Vision 2015

IMAGINE: the best schools in the world for every student in Delaware.

Training Plan

The Vision Network offers many benefits to districts and schools including professional development focused on improving student achievement. Training and technical assistance are provided by the Delaware Academy for School Leadership (DASL) at the University of Delaware and Focus on Results (FOR). The curriculum is based on national and international research on best practices related to leadership, planning, and staff development. The training focuses on activities that drive student achievement and using data on student needs to make decisions. This aligns with four of the six key elements of Vision 2015: setting sights high, developing and supporting high-quality teachers, empowering principals to lead, and encouraging innovation and requiring accountability.

Training Outcomes include changing how district and school leadership teams view their time, roles, and responsibilities as they relate to instruction and increasing the rate of student achievement in our districts and our schools.

Phase I is a professional development and coaching program for district leadership teams, directed by DASL. The focus is on examining roles, responsibilities, operational procedures, and current practices to determine strategies to lead school improvement. Phase I includes monthly, one or two day group trainings (residential when appropriate), and team homework activities required between each group training session, that prepare district and charter school leaderships to:

  • Explore research and best practices around effective school leadership.
  • Increase leadership time spent on instruction.
  • Base decisions on student achievement data and goals.
  • Support and empower principals to lead.

Phase II engages school leadership teams that receive training from FOR. FOR works with schools to select an instructional focus based on student needs and with districts to support these focus areas. Results-oriented, monthly one day trainings and school site visits provide school leadership teams with tools to:

  • Focus on instruction and student achievement.
  • Set ambitious goals based on student performance.
  • Improve the systems that support classroom educators in implementing best practice instructional strategies.
  • Implement and provide professional development around best practices.
  • Support the development of each school’s strategic plan/balanced scorecard.
  • Build the capacity of districts to align resources to support schools’ focus on instruction.

Individual expert coaching for up to 4 days per month is also provided to leadership teams. Coaches are recently retired school leaders who serve as “thought partners” to help focus school leaders’ efforts on improving support to teachers and increasing student performance.