Transform Your School

The Transformation Academy guides principals and their A-Teams (teachers) in transforming their instructional system and shifting school culture.

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Transforming Instruction and Culture

The Academic Development Institute (ADI), in its partnership with WestEd in the Center on School Turnaround, played a key role in developing the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement, a framework that is now a guiding document for many states, districts, and schools. The “four domains” are Leadership, Talent, Instruction, and Culture.

In 2017, ADI launched the Transformation Academy to provide school-level training on two of the domains—Instruction and Culture, both of which naturally also address aspects of Leadership and Talent.

The Transformation Academy now includes:

JUMP-STARTING INSTRUCTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

For principals with district liaisons.

DEEP DIVE IN INSTRUCTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

For principals and lead teachers with district liaisons.

BUILD LEARNING HABITS

For teachers, principals, and district personnel who work with teachers.

CULTURE SHIFT INITIATIVE

For three-member school teams (principal, teacher, parent) with district liaisons.

TRANSFORMING THE DISTRICT SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR INSTRUCTION

For a team of 3-4 District Staff (including Superintendent)

Jump-Starting Instructional Transformation

By participating in Jump-Starting Instructional Transformation, your school:

Enhances instructional leadership (principal and teacher A-Team)
Bolsters practice-focused collaboration among faculty
Examines the school experience through the eyes of students
Closely examines each stage in the instructional system
Creates a 90-Day Action Plan to address priorities to improve the instructional system
Launches and monitors implementation of the 90-Day Action Plan

Jump-Starting Instructional Transformation depends upon the Transformer-in-Chief (the participating principal) working closely with an A-Team of two or more teachers gathered for purposes of transforming instruction. The principal attends the four, one-day training sessions and engages the A-Team during the intersession weeks with agendas and implementation materials introduced in the training sessions.

So many participants have stated it’s the best professional development they’re received their entire career. Knowing the impact it’s had on our principals, we have to continue it.

Molly Killingsworth

Regional Support Coordinator, Alabama

Deep Dive in Instructional Transformation

By participating in Deep Dive in Instructional Transformation, your school:

Enhances instructional leadership (principal and lead teachers)
Strengthens each stage in the instructional system
Bolsters practice-focused collaboration through the sharing and review of lessons plans and taught lessons
Builds students’ learning competencies through the Big Four strategies

Deep Dive in Instructional Transformation is an advanced learning opportunity for principals (and their district and state supporters) who have completed the four sessions of Jump-Starting Instructional Transformation. In Jump-Starting Instructional Transformation, the principal works with an A-Team of teachers in the school to implement the tasks introduced to the principal at the sessions. In Deep Dive’s four sessions, two teachers join the principal for the sessions and work closely with the principal to implement the tasks at the school.

Wow! Where do I start? My entire thought process has changed. I look at everything differently, and my leadership skills will be much better for next year. I better understand the meaning of “transformation."

Raxie Baker

Principal, Jackson, MS

Build Learning Habits

By participating in Build Learning Habits, teachers in your school:

Review the fundamentals of instructional design, including lesson definition, lesson detail, and lesson enhancement
Learn an array of strategies to build students’ capabilities as learners and how to incorporate them in lessons
Examine helpful lesson planning templates that provide guidance for building students’ learning skills and motivation to learn
Develop exemplary enhanced lesson plans, created by each teacher for classes they teach
Use a feedback rubric to review and strengthen lesson plans, reflect on lessons, and collaborate to build a library of “super lessons”

Build Learning Habits is based on the pioneering work of the Center on Innovations in Learning (CIL) at Temple University. CIL’s research and content development for instructional design follows two parallel tracks: (1) Strengthen the fundamentals of basic lesson design, and (2) Enhance strong lessons with strategies to build students’ capabilities as learners.

I feel that the Transformation Academy has significantly impacted the level of collaboration between school leaders and members of the A-Team. In addition, I trul y believe leaders are more cognizant of the amount of time spent with building capacity in others and increasing learning opportunities for students.

Jennifer Maye

Jefferson County, AL

Culture Shift Initiative

By participating in Culture Shift Initiative, your school:

Builds the expertise of a Culture Shift Team (principal, teacher, parent) about school culture, its impact on learning, and ways to strengthen the school culture
Conducts a thorough review and analysis of the current school culture
Describes the ideal school culture
Develops and implements a plan to engage the school community and make the ideal school culture a reality
Shares its ideas and experiences with other schools

The Culture Shift Initiative equips a Culture Shift Team (principal, teacher, parent) to guide the school community in reviewing the current school culture, describing the ideal school culture, and closing the gap between the two.

The “A‐team” has created a PLC that is a true “change engine” in how our school now approaches the instructional processes as we meet the needs of our students.

Michael Turner

Principal, Pinson Valley HS

Transforming the District Support System for Instruction

District teams are given an opportunity to look closely at how they support instruction in their district. The district assesses their support through reviewing sets of questions and then vets their self-assessment by sharing with the principals in their district and receiving feedback. The district plans next steps and reviews progress in a follow up call after the final training with the education specialist.