Securing Commitments for Continuous School Improvement

The time to clarify how the KEYS-CSI process will work and what the roles and responsibilities of all of the partners are is before the administration of the survey. This will in part be accomplished through informal conversations within the school, with the school and central office staff, with the superintendent and board, and with parent and community groups. However, it is highly recommended that the essential commitments be laid out in written form. This might be done through letters of commitment, memoranda of agreements, and in some measure through negotiated contract language.

Assessing Readiness to Participate in the KEYS-CSI Process

Before taking part in the KEYS-CSI process, the school community should determine whether it is ready to make the commitment.  While rewarding, engaging in comprehensive evidence-driven change over time is difficult and often stressful. Are the energy, motivation and support adequate?

Although NEA and its state and local affiliates provide significant support for the KEYS-CSI, serious school improvement efforts involve staff time, professional development, the availability of good data and assistance with its use, and the appropriate use of educational resources. Therefore, from the beginning, it is imperative that the district and the school community become partners with the Association.

To assess the readiness of your school to engage in comprehensive school improvement, you may use the following tool:

Securing Commitments

Clearly, the Association, the district, parents, students, community and business representatives all have a shared interest in efforts to achieve excellence in public education. By bringing KEYS-CSI into the district, the Association is investing significantly in the effort—but it cannot do it alone! The district and the community, including business representatives, must be willing to share the responsibility. Because KEYS-CSI is a data-based initiative based on quality principles, it is generally viewed favorably by businesses. This can aid school districts in garnering their help and support. However, without clear commitments and shared accountability for the process, it is often easy to walk away from the process when other matters seem to be more pressing, or the data appears disheartening. It is best to raise these issues before initiating KEYS-CSI. Bring the stakeholders together as part of a meeting to define formally their levels of commitment and responsibility.

(See sample letters and agreement formats at the end of this chapter that may be adapted for use in your local situation.)