The Chicago Schools Alliance works to strengthen its member schools through the following activities:
IN-DEPTH PROJECTS
Alliance members agree to complete an In-Depth Project each school year that strengthens their practice. By holding schools accountable for completing their Projects and putting the results into practice, the Alliance insures that this “very important but not urgent” work gets done and that it is shared with other schools. Examples of In-Depth Projects include co-operative learning, teacher leadership, developing a new framework for bilingual education, and curriculum mapping.
PRACTICE-BASED INQUIRY® SCHOOL VISITS
The Alliance offers its member schools the opportunity to undertake a subsidized Practice-Based Inquiry School Visit as a means to reflect on and deepen the school’s educational practices, improve student learning, and strengthen the school. The Visit becomes the school’s In-Depth Project during the year it is conducted.
IDEA EXCHANGES
Teachers at members schools come together for regular “In It Together” idea exchanges around issues of common concern. Over dinner, many find this a unique opportunity to share challenges and learn from others’ successes (and challenges) in peer groups that cut across schools and are united by grade-level, subject or just common interest.
ANNUAL RETREAT
The annual summer retreat for member schools’ teachers and leaders is a primary time when learning from the In-Depth Projects is shared across schools. The two-day retreat provides an intense period of sharing, reflecting, and collaborative planning on ways to strengthen practice, increase school sustainability and intensify student learning and academic rigor.
BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY
Additionally, representatives of Alliance member schools’ leadership meet regularly throughout the school year to build an inter-school professional community. The Strategy Team’s work includes: sharing, supporting and critiquing each school’s work on In-Depth Projects; reactions to PBI School Visits and other innovative practices; and strategic planning for the Alliance.
Alliance members' work on their In-Depth Projects and their participation in a PBI School Visit are supported by annual grants from the Alliance. Member schools have used these grants to (among other things) engage education consultants, purchase specialized software and/or support their faculty’s work.
More information on the Chicago Schools Alliance:
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