1. OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS PERSISTENTLY LOW ACHIEVING SCHOOLS (PLAS) UPDATE Executive Directors of Schools Support and Supervision Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment District Communications Equity and Diversity Human Resources Information Management Services Presenters

2. WHY REACH?  PLAS Schools have highest needs within our district  Identified as Persistently Low Achieving Schools by Nebraska Department of Education  Poverty  Mental Health Issues  Cultural Proficiency  Behavior Management  Sense of urgency to help our lowest achieving schools  Differentiated and strategic supports Resources Employed Accordingly Creating Hope

3. WHAT IS REACH?  Systems approach to support and move the work  REACH Committee formed January 2016  Superintendent  Executive Directors  Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment  District Communications  Equity and Diversity  General Finance and Administrative Services  Human Resources  Information Management Services  Research Resources Employed Accordingly Creating Hope

4. PURPOSE OF REACH COMMITTEE  Serve as an advisory group to implement the district's REACH resources  Diagnose issues that negatively affect student achievement  Facilitate a consistent and equitable process that will analyze a school's potential needs  Determine what and how differentiated supports will be employed  Conduct ongoing progress monitoring of these supports  Ensure accountability and success in each school

5. IDENTIFICATION OF REACH SCHOOLS  Nebraska Department of Education – Persistently Low Achieving Schools  At or below the 50% in Reading on NeSA Reading Test  Priority schools, turnaround schools and schools participating in the Purpose Built Communities will be included in this plan Elementary Secondary Belvedere Jackson Benson Conestoga King Bryan High Druid Hill Lothrop Monroe Franklin Minne Lusa Norris Highland Skinner South Howard Kennedy Wakonda

6. CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT Professional Development  Provided CIA Supervisors and two National Consultants to support REACH Principals and Teachers twice a month with Professional Development and Learning on:  Literacy Strategies  Curriculum Pacing Guides and Learning Objectives  Math Strategies  Engagement Strategies  Writers Workshop and Writing Strategies  School Improvement Planning Each of the REACH Schools averaged 40 hours of additional PD support each semester.

7. CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT Professional Development  Provided a Professional Development Menu of National Consultants for full and half day workshops for all REACH schools throughout the 2015-2016 school year.  The PD Menu of Consultants consisted of over a half a dozen speakers on topics from cultural relevancy and interpersonal student-teacher relationships to raising academic achievement.  Speakers included : Baruti Kafele, Rick Smith, Grace Dearborn, Rachel Billmeyer, Kathy Kennedy, Victor Rios, Natalie Zwerger, and John Sangiovanni.  Extensive curricular work with Turn Around Schools Wakonda and Kennedy to create and support new models.

8. CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT Additional Supports  Supervisors completed "Data for a Day" which included visiting all classrooms with coaching visits to collect data on the use of gradual release, procedures and routines, engagement, literacy strategies or targeted areas as requested by the principal. Aggregated data was reviewed with building leadership.  "Data Digs" for deep analysis of student performance scores to inform and improve instruction.  School Improvement Plan Reviews to check alignment of content with OPS Strategic Plan, Academic Action Plan, and Data Analysis Findings.  Elementary instructional support from Elementary Supervisors by providing an additional half day to full day of on site support each week.  Secondary instructional support from Secondary Supervisors included presentations at team meetings, department meetings, modeling lessons, and additional secondary math coach support.

9. DISTRICT COMMUNICATIONS  Message/Story - one thread/tailored to a school  Timeline/milestones  Staff, Parents and Community

10. EQUITY AND DIVERSITY  Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) will support REACH Schools through multiple offerings designed to support the Strategic Plan implementation  Eight of the REACH schools are part of the current MHC Partner Schools  As MHC adds five new partner schools per year, other REACH schools may join  MHC offerings are open to all schools and many REACH schools have already taken advantage of the offerings

11. EQUITY AND DIVERSITY  Safe, Healthy, and Engaged Students | Four offerings have been designed to ensure that all schools cultivate a welcoming and supportive environment conducive to learning: Increase Student Engagement Through Absent Narratives, Innocent Classroom 1, Innocent Classroom 2: In Practice, and Secrets to Motivating Students  High Expectations, Rigorous Curriculum, and Effective instruction | The Community Narratives Curriculum Team and Reconstructing Curriculum 1 and 2 provide a rigorous, guaranteed, differentiated, and viable curriculum for all students  Committed, Diverse, and Effective Teachers, Administrators, and Staff | While the entire Strategy is developed to provide all OPS staff highly effective professional development there are three professional learning communities that are particularly responsible for integrating the Strategy’s approach into their school communities: the Principal Cohort, School Action Team, and Teacher Leadership Cohort

