Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Pledges $972,300 to Support Capacity for Schools to Understand and Use Student Performance Data

November 11, 2009 -- The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has pledged $972,300 to enable DCPS to partner with The Achievement Network, a Boston-based non-profit, to train school leaders and teachers how to analyze and act on student performance data. Eleven DCPS schools have been selected to participate in the project, representing a cross-section of schools both in terms of geography and achievement.  The Achievement Network also serves 13 charter schools in the city.

The Achievement Network works directly with schools to provide three key, inter-related services:

1. Interim assessments aligned with state standards and guidance regarding data-driven practices and protocols to consistently identify and close gaps in student learning,
2. Tracking and benchmarking of student performance and schools capacity to use data to drive improvements in student learning, and
3. Coaching and network activities that embed data-driven practice as a consistent part of schools’ everyday routine.

In addition, DCPS will analyze The Achievement Network best practices and determine if and how they should be applied to other DCPS schools that are being directly served.  This partnership experience will also inform DCPS as they develop methods of collaborating with external service providers and create more formal sharing opportunities with city charter schools. By offering district leaders, school leaders, and teachers access to targeted data on student performance, this partnership aims to provide educators with the data, training, and structured processes necessary to individualize classroom instruction and, ultimately, to improve student achievement.