The Colorado Department of Education

Offices | Staff Contacts | Colorado.gov

High Growth Title I Schools

Videos

Use the links below to access videos of principals discussing their successes with some of the Leadership, School Culture, and Best First Instruction indicators, as well as a video of principals describing to what they attribute their school’s high catch-up growth.

Leadership

  • Principal leadership
    • Leadership video 1 - Principal addresses the importance of creating a culture to support all students and working together to accomplish this.
    • Leadership video 2 - Principal discusses his leadership style and the importance of relationships.
    • Leadership video 3 - Principal discusses the high expectations that he holds for staff and students.
       
  • Distributed leadership
    • Leadership video 4 - Principal speaks to a norm of shared leadership in the building, and why this is important.
       
  • Principal’s presence
    • Leadership video 5 - Principal addresses the importance of lesson planning and her expectations for staff in this area.
    • Leadership video 6 - Principal speaks about presence in classrooms every day – this builds relations with students as well.

School Culture

  • Core mission, vision and beliefs of the school permeate the culture
    • School culture video 1 - Principal discusses the need for all staff to hold high expectations and relationships that support this.
    • School culture video 2 - Principal speaks about the importance of accepting values and making them part of the school culture.
       
  • Expectations for high levels of staff and student performance – no excuses
    • School culture video 3 - Principal talks about the need to move from a teacher focus to a student focus: considered a critical factor in a school’s success.
    • School culture video 4 - Principal discusses how, in years past, there was a lot of excuse-making and how this was overcome.
    • School culture video 5 - Principal discusses how teachers’ attitudes and expectations were out of sync. School conducted book studies to change thinking.
       
  • Laser-like focus on the work necessary to accomplish student success
    • School culture video 6 - Principal discusses how data must be visible to teachers, used by teachers, and owned by teachers in order to facilitate decision-making.
    • School culture video 7 - Principal describes the various data tools and points used by staff.
       
  • Consistent and clear expectations for behavior and academic performance
    • School culture video 8 - Principal discusses how he tries to put discipline into perspective, as a means to a learning end.
    • School culture video 9 - Principal addresses the importance of what’s going on and why: becomes the causative factor for misbehavior.
    • School culture video 10 - Principal discusses the need for an organizational schema and adult’s use of consistent processes.
       
  • Apparent constructive synergy throughout the school at all levels – partnerships are evident
    • School culture video 11 - Principal discusses the improved activities for parents, so it is more active participation.
    • School culture video 12 - Principal speaks to his reticence to more actively involve parents until staff excuse-making changed.

Best First Instruction

Each principal provides a brief summary of the factors they believe contributed to the success of their school in increasing the academic performance of their lowest performing students.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Trish Boland, Ph.D.
303-866-6998
send an email

Nazanin Mohajeri-Nelson, Ph.D.
303-866-6205
send an email