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SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT SERVICES

McREL delivers evidence-based processes, programs, and professional learning to schools, districts, and education service agencies to drive quick wins and long-term school improvement and innovation. Through our on-site and online services, we help principals, school supervisors, superintendents, and other education leaders respond to their current and emerging needs to improve instructional practice, increase student expectations and achievement, and promote school and system effectiveness.

As your improvement partner, we’ll work side-by-side with you to plan and implement important changes and monitor the results. We’ll also work with your leaders and staff to build their own professional skills and capacity to improve outcomes and sustain momentum over the long term.

Co-Created Customizable School Improvement Services

Every school has unique conditions and needs. McREL prioritizes context and collaboration when working with our school and district clients. We don’t deliver one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf, prescribed programs. Before proposing any solutions or services, we first learn about your school community—your strengths and traditions, values and goals, culture, and areas of concern.

We then tailor our services to fit your specific needs, building contextualized solutions on a solid foundation of evidence-based best practices, forward-thinking concepts, an equity lens, and a systems approach to continuous improvement, including:

  • Capacity building of in-district expertise

  • Continuous improvement planning and implementation

  • Curriculum analysis and alignment with standards and assessments

  • Diagnostic review, needs assessment, program evaluation, and recommendations

  • Educator development and coaching

  • Leadership development and coaching

  • Professional learning

  • Turnaround and priority school improvement planning and implementation

Contact us today to learn more about our school improvement services and
see how we can help your school or district achieve its goals!

What Matters Most

What to Improve: What Matters Most®

McREL’s meta-analysis of decades of research on effective schools and districts revealed five high-leverage, high-payoff areas for school systems to invest in that are most likely to have positive effects on student success:

  • Challenging, engaging, and intentional instruction

  • Curricular pathways to success

  • Whole-child supports

  • High-performance school cultures

  • High-reliability district systems

Our team works with your educators to gain the knowledge, skills, and procedures needed to create and sustain these important conditions through our professional learning, coaching, analysis, and technical assistance services.

How to Improve: Curiosity Works® Improvement Phases

McREL’s analysis of improvement science, professional learning and curiosity, and the principles of high-reliability organizations led to our development of a six-phase process for school improvement. This approach, called Curiosity Works, works for schools of all performance levels and helps guide school leadership teams understand and move through each phase at their school, using our proven tools, strategies, and methods to support collaborative growth and collective efficacy.

  • Phase 1: Get Ready—Establish Shared Values, Moral Purpose, and Compelling Vision

  • Phase 2: Create Hopeful Urgency and Chart a Course

  • Phase 3: Focus on Teaching and Learning

  • Phase 4: Support Professional Learning and Collaboration

  • Phase 5: Embed Consistent, Deep Practices

  • Phase 6: Build a Purposeful Community

What our clients are saying . . .

“McREL has helped our staff to grow professionally and have a bigger impact on student learning.”

—Darrel Kohlman, superintendent, Kansas

“Our partnership with McREL has been extremely beneficial and is a
contributing factor toward the increase in our student achievement scores.”

—Rik Devney, principal, Nebraska

School Improvement Resources

Enrich Student Achievement and School Improvement

Let’s work together to achieve your goals!
Start a conversation on how we can support your school or organization.
800.858.6830 | info@mcrel.org