Build a Community of Believers

Every school engages a host of constituents – teachers, students, parents, alumni, board members, staff, leadership. Often there is consensus about mission, but the details of how to achieve it are another matter. This is true because perceptions of the school can vary greatly among constituencies. Grant Wiggins was right. If the entire organization hopes to improve continuously, then daily decisions throughout the community must be mission-driven. But how does school leadership actually accomplish this lofty goal?

For over ten years, we have been thinking about that. The result of our efforts is the EDLaP Integrated Solution© comprised of the ISIS Effective Data Leadership and Practice (EDLaP) Framework*, and technology-based performance measurement resources, including the Test Analysis Resource for standardized test analysis, EDLaP.xls for measuring progress towards effective data leadership and practice, and our web-based beta resource, INSIGHT, for evaluating any desired school objective.

*a strategic implementation model adapted from a paradigm first created at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's "Excellence in Educational Leadership" program

ISIS Solutions Library
  • Test Analysis Resource (TAR)
  • Effective Data Leadership and Practice (EDLaP)
  • INSIGHT
  • The Test Analysis Resource from ISIS Affiliates, completely redefined the way we use our standardized testing results. For the first time in years this data has been put to a meaningful use and the impact has been significant for our program. Their innovative solutions for analyzing all forms of school data will greatly strengthen our decision making processes. And their professional development work with our faculty was some of the best that I have ever seen. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
    – Jim Skrumbis, Head of School
    Sierra Canyon School (K-12), Chatsworth, CA

    The ISIS Test Analysis Resource (TAR) is a sophisticated Excel resource that reconfigures up to five years of norm-referenced testing data into innovative displays to streamline analysis. What used to take an entire summer to do using reams of paper reports now takes only minutes with simple clicks of the computer mouse. TAR harnesses the power of Excel technology to drive deep, reflective conversations among educators in support of high-quality instructional and curricular decision making.

  • EDLaP.xls is the Excel-based measurement resource within the EDLaP Integrated Solution that helps a school determine the extent to which it is building effective data leadership and practice. Using Google Apps as its collection resource, Excel as its analytic environment, and supported with presentation and use protocols, EDLaP.xls is designed to be a true “visual analytic resource”, putting flexible and purposeful analysis into the hands of each user.

  • INSIGHT is a web-based, visual analytic and formative planning resource for proactively directing your school’s performance toward its own definitions of success. It helps schools generate an evidence-based answer to the question, “To what extent is our school meeting its objectives?” INSIGHT supports the development of true learning organizations by measuring comprehensive performance against recognized standards of excellence, including your school’s own definitions of success. INSIGHT provides the tools to engage your entire school community in high quality decision-making, ongoing self-evaluation and coherent mission-driven improvement.