School Improvement - Louisiana Department of Education

THE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS:
• Results in a plan that is collaborative among representative school stakeholders who serve as
the School Improvement Team (SIT)
• Is led by a functioning SIT
Note: The SIT can seek external assistance in conducting needs assessments and in validating
the SIT’s interpretation of data. A District Assistance Team (DAT) can serve in this capacity.
• Often depends on the expertise of a DAT in collaboration with the SIT
• Is based on data
• Reveals where a school is and where it must go
• Involves the change process
• Is led by the principal, but all members of the staff and community are involved in the design
and implementation
• Entails commitment by all stakeholders: administration, faculty, parents, students, and
community
• Is continual and recursive
• Requires commitment to the vision of what the school can become
• Requires collaboration with the district office, the school’s District Assistance Team (DAT), and
other assistance partners, if such personnel are in place
• Uses the Degree of Implementation (DIG) for evaluating the implementation of the SIP
The School Improvement Process has three distinct yet overlapping phases – planning, implementing,
and evaluating until the changes become institutionalized as part of the school’s culture.
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