging instructional practices, drives a principal’s decision to increase the
budget for SmartBoards. The use of professional learning communities increases stakeholder input and
therefore increase the likelihood of successful implementation of a particular budget strategy. Again,
principals are held accountable for the decisions they make regarding use of budget authority. Student
achievement and teacher value‐addedness are reflections of these budget decisions. Both are analyzed in
annual principal and teacher leader performance reviews.
DETERMINATION OF CAPACITY BY REVIEWERS AND COMMENTS
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