Technical Assistance
IRRE provides technical assistance to districts and schools as they plan and implement
First Things First. These districts and schools vary widely in location, size and ethnic
make-up, but all of them share a determination to give their students a better shot at
academic success.
IRRE's technical assistance and consultation address:
- District-level development and support, including building a constituency for the reform;
obtaining and sustaining commitment from boards and district staff; mobilizing needed supports;
developing the system's leadership capacity; strengthening the foundation for collecting and
reporting data and preparing the ground for ongoing assessment of progress.
- School structural issues, including setting up small learning communities (SLCs) and the
Family Advocate System (FAS) and reworking staffing, budgets, space, schedules and course
structures to support both.
- Functional issues, including decision-making and team-building activities during the
planning year; providing training and ongoing supports around the Family Advocate System
and Small Learning Communities; identifying and training key personnel in the reform and
advising throughout the implementation.
- Instructional improvement, including orienting instructional leaders and staff to shared instructional goals,
setting up and overseeing staff training, training instructional coaches and working with system leaders to achieve
instructional goals in every classroom every day.
IRRE also develops new tools to support First Things First:
- Measuring What Matters gives teachers, administrators and family advocates the data
they need to monitor student progress and improve their own practices.
- FTF Literacy advances the language arts skills of struggling readers two to four
years behind grade level.
- A Guide to the Family Advocate System helps teaching staff serve in their new
role as advocates for students and families in their small learning communities.
IRRE also provides consultation on strategy to foundations, state and local officials and others working toward success for all students.
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