Setting Direction
CEC engages schools and districts in a process that identifies effective practices and areas for improvement. We use methods that result in thoughtful guidance that sets the direction for the work in a district or school, including a scope and sequence for services that most effectively builds capacity for long-term improvement.
Our Services:
Strategic Planning
CEC offers a strategic planning approach for school districts who want to engage their stakeholders in the process. The approach results in a final plan that becomes a guiding document for continuous improvement.
Using a research-based process, CEC works closely with district leaders to tailor the process to fit the system’s unique needs and create a strategic plan that:
- Determines gaps between current performance and preferred future performance.
- Articulates clear focus and priorities by identifying the most urgent actions with a “less is more” philosophy.
- Provides a clear one-page roadmap to move the district to a high level of performance.
- Establishes a vision that is reflective of research-based practices and a continuous improvement framework.
- Defines how to measure success through goals, indicators, measures and targets to ensure the plan is a S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable or Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) plan connected to an aligned data system.
- Connects the work of students, teachers, teams, schools and departments to organizational success through operational action plans.
- Aligns leader and teacher performance evaluation systems to meet federal and state requirements for student growth.
- Utilizes a progress monitoring and reporting system to ensure accountability for improving results.
CEC partners with the Strategy Management Group/Scorecard Institute to assist districts in living the plan following approval by the Board of Education. These strategies ensure that the district has a return on the investment of establishing a plan. There are eight dimensions that provide a framework for this management: Leadership, culture and values, strategic thinking and planning, alignment, performance measurement, performance management, process improvement, and sustainability. A virtual and/or face-to-face network aligned to these dimensions provides all districts where CEC has facilitated strategic planning to learn from one another, share products and artifacts and professionally learn together.
A virtual option is available, if requested.
To learn more please complete the form at the bottom of this page.
Commitment Level: 5 days
Budget Range: $20,000 – $30,000
Personnel Involved: All levels of stakeholders
School Improvement Planning
CEC offers a collaborative, continuous improvement approach to guide school and district leaders in developing and implementing effective school improvement goals and strategies that impact student learning. Our work is based on a continuous improvement framework that is grounded in research, informed by data and actively engages faculty, staff and students.
CEC’s approach guides schools and districts toward building a culture of collaboration, coherence and continuous improvement in ways that will improve school climate and culture, develop leadership capacity, promote family and community partnerships and advance academic equity for all students.
To learn more please complete the form at the bottom of this page.
Budget Range: $10,000 – $20,000
Personnel Involved: All levels of stakeholders
SMART Training
In partnership with Anne Conzemius and SMART Learning Systems (SLS), CEC offers a variety of SMART Goal training for schools and/or teams. The SMART School Academy is for districts who are looking to create and sustain a system that:
- Uses goal management to align school, team and classroom improvement efforts across all grade levels in the district
- Incorporates a collaborative, data-driven methodology to guide teachers’ instructional decision making for improved student learning
- Uses job-embedded professional learning as an ongoing strategy to close achievement gaps
- Has the internal capacity to monitor student progress on a continuous basis and make adjustments to professional practice based on current, relevant data
What is the SMART School Academy?
The SMART School Academy is a year-long step-by-step, hands-on, guided learning experience that takes participants through the SMART School Improvement Process; a data-driven, collaborative process that is focused on improving student achievement. At each step, participants learn tools and methods for engaging their colleagues in research-based professional practices.
Teams will have an individual Master SMART coach who will work with you to implement the process so that you and your district or organization will benefit immediately by your participation. At the end of the year, you will be fully qualified and certified to be an internal facilitator and coach of the process, thus sustaining continuous improvement of student learning in your organization.
Who should attend the Illinois SMART School Academy?
The Academy is open to teams of two or more individuals from districts with a passion for improving schools and student learning, with the objective of building your district’s internal capacity. You don’t need prior training in coaching or in the SMART School Improvement Process to be selected as a participant – that is what you will learn in the Academy. Ideal candidates are those who have responsibility for leading school improvement in their school or district, instructional coaches, those who support them in the central office, principals, and members of their campus teams are ideal candidates.
What is the format and training dates?
Virtual Format: The Academy is organized into 4 training sessions. Each session consists of 4 two-hour modules using Zoom meeting technology. In addition, the Academy includes 4 remote team SMART coaching sessions, and a dedicated online collaborative space for sharing resources.
Face-to-face Format: The Academy is organized into four two-day sessions spread throughout the year. Team SMART coaching sessions are held in between sessions.
To learn more please complete the form at the bottom of this page.
Commitment Level: Year-long training and coaching
Budget Range: $3,000 per person which includes year-long training, coaching, all materials, and certification (to train others within their own district)
Personnel Involved: All levels of stakeholders within the school
Executive/Transformational Coaching
One of the most effective ways that a school system can help an educational leader be successful is by providing the support of an external coach. CEC offers customized executive coaching for experienced leaders and induction coaching for leaders new to their role. CEC adapts both approaches so that the support is focused on the coachee’s goals within a framework of inquiry and reflection in order to build capacity.
Executive Coaching
CEC’s executive coaching focuses on supporting leaders with the issues and challenges that are most relevant to their current professional reality. The process empowers educational leaders to achieve results by aligning their purpose, choices, and actions. All coaching efforts are based on clearly defined goals and timetables that are determined jointly by the executive leader and coach. Experienced educational leaders are matched with coaches based upon experience and background.
Induction Coaching
CEC’s induction coaching assists the administrator with understanding the dynamics of a new role and the importance of acting with purpose within that new role. CEC’s induction coaching is built on the knowledge that all new administrators need support to help them acclimate to their role, assess the landscape, build relationships, and identify major goals and strategies. The induction coaching approach CEC uses has proven to be impactful as educational leaders who are supported by a CEC coach report feeling successful in navigating the complexities of their new role.
CEC has various customizable structures for both executive and induction coaching to support the unique needs of district and school administrators that include four delivery models:
- Individual Coaching
- Combined Individual and Group Coaching within the Same District
- Group Coaching
- Virtual Coaching
To learn more please complete the form at the bottom of this page.