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The Indiana Education Leadership Initiative
The Indiana Task Force on Increasing Student Achievement Through Family, School and Community Partnerships
The Indiana School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Initiative
The Indiana Transition Initiative
The Indiana Early Childhood Initiative
Leadership initiative co-planners and presenters are: Dr. Albert Bertani, Senior Researcher, University of Illinois at Chicago and Joanne Quinn, Senior Advisor, International Projects, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.
This series of four leadership academies and two capacity-building training sessions build upon the knowledge and skill base that school leaders obtained during the 2005-06 leadership academies. The 2006-07 series will continue to focus on “Instructional Improvement & Knowledge of the Change Process”. This year-long program will develop the instructional leadership skills of central office administrators, principals, assistant principals and teacher and parent leaders serving on school leadership teams. The overall design will deepen knowledge and build skills across the following areas:
Effective team-based instructional leadership
School improvement
Applying leadership skills to implement school improvement initiatives
Projected Outcomes
As a result of participating in the Indiana Education Leadership Initiative throughout the 2006 – 2007 school year, participants and schools will realize the following outcomes:
Deepen the understanding and improve implementation of IN-SIG goals and initiatives
Improve the practice of instructional leaders working in a variety of roles
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Improve and enhance professional development and professional learning opportunities
Ensure regular attention to change management strategies to improve implementation
Broader engagement of school staff and community in local school improvement efforts
Expanded leadership capacity to support school improvement and IN-SIG initiatives
Evidence of Impact
Leadership Academy PowerPoint Slide Show (5MB)
2005/2006 Indiana Education Leadership Initiative Archive (.doc file)
This series of four task force meetings is presented in collaboration with the Indiana Partnership Center, a federally funded Parent Information Resource Center located in Indianapolis.
Projected Outcomes
As a result of participating in the Indiana Task Force on
Increasing Student Achievement Through Family, School and Community
Partnerships the following outcomes will be realized:
Stakeholder groups from across the state will collaboratively develop strategies to strengthen family, school, and community partnerships
Activities will be initiated at the state and local levels that will strengthen student achievement through family, school and community partnerships
Commitments will be established to implement these activities
Student trend data will indicate increased achievement in areas related to academic achievement, suspension and expulsion, and high school graduation
Evidence of Impact
You can download additional information (200KB Word Document) HERE.
The Indiana School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Initiative
The Indiana School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Initiative is a comprehensive, data-driven and research based initiative designed to positively influence the school culture, student behavior and ultimately, academic achievement in participating sites. IN-SIG’s support for sites participating in this initiative will include training and technical assistance at the building, district, regional and state levels while coordinating efforts to build local capacity and sustainability.
The design for the 2006-07 year will provide three training sessions for a new cohort of school teams, two training sessions for the last years’ returning cohort, as well as site visit coaching and mentoring for all teams participating throughout the six districts.
Projected Outcomes
As a result of participating in the Indiana Positive Behavior Support Initiative, participants and schools will accomplish the following:
School teams will develop a data-based school-wide behavior support plan
School teams will implement their behavior support plan and continue to collect and analyze behavior related data trends
School teams will maintain and strengthen an effective school-wide behavior plan based on data analysis and project evaluation
Student trend data will indicate increased achievement in areas related to academic achievement, suspension and expulsion, and high school graduation
The Positive Behavior Support Initiative is designed and implemented by Dr. Robert March, Director, Effective Educational Practices, Boulder, Colorado.
Evidence of Impact
The Indiana Transition Initiative
Part I: The Indiana Post School Follow-Up System
The goal of this initiative is to provide timely, reliable and valid data concerning the disposition of special needs students upon leaving their high school program, three years post leaving and five years post leaving. This collaborative project with the Indiana Department of Education, Division of Exceptional Learners and Ball State University is an outgrowth of the Indiana Graduate Follow-up Study that has been conducted on a limited basis for several years in Indiana.
This evidence-based project has demonstrated that educators in Indiana can collect, analyze and utilize data to make program decisions related to improving transition services for students with disabilities. The new system has completely revised the current Follow-up Study. The Indiana State Improvement Grant will fund a full time Project Coordinator/Training Manager who will be responsible for training, facilitation, coaching, program development, coordination of resources and data analysis during the statewide scaling up process.
Part II: The Indiana Employability Skills Assessment and Reporting Initiative
The goal of this initiative is to facilitate an effective transition from school instruction to successful employment for students who are challenged by disabilities, academic deficiencies, environmental or other at-risk factors. This can be accomplished by partnering multi-system resources and standardizing performance-based assessment structures statewide.
This collaborative effort is being jointly planned and developed by representatives from the Department of Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Workforce Development, the Department of Correction, and educators from around the state.
Projected Outcomes
This collaborative effort will result in the following:
Evidence of Impact
Indiana Transition Initiative Archive (.doc file)
The Indiana Early Childhood Initiative
Phase 1: The Early Childhood Transition Video
The Indiana State Improvement Grant, in collaboration with the Division of Exceptional Learners, Indiana Department of Education and Ball State University, supported the design, production and dissemination of a video on effective early transition practices. The objective is to improve community-wide transition systems to ensure positive and effective transition experiences for families and students. This resource helps explain the transition process with activities and timelines. It provides consistent transition information statewide. The video’s primary audience is families of children with disabilities moving from First Steps to Early Childhood Special Education, Head Start, or other options at age three.
The DVD, Steps to Success – Transition at Age 3, has been completed and is now ready for statewide dissemination. Copies are available in both Spanish and English. A transition resource card in both languages is included with the DVD. Ten thousand copies have been made. The copies will be distributed through agency networks from First Steps, Division of Exceptional Learners, the Head Start Association, Parent Organizations, and through the State Transition Initiative. Distribution through the State Public Library system is being studied. A DVD evaluation form is provided with each DVD. The evaluation may also be completed on-line on the Indiana Transition Initiative web site at http://www.indianatransition.org/.
For more information, contact:
Sheron Cochran,
Early Childhood Education Consultant,
Division of Exceptional
Learners, Indiana Department of Education
Phone: (317) 232-0567
or toll free at 1-877-851-4106.
Email:
scochran@doe.state.in.us.
Phase 2: The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale
The Indiana State Improvement Grant, in collaboration with the Division of Exceptional Learners, Indiana Department of Education, supports training which will lead to statewide implementation of the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS). The use of this evidence-based rating scale will improve the quality of public school preschool special education classes. This rating scale has 43 items organized into 7 subscales:
Space and Furnishings
Personal Care Routines
Language-Reasoning
Activities
Interaction
Program Structure
Parents and Staff
The six IN-SIG school district sites served as pilot sites
during the 2005-06 school year. As part of replicating the success of the
initial implementation of this rating scale in 2005-06, IN-SIG will fund an
additional lead observer and a full time coordinator/trainer for 2006-07.
The expanded ECERS team will provide training and technical assistance to
participating school districts throughout the school year.
Evidence of Impact
2005/2006 Indiana Early Childhood Initiative Archive (.doc file)
For more information about the ECERS rating scale go to
www.fpg.unc.edu/~ecers. Click on "the scales in practice"
to find a list of projects using the rating scale for research and
evaluation, as well as program improvement.
