School District of Harrisburg

District Diagnostic Follow-Up | October 2019

Recovery Plan Advisory Committee Meeting
 Goals for today:

• Share how central office and school leaders are working

together to track progress and surface priorities since Mass
Insight District Diagnostic was delivered in spring 2019

• Name recognized progress made and outstanding areas of

need

• Gain advisory committee insights and reactions

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 Agenda

• Recap of pre-work

• Recap of session

• Headlines and what came of it

• Next steps

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 Agenda

• Recap of pre-work

• Recap of session

• Headlines and what came of it

• Next steps

© 2019 Mass Insight Education & Research 4 4

 Agenda

• Recap of pre-work

• Recap of session

• Headlines and what came of it

• Next steps

© 2019 Mass Insight Education & Research 5 5

 Goals for today Session: working with principals and
central office leadership 10/10/19

• Understand what Mass Insight found in the Harrisburg

School District in the spring of 2019, as described in the
District Diagnostic

• Name what we have each begun to do individually and

collectively to address challenges and recommendations
stemming from the report

• Distill what we believe we still need to address, and in

what order, as our next steps to improve the Harrisburg
School District, its member schools, and the educational
success of all of our students

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 Agenda Session: working with principals and
central office leadership 10/10/19

• Objectives, Do Now, Agenda

• Norms
• Unpack the report: clarifications
• Signs of progress
• Areas of need
• Next steps

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 Norms & assumptions
Session: working with principals and
central office leadership 10/10/19

• Be present
• Revel in the messiness
• Tell the truth
• Celebrate strengths
• Surface problems to get to solutions
• Take turns, but be sure to get yours (speak up / speak down)
• Keep in mind:
• Accept and expect non-closure
• This is part of an ongoing conversation about how to improve
• If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority

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 Core assumption: the district supports
schools to support learning

Improve schools to accelerate

student learning, bolster
achievement results, and ensure
readiness for college and career

Organize the central office

to better support schools

Session: working with principals and

central office leadership 10/10/19

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 Signs of progress: identify

• Take a marker and indicate…

this is no longer an issue

• we’ve begun to address

Session: working with principals and

central office leadership 10/10/19

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 Signs of progress: discuss

• What are the signs of progress? Can school leaders feel a

difference yet? Can students feel a difference?

Session: working with principals and

central office leadership 10/10/19

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 Areas of need: identify Session: working with principals and
central office leadership 10/10/19

MOST important issue for Harrisburg leaders

to spend resources (time, energy, money,
focus, etc.) improving in this area before the
start of SY20-21 (i.e. between NOW and
August 2020)

MOST important place for Harrisburg leaders

to spend resources (time, energy, money, etc.)
improving in this area during the next two
school years (i.e. between August 2020 and
August 2022)

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 Example

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 Areas of need: discuss & dig deeper

•What’s causing/perpetuating the issue?

•What do we need to learn about the issue?

•Do you see any “quick wins” (low effort for

everyone, low financial cost, high impact)?
If so, what?

Session: working with principals and

central office leadership 10/10/19
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 Next steps

• Update advisory committee

• Update PFM
• Ensure that principals and central office
leaders who support them understand
priorities and the ‘why’ behind them
• Dr. Samuels will be in touch with
further next steps

Session: working with principals and

central office leadership 10/10/19

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 Agenda

• Recap of pre-work

• Recap of session

• Headlines and what came of it

• Next steps

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 Signs of progress - conversation themes

• Protocols and procedures for procurement

• Greater focus on teaching and learning
• Greater responsiveness
• Better support and more presence from administrators in buildings
• Procedures
• Central office is better organized
• Principals have support
• Communication systems are stronger

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 Signs of progress - where 30%+ of leaders see
evidence of progress
• Address early literacy with a curriculum, teacher training, and clear communication of
what is tight and loose

• Establish regular cadence of school visits for principal supervisor to schools with clear
set of district- and school- level priorities that focus those visits and provide support
and accountability

• Determine sources of possible additional funds

• Create menu of options for school leaders for use of Title / Fed dollars

• Align budget to priorities

• Create a social media and website strategy/plan that celebrates what is going well in
Harrisburg

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 Signs of progress - where 50%+ of leaders see
evidence of progress
• Message a clear shift in the customer service orientation of central office to schools

• Commit to respectful interactions between adults

• Name a principal supervisor (or chief of schools) who can provide coaching, support,
and follow-up for principals related to their leadership development and key priorities

• Streamline academic assessments: how many, when, data cycle for teachers

• Create forum for disseminating information to/from relevant stakeholders in central

office and schools (e.g. newsletter, portal, website page, etc)

• Identify a few key data points to track (attendance, suspension, etc.) and ensure
training for school-level personnel on entry

• Create data calendar for review and distribution of reports to schools

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 Signs of progress - where 50%+ of leaders see
evidence of progress
• Message a clear shift in the customer service orientation of central office to schools

• Commit to respectful interactions between adults

• Name a principal supervisor (or chief of schools) who can provide coaching, support, and follow-up
for principals related to their leadership development and key priorities

• Streamline academic assessments: how many, when, data cycle for teachers

• Create forum for disseminating information to/from relevant stakeholders in central office and
schools (e.g. newsletter, portal, website page, etc)

• Identify a few key data points to track (attendance, suspension, etc.) and ensure training for school-
level personnel on entry

• Create data calendar for review and distribution of reports to schools

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 What are the most important issues to address before
next school year?

• Create list of contacts for principals for all operational

areas and commit to returning communications within
a business day

• District recruitment plan for sourcing and efficiently

hiring great teachers

• District plan for retaining great teachers in the highest

need settings

• Ensure teacher recruitment and retention plans

explicitly address ESL and SPED roles

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 Other high scorers: What are the most important issues
to address before next school year?

• Commit to respectful interactions between adults

• Determine how much money the school district has
• Align budget to priorities
• For schools that use an inclusion model for SPED,
ensure professional development for team teaching
models so that both teachers in the room are fully
utilized

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 What are the most important issues to address in SY20-
22?

• Create scope and sequence for district offerings of

teacher training in areas where data indicates
significant student learning needs

• Conduct root cause analysis of low teacher

attendance for each school and develop
comprehensive central office and school joint
attendance improvement plan for each campus where
daily average attendance and chronic absenteeism are
below/above a particular threshold

• Determine sources of possible additional funds

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 Overall biggest priorities

• District recruitment plan for sourcing and efficiently hiring great

teachers

• District plan for retaining great teachers in the highest need settings

• Create list of contacts for principals for all operational areas and commit
to returning communications within a business day
• Determine sources of possible additional funds

• Create scope and sequence for district offerings of teacher training in

areas where data indicates significant student learning needs

• Ensure teacher recruitment and retention plans explicitly address ESL

and SPED roles

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 Agenda

• Recap of pre-work

• Recap of session

• Headlines and what came of it

• Next steps

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