BEST PRACTICES

Elementary School Best Practices Framework-NY

Research teams investigated ten consistently higher- and five consistently average- performing elementary schools to determine differences in their practices along the five themes of the framework below. Here are the results for New York elementary schools. For more information about each finding, click on the cell.

Elementary Schools (2005) Middle Schools (2007) High Schools (2008) Middle School Science (2009)

Organizing Themes District Practices School Practices Classroom Practices
Continually revise standards-based curriculum map with input from stakeholders at all levels Build fundamental skills early with a cohesive and coherent curriculum Draw on teachers' professional knowledge to enhance student learning and meet goals
Hire through rigorous processes and encourage teachers through mentoring and professional development Encourage, plan for, and schedule for collaboration and communication Collaborate regularly within grade levels and across grade levels
Solicit input from stakeholders at many levels about program and material adoptions Design meaningful activites around student needs and learning standards Provide differentiated instruction within classroom not remediation
Regularly share and review assessment data among administration and staff Review assessment data to address student needs Consistently evaluate students with a variety of assessment tools
Recognize students for effort, character, and citizenship in addition to academics Use child study teams to develop and implement plans to help struggling students Offer tutorials before or after school and in summer programs for struggling students