Cambridge Education
Supporting your school improvement
Since 2002 we have partnered with schools, districts
and foundations across 28 states. We have added
measurable value to society through our commissions
that are primarily focused on the key areas of school
and district improvement and transformation,
and educator evaluation. One consistent feature
of our work in the U.S.A. has been the support we
have received from Philanthropic organizations,
ranging from local foundations such as the Lone Pine
Foundation in Connecticut, to global foundations such
as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
During the past year our work in the U.S.A. has directly
impacted on:
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The following represents a partial list of recent clients:
California:
Alliance Public Schools
Green Dot Public Schools
Pomona Public Schools
Sacramento Public Schools
Connecticut:
Bridgeport Public Schools
New Haven Public Schools
Florida:
Florida Association of District School Superintendents
Illinois:
Cahokia Public Schools
Michigan:
Benton Harbor Public Schools
Grand Rapids Public Schools
New York
New York City Department of Education
North Carolina:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Washington DC:
National Council de La Raza
Wisconsin:
Racine Public Schools
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A trusted partner with the knowledge and
skills to support school improvement
We provide a range of evaluation and school improvement services.
We work with partners to build capacity at the state, district, school and classroom
levels.
Experience counts.
Cambridge Education is an established name in the education sector with over 25 years of experience
working in over 45 countries across the world. For the past seven years in the United States we have
harnessed that unique experience in our partnerships with over 5,000 schools in more than 600 districts
across 28 states. With access to regional offices across the US and Canada, we have the resources and
capacity to respond to local, regional and national initiatives as they arise.
Diagnostic Services
On-going Self-Evaluation
t District Quality Reviews
t School Quality Reviews
t Student Engagement
Surveys
t Self-Evaluation Program
t Effective Classroom
Observation
How will you review
progress?
How well are you
doing?
Cambridge Education:
Supporting your school
improvement
What must you do
to make it happen?
What more can you
aim to achieve?
Strategies for
Improvement
Goal Setting and Planning
Support
t The Motivated Classroom Program
t Leadership Training and
Development
t Executive Coaching
t School and District
Action Planning
t School Improvement Planning
t Common Priorities
Design Cycle
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Why Cambridge Education?
Global expertise in support of local solutions
A whole-systems approach…
We have leveraged this experience to offer our
clients services that focus on:
As the single largest contractor of school
inspections in England, Cambridge
Education has developed a unique capacity
to understand student learning from the
perspective of educators at all levels.
Schools
CMOs
t
system coherence – helping align
stakeholders, resources, logistics, culture
and efforts to improve student outcomes
t
system and school improvement planning –
goal setting, policy development and
execution strategies premised on
continuous monitoring, evaluation, review
and revision
Classrooms
Districts
State
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system accountability – conducting quality
reviews for schools and districts
Diagnostic
Services
Ongoing
Self-Evaluation
Strategies for
Improvement
t
ESCs
Federal
Goal Setting &
Planning Support
…with rigorous attention to student
learning at the classroom level
Our focus on student learning from a systemic
perspective has also highlighted the need for
programs and services that build the capacity
of classroom teachers and school leaders. Our
capacity training and support programs focus on:
t
data-driven improvement – analyzing
data to diagnose conditions, build
consensus around priorities and create
strategic action plans that focus on the
improvement of student learning
t
teacher development – promoting high
quality teaching, engaged learners and
student achievement
t
leadership development – building
strategic leadership capacity at all levels
t
system supports in key areas – including
ELL populations, special needs children,
site-based management and wraparound
services
t
program coherence – aligning instruction,
curriculum and assessment to ensure that
students and teachers have coherent
experiences that promote student
achievement
An approach to working that
empowers our clients to help
themselves
All our work with clients is characterized by
the belief that we can only be successful if our
clients develop the knowledge, capacity and
mechanisms to help themselves. To that end, all
of our services:
t build on our clients’ existing strengths and
resources while pressing our clients to
address areas of weakness
t make sure our clients learn about widely
recognized best practices as well as
promising research
t encourage our clients to develop the
habit of selecting and collecting essential
data and acting on it
t help our clients work and learn together
in teams
Our programs address the seemingly
intractable challenges of education—isolation,
fragmentation, lack of rigor, motivation and
assuring joy among students and staff. We coach
and support our clients to develop customized
solutions for specific needs.
