Wednesday, August 1, 5:00-5:30, SUB Ballroom C, Theme: Partnership

Rural schools face unique improvement partnership challenges regardless of format - networked improvement communities, research and practice partnerships, innovation collaboratives and/or collective impact frameworks.  The presenters have rich experience in working effectively with rural schools across all these improvement formats.  Based on both practical experience and related research, the presenters will highlight effective strategies and processes for scaling and sustaining efficacious school improvement partnerships.  Specifically, the presentation will focus on:

  • Networking: What network strategies and processes optimally connect and develop improvement efforts across rural districts and schools?
  • Leading: What capacities and supports do rural partnership leaders need to be successful?
  • Impacting: How do participating schools and districts "scale down" improvement efforts that make a real difference?

The presentation will center on a partnership framework that blends improvement science, collective impact and place based education design principles and practices with real life examples from around the world.