12. EQUITY AND DIVERSITY  Equitable and Efficient Systems and Resources | The Minnesota Humanities Center’s education approach is designed to support the capacity of Omaha Public Schools to conduct high-quality and meaningful programming for all of its schools by creating and providing vibrant and engaging programs and offerings that support district-wide goals  Engaged and Empowered Parents and Families | Developing mutually trusting relationships between parents and school/district staff members is a cornerstone of the Education Strategy. Community Voices Forums, Immersions About Place, and Story Circles connect families and educators together for student success  Involved and Supported Community Partners | The Immersion About Place experiences provide an opportunity for educators to learn from community members and build relationships to the people and the neighborhoods where their schools belong  Accessible, Transparent, and Two-Way Communication | The Strategy is about restoring relationships: to ourselves, to our students, to each other, to our communities, and to the places we live and work. By embracing and including the absent narratives that make up each of us and our communities, we can close the relationship gap of human understanding and empathy between us

13. HUMAN RESOURCES Human Resources with support from the Budget Department is dedicated to supporting REACH Schools through...  Strategic Staffing Approach  Recruiting / Hiring Support  Professional Development on Human Resource Topics

14. HUMAN RESOURCES Strategic Staffing  Allocating a full-time School Support Liaison to each REACH building that does not have an Assistant Principal assigned  Increasing para-educator support at both primary and intermediate levels  Providing opportunities to have Student Teachers (additional support for students and a great recruiting tool)  Working with individual buildings to support scheduling of teachers and students to provide Recruiting / Hiring and Professional Development on Human Resource Topics

15. HUMAN RESOURCES Recruiting / Hiring Support  Providing training on effective interviewing and recruiting  Recruiting directly and specifically for REACH schools  Providing opportunities for REACH principals to directly recruit at regional universities Professional Development on Human Resources Topics  Topics will be based on individual needs ranging from recruiting to employee retention to plan of improvements to evaluations

16. INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SERVICES

17. Data Informed Decision Making Collecting Data on Technology & Learning from staff & 3 rd -12 th students in all REACH schools Providing access to data for each: Executive Director Principals And any identified curricular leaders Consulting with all Secondary Schools in Planned Obsolescence meetings to align program plans. Consulting with Elementary Schools that were identified as Priority which included Elementary PLAS schools to support integration of Instructional technology into SIP

18. Creation & Training to support utilization of:  Coaching Tool  Grading Dashboard  Behavior Dashboard  Digital Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

19. OPS Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) Program Program Overview Train-the-trainer program modeled after Microsoft's MIE program Gradual Release Cycle of Learning Pipeline for Professional Learning Conducting training on instructional tools at building & district level Informing future PD geared towards school improvement Modeling use of instructional tools in their environment

20. First Turnaround School in the State with School Improvement Grant Strategic Plan for Technology Integration Aligned with District Plan Support & Training for Instructional Technology Coach 1:1 Initiative for Intermediate Grades To support teachers in making timely decisions and differentiating instruction Integration of technology will allow teachers to remediate and enrich lessons Wakonda Elementary 1:1 Model

21. REACH SUPERVISORS  Four Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Supervisors were recently re-purposed to the Office of School Support and Supervision  Miki Holbeck, LaTasha Muhammad, Val Shovanec, Leah Weeks  Spend 60 – 75% of their time in schools "Boots on the Ground"  Collectively responsible for student achievement  Advocates for HOPE  Thought Partners

22. REACH SUPERVISORS "THOUGHT PARTNERS" Vision Improved Student Achievement Theory of Action Work with school leadership team to implement the School Improvement Plan Train and coach identified teachers Facilitate the planning and implementation of professional development Continuous learning

23. TEAMBUILDING & TRANSITION PLAN OF ACTION Advocates for HOPE Leading learning Builders of collective efficacy Critical resource to buildings

24. SCHOOL CULTURE WALK Facilitators of differentiated professional learning Link between theory and action "putting the work into action" Train and coach identified teachers Bridge to resources

25. REACH PRINCIPALS MEETINGS REACH Principals Meetings  Collected Input Regarding Needed Resources and Supports  HOPES and Fears for REACH  Outlined REACH Supervisor Support  Identified and Aligned Strategic Supports for 2016 – 2017  Meet and Greet Activity with REACH Supervisor "This is the first time the district has ever been proactive in providing support to our buildings" Elementary Principals

26. SCHOOL UPDATES  Howard Kennedy – Principal: Mr. Tony Gunter  Wakonda – Principal: Ms. Ebony Harvey

27. Questions