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How well are you doing?
Diagnostic services to improve student learning
Diagnostic
Services
The Quality Review process:
Our flagship service
Cambridge Education’s Quality Review programs
engage schools and districts in a process of quality
review and continuous improvement.
Our review process and self-evaluation tools
support schools and districts as they develop and
implement plans for improvement. We work with
individual clients to develop customized criteria
that are uniquely focused on student learning.
We also provide capacity-building programs and
orientation sessions for administrators and other key
stakeholders to ensure that they are fully engaged in
the review process.
Throughout the implementation of our review
and evaluation programs, we build a culture that is
focused on self-reflection and the analysis of results
and actions. Implemented in this way, our programs
serve as a powerful tool that can promote efforts to
improve at the district, school and classroom levels.
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Surveys of student engagement –
The Tripod Project
The Tripod Project aims to strengthen content,
pedagogy and relationships in ways that raise
achievement for all students.
Federal and state laws challenge public schools to
ensure that all students have academic success.
While there is often disagreement about how to
measure that academic achievement, educators
accept their responsibility to create school and
classroom conditions that promote student
success. But...
t
how do students perceive these
conditions that affect their learning
experiences?
t
how can educators assess whether
or not these desired conditions are
in place in their schools?
The Tripod Project is a national consortium
of schools and districts with a shared interest
in raising achievement for all students, while
narrowing gaps among students from different
racial, ethnic, and social class backgrounds. The
project derives its name from the conviction that
the most effective way of raising achievement
while closing gaps is to coordinate school
improvement efforts in three essential areas:
content, pedagogy and relationships.
The project administers surveys with students
and teachers at the classroom level to document
attitudes, perceptions, experiences and practices.
Participants use data from the surveys to analyze
student engagement, classroom practice and
school climate. Their understanding of the data
is guided by the Tripod Conceptual Framework
which includes five engagement targets, five
desired classroom learning conditions and five
desired characteristics of schools.
Academic Success for
all Students
Improved student
performance depends on
strengthening three
legs of a tripod:
Content
Pedagogy
Relationships
What should we teach? Does
the teacher have deep
knowledge of the
curriculum?
How should we teach? Does
each teacher use effective
instructional techniques?
Are we a community? Do
students and teachers care
about, inspire, and motivate
each other?
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What more can you aim to achieve?
Goal setting and planning support services to harness existing strengths
Essential Standards and Benchmark
Assessments
A focus on coherent instructional
improvement to align initiatives and improve
learning.
Goal Setting and
Planning Support
Goal Setting and Planning Support
We assist schools and districts to align and
integrate their systems and programs to
produce optimal student results.
We work in partnership with school systems
to promote the essential dimensions of a high
performing school system. In particular, we
support and assist school districts and state
education departments to develop high-quality
systems which focus on:
t
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attainment, learning and teaching;
curriculum and assessment
t
alignment and coherence of the
system’s focus on learning
t
leadership, culture and accountability
t
management of human and fiscal
resources
t
operational systems
t
stakeholder engagement and
satisfaction
Our approach is guided by the Common Priorities
Design Cycle (see next page). The Design Cycle
emphasizes the collaborative use of benchmark
assessments to prioritize learning goals and
improve instruction. Teacher teams become adept
at using the Design Cycle framework to carry out
well-defined projects to streamline curriculum,
analyze benchmark assessment results and
collaboratively design lessons.
