Introduction to Partners in Learning

What is Partners in Learning?

Educators for Social Responsibility’s Partners in Learning combines a consultative process with “nuts and bolts” training and coaching to help high schools reach and teach all of today’s students. Our services can help you implement proven effective practices and programs linked to your school improvement goals. Partners in Learning is not a one-size-fits-all program, because differences in student population, faculty readiness, school size, and community context create distinctly different needs and opportunities. Our work with principals, school leadership teams, faculty, students, and families is informed by current research and best practices in educational leadership, instructional reform, prevention and youth development.

How can Partners in Learning help my school?

Partners in Learning provides consulting, training and follow-up support, personal coaching, and technical assistance to help schools implement and sustain changes that foster:

• a safer, more welcoming and respectful school climate

• a fair and seamless system of discipline and student support

• more positive and caring relationships among students and staff

• a learning culture that expects and supports every student to be academically successful

What kinds of initiatives support success for all students?

Over the last 12 years, Partners in Learning has helped high school educators discuss, develop, and implement practices and programs that have a proven track record of improving school climate, increasing student achievement, and reducing aggressive and disruptive behaviors. The following is a sampling of modules that can be delivered as standalone efforts or combined and sequenced to match your specific needs, entry points, and funding sources.

Partners in Learning modules

Improving School Climate and Increasing Student Success by Personalizing High Schools

1. Personalizing large or small high schools: benefits, success stories, and “how-to’s”

2. Establishing an effective advisory/home-base program

3. Developing and implementing successful small learning communities, including effective implementation of grade level teaching teams

4. Closing the achievement gap: what will it really take to make your school a place where all students can learn successfully?

5. School-wide initiatives that promote a positive peer culture and build a safe, welcoming, and respectful school climate for staff, students, and families

6. Strengthening and expanding student orientation

7. Conducting a school retreat to provide vision and direction for personalizing high schools;
creating classrooms where all students can become successful learners

8. Introduction to Partners in Learning core practices that build a caring, respectful, and disciplined community of learners in your classroom

9. Establishing high expectations and providing high support to help students meet them

10. Meeting the needs and interests of diverse learners – culturally responsive teaching

11. Working with reluctant, resistant, and failing students – nurturing students’ assets while addressing critical skill deficits

12. Student-centered learning: voice, choice, and negotiation in the classroom

13. Affirming diversity in your classroom—differentiated instruction and multiple intelligences

14. The new three R’s – rigor, relevance, and relationships

Establishing More Effective School-wide and Classroom Discipline and Student Support

15. Developing a seamless system of effective discipline and student support with a problem solving orientation – Increasing consistent enforcement and reducing classroom referrals

16. Developing effective alternatives to in-school and out-of-school suspension

17. Five steps to guided discipline and effective student support in the classroom

Promoting Instructional Leadership and Professional Learning and Development

18. Practices and protocols for establishing professional learning communities and effective instructional leadership team

19. Developing data-driven outcomes and interventions to get the results you want

20. New teacher orientation and mentoring

21. Tools for collaboration, managing conflict, and negotiating the change process

Linking Prevention, Emotional Intelligence, and Adolescent Development to Student Success

22. Helping students develop and strengthen self-management and self-discipline skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and group participation skills

23. Preventing harassment and violence through peer mediation, peer education, and other youth leadership initiatives

24. Adolescent development: How do adolescents’ developmental needs affect how they learn and impact how you teach?

Our acclaimed resource, Partners in Learning: From Conflict to Collaboration in Secondary Classrooms provides the practical “how-to’s” for reaching and teaching all students effectively.

How does Partners in Learning work?

We work in small and large high schools for a period of several weeks to several years. We can facilitate a one time process to help you address a particular problem or urgent concern, or we can help you develop, implement, and institutionalize specific program initiatives that support your school’s efforts to increase student achievement and strengthen students’ positive connections to school, peers, and adults.

At many schools we become a long-term partner helping administrative and faculty teams develop the tools and leadership capacity to manage and sustain a continuous process of change and school improvement.

To achieve successful results, we like to use a data driven consultative approach that begins with a series of conversations to:

• identify immediate concerns and barriers that need to be addressed in order to implement successful changes in your school and increase student achievement

• discuss the constraints and opportunities that influence your school improvement process

• explore the kinds of technical assistance that will help you achieve your desired outcomes

• develop a work plan and time line for implementing specific initiatives

To find out how Partners in Learning can serve your school or district, call us toll free at 800-370-2515, ext. 19 or fill out the form below to have us contact you about a customized quotation for our services.