Spotlight Schools

We identify 34 high-poverty schools that achieved proficiency rates of at least 50% in math and/or ELA on the 2024 Georgia Milestones Assessment. Through surveys and interviews with their principals, we examined the strategies driving their success and identified three common themes:

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Spotlight schools leverage both academic and non-academic data to inform instruction, monitor student progress, and set goals. Principals encourage data literacy by ensuring educators have the time, knowledge, and resources to analyze and operationalize student data.
• Collaborative Leadership and Capacity Building: School leaders cultivate collabora-tive school cultures where educators have opportunities to share expertise, express concerns, and inform decision-making. Professional development, professional learning communities, and coaching build educator capacity.
• Small Group Instruction: Schools provide all students with access to grade-level content while creating additional small-group intervention blocks for remediation or acceleration.

The success of these schools reflects a coordinated commitment to excellence at every level of governance. States set the stage by incentivizing evidence-based strategies through policy and funding, while districts provide the necessary support and resources. However, it is ultimately principals who bring these strategies to life, and this research underscores that strong local leadership is an essential driver of meaningful improvements in student outcomes.

By examining the strategies and practices implemented by these “spotlight schools” via surveys and interviews with school leaders, we seek to uncover what has worked to achieve these positive academic outcomes. We identified 62 high-poverty schools that have achieved high proficiency rates or demonstrated significant growth in math and/or ELA on the 2023 Student Assessment for Academic Readiness (STAAR).

While there is no singular formula for fostering academic excellence, leaders of these Texas spotlight schools shared four common themes:

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Frequent data cycles and live data are vital for monitoring mastery of state standards, informing appropriate student interventions, and providing targeted professional development and coaching. This strategy requires that principals build data literacy among fellow administrators, teachers, and students so that they understand how to collect and utilize data to improve outcomes.
• Small Group Instruction: Identifying students who are falling behind and providing tailored, small-group instruction to address knowledge gaps is essential to support all students in achieving mastery of state standards.
• High Quality Instructional Materials: Evidence-based curricula coupled with aligned educator supports are essential for providing effective core instruction.
• Capacity Building: Competitive salaries, meaningful professional development, and targeted coaching are vital components of attracting, retaining, and supporting effective teachers.

To encourage these school- and district-level strategies, Texas has statewide policies aligned with each of these four themes, including: strong, aligned state standards through the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), High-Impact Tutoring (HB 4545 & HB 1416), High-Quality Instructional Materials (HB 1605), and the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA). Spotlight schools participated in these opportunities at higher rates than other, lower-performing schools, leveraging state funding and guidance to launch new initiatives.

By examining the strategies and practices implemented by these “spotlight” schools via surveys and interviews with school leaders, we seek to uncover what has worked to achieve these positive academic outcomes. Out of the 327 elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts falling within the highest poverty quartile, we highlight the 25 schools that have achieved above-average proficiency rates or demonstrated significant growth in math and/or ELA in the 2023 MCAS assessment.

While there is no singular formula for fostering academic excellence, the leaders of these spotlight schools in Massachusetts shared five common themes:

• High Academic and Behavioral Expectations: High academic and behavioral expectations cultivate a learning environment where all students and educators strive to do their best.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Data informs and guides work to monitor student progress, identify students for interventions, make instructional changes, and drive professional development.
• Tiered Academic & Attendance Supports: Tiered supports provide students with both the personalized attention they need to consistently come to school and the scaffolded instruction necessary for academic growth.
• Professional Development & Coaching: Ongoing professional development and coaching enable educators to translate best practices into effective classroom instruction.
• Family/Community Engagement: Strong partnerships with families through school events and personalized communication foster a collaborative and supportive environment that enhances student success and reduces chronic absenteeism.

Of the 300 Colorado elementary and middle schools in the highest poverty quartile, we highlight the 39 schools that have either achieved above-average proficiency rates or demonstrated growth by at least 10 points on the CMAS assessment in either math or ELA.

While there is no single answer to fostering academic excellence, the leaders of the schools we surveyed and interviewed were largely aligned on the following core principles:

• Data should be used as a “guiding light” to drive all decision-making, including but not limited to: guiding small group instruction and tutoring programs, tracking student progress, driving curriculum decisions, engaging families, and informing social-emotional learning;
• Small-group instruction and tutoring programs should be used to provide targeted and personalized instruction, especially to students who are falling behind;
• Evidence-based, high-quality curricula are essential, as is professional development to guide teachers on how to translate the content into effective instruction;
• Cultivating a positive and inclusive school climate through social-emotional learning and whole-child development is a key prerequisite to academic excellence; and
• Engaging families through community-building events, class participation, and organized attendance teams is essential to
  cultivating partnerships and reducing chronic absenteeism.