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S.M.A.R.T. Coach Academies underway in Illinois and Wisconsin


     The S.M.A.R.T. Coach Academy was an incredible way to frame the school improvement process for our district. (Team from Pleasant Valley School District in Illinois)

Details about the 2012-13 SMART Coach Academies that are now underway can be found on the individual Academy pages:

Please call Kiett Takkunen at 888-700-9535 if you would like to see a S.M.A.R.T. Coach Academy in your area, or if you would like to participate in a future Academy.

The S.M.A.R.T. Coach Academy provides the opportunity to build internal capacity to create and support a system of improvement in your district. Participants leave the Academy with the knowledge, tools and support they need to train internal teams and to coach implementation of the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process – the methodology that brings coherence and focus to school and system improvement. The Academy is typically co-sponsored by a statewide, regional or district partner.

Purpose: Certify and license district and school S.M.A.R.T. coaches to build sustainable capacity for continuous improvement at the school, PLC and classroom levels.   

Description:  

The S.M.A.R.T. Coach Academy provides an immersion experience in the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process, with coaching support over the course of a year. The Academy incorporates the attributes of effective professional learning as outlined in Learning Forward’s new international Standards for Professional Learning. Participants, who learn the process by doing the process, will have a personal, individual coach to work with them to implement the process so that they and their district, school or regional organization will benefit immediately. At the end of the year, participants will be fully qualified and licensed to be an internal facilitator and coach of the process, thus sustaining continuous improvement of student learning.

Academy elements: 8 training days, 5 symposia and 4 individual coaching sessions. The symposia (one hour each) and coaching sessions (45 minutes each) are conducted via phone conference after school hours.

Objectives: Participants will leave the Academy…

KNOWING HOW TO:

  • Find their school’s greatest area of need (GAN)
  • Write a S.M.A.R.T. school-improvement goal
  • Use S.M.A.R.T. targets for progress monitoring
  • Run effective meetings
  • Use a variety of templates and graphic organizers to focus collaboration in their schools

BEING ABLE TO:

  • Lead the S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process at the school level
  • Coach teams and individuals in the use of S.M.A.R.T. tools, templates and methods
  • Facilitate job-embedded professional development

WITH NEW SKILLS IN THE AREAS OF:

  • Coaching
  • Team leadership
  • Data analysis
  • Collaboration
  • Communication
  • Goal management