Build Educator Capacity and Skills
Tackle Challenges Facing Your School by Building Educator Capacity
Addressing district challenges like student disengagement, chronic absenteeism, and academic setbacks can feel difficult to solve–but progress is possible and you don’t have to figure it out alone. Partnering with Partners in School Innovation can help you figure out where to start and how to develop the skills needed to tackle such complex issues.
Our experienced coaches help K-12 leaders uncover root causes of persistent challenges and develop their capacity to remove barriers, engage their communities, and set up routines that encourage continuous improvement. By identifying practice gaps and building educator capacity and confidence, we partner with you to address challenges head-on—unlocking progress where it once felt out of reach.
"Partners has changed us. We’re now looking at data, setting goals weekly, monthly, yearly and out to 5 years so we know where we want to be. We’re now able to look into the future and say ‘this is what our goals are’ and backwards plan to map it and make sure we’re meeting them along the way."
Principal, Philadelphia, PA
Create a Culture of Shared Leadership and Collective Action
Creating resilient schools starts with systems that channel the collective strengths of school teams. We partner with K-12 leaders to bring shared leadership models–like professional learning communities and instructional leadership teams–to life across schools.
These systems ensure leadership and bias towards action is distributed—easing the burden on a few while strengthening educator collaboration, accountability, and adaptability.
Strengthen Problem-Solving and Resilience Across Schools
Educators today face a range of challenges—supporting diverse learners, closing achievement gaps, and meeting evolving standards. We collaborate with schools to provide coaching and professional learning that build not just skills, but also adaptability and solution-oriented thinking.
Using frameworks and practical strategies, our coaches work with educators to build a mindset of continuous improvement, improve communication and collaboration, and grow their confidence to address challenges with resilience.
Build Connected and Engaged School Communities
We recognize that creating lasting change means understanding and engaging the human side of capacity building. Our coaches help leaders establish supportive environments across schools and create systems that amplify the voices of students, families, and community members.
By embedding culturally responsive ideas and community-driven solutions, leaders can build a foundation for greater engagement and aligned support that leads to sustainable progress.
"We had a significant increase in academic achievement over a short period. At one point, we were one of the highest-growth districts in the state of California. This happened through a very articulated approach to building capacity, so as Partners exits, there's internal capacity to continue the work."
Superintendent, Oak Grove School District, San Jose, CA
Why K-12 Leaders Work with Partners in School Innovation
-
Continuous Co-Creation
School and district leaders play a central role in solving the challenges their schools face. We work shoulder to shoulder with them to drive collaborative, transformative changes from beginning to end.
-
Systemic Sustainability
We help leaders implement culturally and linguistically responsive core instructional programs, drive educator learning, and distribute leadership capacity to ensure the progress made is sustaining.
-
Adaptive Practices
By tailoring plans to the context and pace of community and school environments, our agile coaches adapt processes as needed to meet the most pressing needs of school and district partners.
-
Equity-Focused Lens
We strive alongside you to address the most persistent equity challenges by identifying, dismantling, and replacing inequitable systems with liberatory approaches to create lively, loving learning environments where all students thrive.
-
Data-Informed Processes
By leveraging disaggregated data - both qualitative and quantitative, we’re able to work side by side with leaders toward shared outcomes. Together we track, measure, evaluate, analyze, and adjust processes for student betterment.
-
Instructional Expertise
Our dynamic team comprises former teachers and leaders who successfully worked in underserved communities and now seek to help others create a better future for students by leveraging their experiences.
How Partners in School Innovation Supports Educators and Leaders
-
1:1 Coaching and Development for Leaders and Teachers
We provide individualized coaching and professional development for K-12 leaders, teachers, and instructional staff, focusing on the specific challenges they face. Whether it’s enhancing leadership skills, improving instructional techniques, or addressing practice gaps, our coaching adapts to support growth across all areas.
-
Building Shared Leadership Systems and Teacher Leaders
We support districts in developing and enriching structural initiatives like work with Instructional Leadership Teams (ILTs), Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs), and School-Based Teacher Leader (SBTLs). These structures promote shared leadership, giving leaders more time to focus on strategy.
-
Curriculum and Instruction Support Tailored to Schools
We offer professional development on instructional practices, curriculum implementation, culturally-responsive teaching, data analysis, and frameworks to help close learning gaps. We’ll help ensure your team can confidently apply what they learn to their daily work.
Need help building educator capacity?
District transformation is multi-faceted. Other ways we work with leaders:
-
Offer and lead more effective professional development
Our team of instructional experts and coaches can support your school or district at the individual, department, and site levels with implementing professional development for educators and K-12 leaders that leads to lasting change.
-
Lead school or district change with confidence
We help education leaders cut through noise and take focused, strategic action on transformative initiatives. By working closely with our coaches, you’ll confidently lead change that sticks and overcome the challenges holding your school or district back.
-
Turn your vision into actionable change
Transform the vision for your school or district into real, day-to-day progress. We’ll help you uncover the root causes of persistent challenges and co-create a clear, strategic plan that leads to sustainable improvements and lasting success.
Want to learn more about our approach? Explore these resources.
-
Take the “The Power of an ILT” course
Understand the role of an Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), explore the ways school leaders can build a high-functioning team at their site and develop a vision to improve student outcomes.
-
Browse available professional development courses
Built in collaboration with leading experts in education, our complimentary online courses are available on demand and can be self-paced or taken with a cohort.
-
Read stories of schools that have rallied for change
See how we partnered with engaged communities of educators, caregivers, and dedicated practitioners of continuous improvement on transformative initiatives.
-
Learn how we build lively, loving learning communities
Check out the various ways that we develop people at all levels of the K-12 public education system to make it possible for schools to become places where students thrive.