Our Framework

Use the attached S.M.A.R.T. Schools Self-assessment with your colleagues to reflect on where your school stands.

There are three essential elements of our Framework – FOCUS, REFLECTION, and COLLABORATION – which combine to build LEADERSHIP CAPACITY. Linda Lambert defines leadership capacity as "broad-based, skillful participation in the work of leadership." Leadership capacity is the result of everyone in the system being focused on the school's goal, having access to and knowledge about data reflecting the school's greatest area of need, and being deeply involved in collaborative processes for improving student learning results. When this happens, the culture is transformed; everyone is a learner, everyone is a leader.

Each point of the triangle in our framework supports a key component of the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Process:

FOCUS - what the S.M.A.R.T. Goal does to bring clarity, direction and a sense of priority to your work. FOCUS answers the question “Where do we want to be?” On a broader scale, FOCUS also refers to the organization’s vision, mission, core values and beliefs. These set the context and the culture for the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Process.

REFLECTION – we view data as a tool for reflection. When we look at the data initially, we can answer the question, “Where are we now?” As we reflect on data over time, we are watching for movement toward our goals. That’s why common, formative data sources are so important to this process. We must continually ask:

• What are we learning?
• What’s working?
• What’s not working?
• How should we adjust?

These are all REFLECTION questions.

COLLABORATION - teamwork in the process of data-driven goal setting. Collaboration enhances creativity. It is the way in which we create new strategies, develop new assessment tools and test our own thinking and practices as we learn what’s working or not working with our plan. The COLLABORATION corner of the Framework addresses the questions, “How will we get to where we want to be?” “What do we need to do to achieve our goals?”

This framework pervades all of our published resources and professional development, including our S.M.A.R.T. Self-assessment. You can download the S.M.A.R.T. Self-assessment below; share it with school colleagues to get a sense of where you are today with regard to your capacity for shared responsibility for continuous improvement in teaching and learning.