Executive Summary
The John J. Doran School proposes an energetic and visionary “re-invention” to address
historical issues of persistent low achievement. The district’s overall approach to the
school’s redesign is based on the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) Coherence
Framework (Childress, Elmore, Grossman, & King, 2007). At the center of the
framework is the instructional core, which represents the critical work of teaching and
learning that goes on in classrooms. According to Childress et al. (2007), surrounding
the instructional core is strategy, defined as:
…the set of actions a district deliberately takes to provide capacity and support to the
instructional core with the objective of raising student performance district-wide.
Strategy informs how the people, activities, and resources of a district work together to
accomplish a collective purpose. A district must begin at the nucleus of its organization—
teaching and learning—and develop strategy from the inside-out.” (p. 3)
The PELP framework calls for the development of a Theory of Action to facilitate
strategy development and link strategy to mission. The district’s Theory of Action states:
If we engage in professional learning opportunities grounded in essential academic
content and share in systematic decision making about teaching and learning, and if we
support, monitor and hold each other accountable for planning and delivery of targeted
instruction, then students will demonstrate high academic achievement and motivation to
be successful.
To provide capacity and support to the instructional core at the Doran School, the
district’s strategy development for redesign is based on the following set of actions,
named as Building Blocks:
Building Block 1 – Build a Collaborative Culture
Create and sustain job-embedded professional development, common planning time for
grade level teams, and professional learning opportunities to new and deeper levels of
collaboration between and among teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators.
Connecting facts, concepts, proof points based on research:
 No school can help all students achieve at high levels if teachers work in
isolation.
 Schools improve when teachers are given the time and support to work together to
clarify essential student learning, develop common assessments for learning,
analyze evidence of student learning, and use that evidence to learn from one
another.
 The fundamental purpose of the Doran School is to help all students achieve high
levels of learning, and therefore all practices are examined in light of their impact
on learning.
Building Block 2 – Build Educator Capacity
Promote educators’ deep understanding of content knowledge and make use of researchbased instructional strategies and a variety of classroom assessments.
Connecting facts, concepts, proof points based on research:
 Researchers identify a strong relationship between teachers’ content knowledge
and the achievement of their students.
 Three dimensions of content knowledge contribute to effective teaching: (1) deep
knowledge of the academic disciplines related to the subjects of instruction, (2)
pedagogical content knowledge and (3) knowledge of the state standards and
district curriculum for subjects taught at particular instructional levels.
Building Block 3 – Improve the Instructional Core
Focus on and improve the instructional core to provide consistent, high-quality, tiered
instruction that engages and challenges all students in acquiring the skills, strategies,
understandings, and knowledge necessary for the 21st century.
Connecting facts, concepts, proof points based on research
 Learning and achievement are not determined or limited by race, family income,
native language, disability, gender, or area of residence.
 Learning and achievement are outcomes of a highly functioning instructional
core, which is defined by the interactions among engaged students, effective
teachers, and rigorous content.
Building Block 4 – Focus on Results
Seek relevant data and information and use that information to promote continuous
improvement. Use evidence to inform and improve instructional practice.
Connecting facts, concepts, proof points based on research
 Educators in high performing schools assess their efforts on the basis of tangible
results. They are hungry for evidence of student learning and use that evidence to
inform and improve their practice.
 Schools measure their effectiveness on the basis of results rather than intentions.
 All programs, policies, and practices are continually assessed on the basis of their
impact on student learning.
 All staff members receive relevant and timely information on their effectiveness
in achieving intended results.
The Building Blocks ensure the critical work of improving teaching and learning in
Doran’s classrooms while addressing first year priorities of teacher collaboration and
tiered instruction, however, these alone are not enough to maximize the rapid academic
achievement of Doran students. Strategic actions are necessary to support the physical,
social, and emotional needs of Doran students, and in many cases, those of their families.
To this end, Doran’s redesign includes an innovative model of “wrap-around” services
for students and families. The Building Blocks and wrap-around services combined with
expanded learning opportunities and a commitment to teacher and school leader
effectiveness will serve to improve the lives and academic achievement levels of Doran
students.