What makes Urban Learning & Leadership programs work?

School reforms come and go. Most don’t work because they only tackle part of the school environment — curriculum, or teacher training, or character education. Schools are complex systems, not just assemblages of components. Making real change — the kind that pays off in real improvement in learning — requires a comprehensive, far-reaching approach. The essential foundation is: effective leadership. ULLC helps principals become leaders who manage change and create professional communities in which teachers fully participate in making schools successful. The SAME Pathway ULLC™ takes a coordinated approach that covers the three essential components of a school: Social interaction Social Environment (How members of the school community behave). Setting standards of conduct that create a safe, orderly environment for learning. Getting teachers to work together to improve schools. Fostering a school culture that breeds responsibility. Academic Environment Aligning curriculum with standards and assessment. Using achievement data to tailor instruction to students’ needs. Selecting effective instructional methods and schedules. Moral Environment What members of the school community believe. Institutionalizing high expectations of students and teachers. Teaching character educational and conflict resolution. Adding the missing link – the values students need to be good citizens. Forging the vision and values that inspire teachers.

One Stop Shop

One-stop shopping for improving schools: The SAME Pathway The Urban Learning and Leadership Center is dedicated to helping schools develop workable plans to achieve greatness — and to staying with them through the difficult work of putting those plans to work. How is the Urban Learning and Leadership Center different from the array of programs and consultants that promise to help schools? • It brings together in one place the services schools need to be successful. • It targets all the aspects of a school — from curriculum to culture, leadership to scheduling — that must be addressed if achievement is to improve. • Its experts can point the way to proven practices that work in city schools, based on sound principles and solid research. They can help you adopt the “evidence-based practices” required by No Child Left Behind. What will the solution look like? Like your school, ULLC™ won’t force an off-the-shelf solution onto your school’s unique needs and personality. ULLC™ experts will: • Help you “diagnose” what’s working in your school, what’s not, and where change is needed. • Help you develop a plan to address those needs that is tailored to your school’s situation and goals. • Supply guidance and training as you work through the challenging task of implementing your plan and getting on the road to success. What does ULLC provide? The Center provides: • On-site consulting. • Training for principals, teachers, and district personnel. • Technical assistance that doesn’t end when your hard work begins. ULLC™ experts are available by phone, e-mail, letter, or in person to help as questions and problems arise. • On-site and Virtual Support • Membership in a supportive network of educators who are tackling the same issues as you.

Who needs The Urban Learning and Leadership Center?

• Schools that want to become places where students flourish, academically, socially, and in all the ways that prepare them to be productive workers and citizens. • Districts that want to develop the supports and leaders that will turn schools around. • States developing the standards, curriculum, teacher training and leadership programs that will equip their urban schools to succeed. • The people behind these organizations: principals, teachers, superintendents, administrators, and school board members.