As a result of engaging in this program teachers
will be able to:
t
focus and align curriculum around
essential standards
t
diagnose learning patterns in students
t
develop exemplary lessons that are
shared across the school
t
improve lesson design and assessment
design skills
t
use planning time effectively and
efficiently
t
build a culture of collaboration at the
school
The process begins with a collaborative review of current external assessments, such as state tests.
Teachers work together to prioritize learning goals and develop benchmark assessments based
on these goals. As teachers analyze the results of these assessments, they design lessons that
incorporate effective teaching strategies such as content literacy, differentiated instruction, critical
thinking skills and project-based learning. The process invites innovation in lesson design and aligns
learning priorities across classrooms.
Assess
External
learning
goals
Identify
learning goals
Assess
Adjust
Adjust
Student
Learning
Student
Learning
Teach
Teach
Design
assessments
Plan
learning
activities
External
assessments
Student
Learning
Teach
Analyze external
assessment
results
Analyze
benchmark
assessment
results
Prioritize
learning goals
Adjust
Student
Learning
Develop
benchmark
assessments
Teach
Collaboratively
design
lessons
Incorporate
effective
strategies
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What must you do to make it happen?
Professional development programs to build capacity
We have the experience and expertise to
facilitate a wide range of programs focused on
the development of strategic leadership. These
programs are customized for individual clients and
can include any of the following topics:
t
introduction to highly effective school
leadership
t
strategic leadership and accountability
t
leading teaching and learning
t
leading and managing staff
t
leading for improvement
Leadership Training and Development
t
efficient and effective use of resources
Our programs focus on student learning and
strategic leadership.
t
school self-evaluation and school
improvement planning
Strategies for
Improvement
Providing high-quality leadership training and
development for administrators is a key element
for schools as they strive to provide a high-quality
education for every student.
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These options use a variety of delivery methods for
more flexible scheduling. In addition to traditional
face-to-face classroom meetings, our programs
also include synchronous and asynchronous
distance learning opportunities.
The Motivated Classroom Program
Student engagement and self-motivation
promote successful learning.
These strategies include:
The Motivated Classroom program is a series of
professional development activities designed to
help teachers understand how motivation works
and why we need to help students become
self-motivated.
This program gives teachers a wide range of
practical strategies for developing classroom
climates which promote and foster student
engagement and self-motivation.
t
improving oral and written feedback
t
asking questions in ways that both stimulate
student thinking and provide richer
assessment data
t
crafting learning intentions and success
criteria that promote student effort and
successful learning strategies
t
promoting self- and peer- assessment by
students
The Motivated Classroom program challenges teachers to look at how they relate to students and how
they help students learn. This program offers teachers a practical alternative to authoritarian “praise and
punishment” classroom culture and focuses on building students’ self-efficacy through relationships,
achievement and empowerment.
value
3
motivating
classroom
The humid
classroom
2
1
The sharing
classroom
The secure
classroom
empower
restrict
The
stormy
classroom
The cold
classroom
reject
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How will we maintain your efforts?
Mechanisms for engaging in on-going self-evaluation
Ongoing
Self-Evaluation
Effective Self-Evaluation
Conducting effective self-evaluation is an essential
skill for districts and schools wishing to engage in
continuous quality improvement.
Our Effective Self-Evaluation program enables
administrators to work through a structured protocol
that promotes self-evaluation. Through this approach,
self-evaluation becomes an important tool as educators
work to develop and implement school improvement
plans.
The self-evaluation program leads educators to address
the following key questions:
t
What key outcomes have we achieved?
t
How well do we meet the needs of our
stakeholders?
t
How good is the delivery of our education?
t
How good is our management?
t
How good is our leadership?
t
What is our capacity for improvement?
Participants in this program will learn to use
self-evaluation as an effective tool to support district
and school improvement efforts.
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Effective Classroom Observation (ECO)
Classroom observation is an important part of
school improvement efforts.
