Collaborative School Reviews: How to Shape Schools From the Inside

Say goodbye to top-down evaluations and hello to collaboration and change!

How can you leverage the objectivity of outside evaluators and the knowledge of local educators who understand your school’s particular situation to help you drive school improvement? The answer: collaborative schools reviews conducted by personnel from within your district in collaboration with your school leadership team. Here you’ll find:

• A research-based case for the value and results of collaborative school reviews
• Best practices for creating review teams, conducting onsite classroom observations, and aligning with district goals
• How-to’s for effectively using data to gain a balanced view of school performance

Dr. Beverley Freedman is an educational consultant, involved in numerous district and provincial reviews, strategic planning and system improvement. Currently she is supporting districts in their implementation of school reviews using the Ministry¿s SEF framework. Additionally, she has led several district-based special education reviews as well as special education reviews for the province. She is working with several independent schools including AHS on school improvement planning. In any one year, as an instructional leadership trainer, she visits hundreds of classrooms in a variety of schools and districts including districts in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The aim of the learning walks is to develop the instructional lens of administrators so they can gather data and give descriptive feedback to staff to provide within the frame of school improvement.

Dr. Freedman has presented at numerous provincial, national and international research conferences including the International Principals Congress held this August in Toronto. Topics for presentations include equity, differentiation, and gender as a factor in education. She coordinates professional learning for Canadäs Outstanding Principals in collaboration with The Learning Partnership. She was the former Executive Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education¿s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat (LNS), retired superintendent and a former provincial school inspector. In 2004 -2006, she was the Leadership Coordinator for the Faculty of Education, York University. She remains an adjunct professor for the University of Ontario¿s Institute of Technology. Dr. Freedman was on the executive of Ontario¿s provincial superintendents¿ organization (OPSOA), and in 2001, was named Ontario¿s Distinguished Leader by OPSOA. Her doctoral thesis won the Doctoral Dissertation Award from PDK U of T Chapter and she won the Larry Frase award from CMSi in 2007. She is on the board of Scientists in School and Teacher Mentor¿s Abroad. She spent a week as a volunteer, training principal in Santo Domingo on behalf of their ministry. Currently she is president of the local PDK-UT chapter.

Raf Di Cecco, CMC, is a Certified Management Consultant. She is currently president of ARD Consulting Services and Director of the Education and Training Practice of PMC Inc

Raf is also the former Executive Director of the Ontario Royal Commission on Learning where she directed the first review of Ontario¿s elementary and secondary education system in 25 years. The commission¿s report "For the Love of Learning", tabled in 1995, established the foundation for Ontario¿s current reform agenda. Her work experience includes both the Federal and Provincial governments. She has had assignments in a variety of policy fields and has held a range positions including senior executive positions.

Raf brings a broad perspective and specialized knowledge and skills. Raf has extensive experience within the education sector and brings a deep understanding of the education sector at the provincial, district and the local level. She brings expertise in the development and management of complex policy and program reform and how these can be implemented at the local level.

Her areas of expertise include organizational effectiveness, strategic planning, change management design and implementation, policy and program evaluation and design, mentoring and coaching, and stakeholder management and engagement.

Her clients include Ontario Ministries including Education, Training Colleges and Universities, Attorney General, Government Services, Culture and Recreation; School Boards including Simcoe DSB, Waterloo Region DSB, Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB, Toronto DSB: Indian and Northern Affairs (INAC); the 23 First Nations of Sioux Lookout; not for profit agencies including The Learning Partnership; and private sector corporations.

She has designed and led the review and evaluation of several key Ontario Ministry of Education initiatives, all involving reviews at the district and school level. Her work with the First Nations of Sioux Lookout involved the establishment of the Kaywiachiin Resource Centre in Sioux Lookout as the education authority for the district.