GOAL
To formalize the capacity building of the district to provide teachers and schools with instructional strategies, practices, and opportunities to accelerate the learning and achievement of their students.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives include:

• To integrate the new reading adoption with the IPS/NUA initiative;
• To guide teachers who have been part of the IPS/NUA initiative for two years or more in implementing diagnostic teaching: knowing how to assess student needs, what to teach, and how to implement what is necessary for increasing student learning and literacy;
• To recognize teachers' desire for specialized professional development to address specific student needs by providing focused courses of study;
• To provide targeted assistance to schools to address the needs of students as identified through the achievement data;
• To facilitate connections and peer support for addressing grade level needs;
• To formalize a teachers support network for sharing practices and opportunities to optimize the classroom learning environment;
• To provide staff development coaching for the roles the Leadership Academy teachers will assume for supporting the capacity building and instructional needs of the individual schools.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS
I. SUPPORT PARTNERSHIP
(for 20 of the most committed schools)
This component enables schools committed to building on the IPS/NUA initiative to develop their capacity to Accelerate student learning growth with a tailored plan of services. Schools would formalize a partnership with the district, NUA, and a "partner" school to address areas of concern/interest based on the schools achievement data and Achievement Plan. Based on the analysis of needs/interests/achievement plan, a focus of concentration would be made by the school. Consultants would be chosen to work with the school based on it's identified focus. These partnership services would include:

Correlating school data to the achievement plan to identify targeted areas of focus. These areas of focus would become the bases around which a service design would be constructed. The design would include a staff development plan for the year, developed jointly with the NUA consultants. This plan would facilitate strengthening the adoption of the reading series for an integrated literacy instruction.

• Creating professional development enrichment activities for after-school.
• Designing faculty meetings to optimize support of the achievement plan.
• Assisting in coordinating a peer coaching process.
• Formalizing the design of the functions of the Leadership Academy teacher;
• Matching school with a partner school to create a support process among teachers with similar interests and needs.

Participation in the Partnership would have specific requirements based on the factors necessary to strengthen the school as a learning community. Schools will be paired to match the identified focuses. Each school would receive 6 days of consultant services. Site visits would be divided between lower grades and upper grades. Each level would have three days of services at each site, totaling 6 days of services per grade level grouping (k-2 and gr. 3-5). Distance learning sessions would supplement these six days. The Leadership Academy Teachers of each partner school would arrange these sessions.

II. DIAGNOSTIC TEACHING FOR ADVANCED LEARNING
(for teachers participating 2 years or more)
This component is for the teachers who have been most active in the IPS/NUA initiative. The focus will be refining the strategies they have learned and practices for implementing these:

• Diagnostic teaching (application of strategies for particular student needs)
• Implementing strategies and practices for intensifying and accelerating instruction
• Peer Coaching
• Assessment
• Integrating the reading series

III. COURSES OF STUDY SPECIALIZING IN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE LOWEST PERFORMING STUDENTS
Courses will be designed for voluntary participation by teachers interested in focusing in on specific needs and practices for addressing underachievement. These courses would require a commitment of six sessions, documentation of application of practices shared to classroom practice, and an Individualized Study Project (ISP).

IV. ENRICHED CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT EXCHANGE
This component would facilitate the sharing of practices and ideas for enriching the classroom environment to accelerate learning. The network would include:

• Distance sharing opportunities around specific areas of interest;
• Video exchange of teachers demonstrating techniques;
• Collegial partnering around specific areas of interest;
• Video exchange of national educators with a specialized focus.