All staff learn about:
Our Effective Classroom Observation program
gives teachers and administrators the confidence
and skills they need to judge whether lessons are
effective and student work meets state and district
standards.
t
the role of lesson observations for
improving teaching and learning
t
the use of agreed criteria
t
recording evidence to support feedback
t
providing effective feedback
The program helps instructional leaders as they
work to use classroom observations to support
teachers through:
t
making judgments on teaching and
learning that are supported by evidence
t
ensuring that teachers receive constructive
feedback
t
considering the role of reviewing student
work, talking to students and using
performance data
Our Effective Classroom Observation program
promotes the development of consistent
standards across a school, district or state in
making judgments about teaching and learning.
Offered as a district and school-level program,
ECO can nurture partnerships between schools
as they work together to improve these
essential skills.
This program also prepares teachers to observe
each other and to provide constructive feedback.
This enables the involvement of all staff in
monitoring and improving the quality of teaching
and student learning.
Effective Classroom
Observation
Raised
achievement
Improvements in
teaching and
learning
Improving Teaching
and Learning
Informative
feedback to
teachers
Recorded
observations
Leading
to...
Leading
to...
Provide
the
basis
for...
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Cambridge Education has partnered with clients
throughout the United States and across the world.
The following represents a sample of recent projects.
New York City Department of
Education (NYCDOE)
Drawing on our global expertise in supporting
education reform at scale, we are working with the
Department in a multi-year effort to develop and
utilize school quality review protocols in all of its
schools. In addition, a number of individual schools
and NYDOE support organizations have partnered
with us to design and deliver a wide range of school
improvement programs, including an innovative
school leadership training program.
Connecticut State Department of
Education
We have partnered with the Department of Education
and school districts to support school and district
improvement as part of a state-wide five-year plan.
We have provided strategic planning support to
the Department, conducted quality reviews for the
lowest-performing schools and districts and supported
capacity-building at the state, district and school
levels.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg,
North Carolina
Worldwide Experience in the UK and
China
Cambridge Education has been enlisted as a partner
to assist the district in achieving ambitious teaching
and learning goals. We provide support for school
quality review, as well as leadership and capacity
building.
Since 2000, Cambridge Education has been
responsible for running several school districts,
including the London Borough of Islington. Our
work in Islington has transformed one of the most
challenged and lowest performing local education
authorities into one of the most improved in
England. Islington now ranks in the top 30% of local
authorities as evidenced by independent Ofsted
inspections and Islington schools show the fastest
rate of improvement nationally, demonstrated
through performance on national testing.
Department of Public Instruction,
North Carolina
We have partnered with the Department of
Public Instruction in North Carolina to build the
department’s capacity to assess the progress of
some of the most challenged schools and districts
in the state. We have delivered programs to build
the capacity of the department’s staff, and we have
coached and supported the work of NCDPI assessors
during onsite visits to schools and districts.
Sacramento Unified School District,
California
Since 2002, we have been contracted to provide
leadership training and support for a cohort of thirty
schools in Haidian District, the most innovative
and progressive district in central Beijing. We have
also delivered program support to seven hundred
principals in Gansu province, the most remote
and underprivileged region of Western China.
This program was aimed at total transformation of
the education system, providing a broad range of
training and support for principals in this region.
In addition to providing school quality reviews
and capacity building training for SUSD, we have
integrated the eight different school and schoolrelated improvement frameworks, previously used
within the district, into a single holistic School
Improvement Framework.
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Cambridge Education is a global education
organization, based in Cambridge, England
and with offices in the United States and
throughout the world.
We have offices in New York, NY and
Westwood, MA. We provide a range of
diagnostic, review, and evaluation services
and partner with schools and districts to
offer professional development and school
improvement programs. Cambridge
Education is a member of the Mott
MacDonald Group.
Cambridge Education (LLC)
400 Blue Hill Drive, Suite 100, Westwood, MA 02090
t: 781-915-0040
e: info@camb-ed-us.com
w: www.camb-ed-us.com
Cambridge
Education
CE009-0513