SLLA cheat sheet

Mission answers why the school exists and whom it serves (present purpose); vision describes the desired future state; values state guiding beliefs; goals are measurable targets derived from all three.

SMART test for goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. A goal failing any criterion is rewritten before adoption.

Strategic planning sequence: analyze data, develop or revise vision and mission with stakeholders, set priorities and SMART goals, allocate resources, implement, monitor with data, revise annually.

Bolman and Deal's four frames - structural (roles, procedures), human resource (needs, motivation), political (power, coalitions), symbolic (culture, ritual) - are diagnostic lenses on the same problem.

Kotter's eight steps: urgency, guiding coalition, vision, communicate, empower action, short-term wins, consolidate gains, anchor in culture. Skipping early steps typically stalls implementation.

Lewin's model: unfreeze by creating readiness, change by implementing, refreeze by institutionalizing. Change fails when refreezing is omitted.

Building goals must cascade from district goals and state accountability targets, and are monitored with leading indicators rather than end-of-year results alone.

Vision and mission statements affect practice only when co-constructed with staff, families, and students and referenced in decisions, budgets, and meeting agendas.

Backward design sequence: (1) identify desired results from standards, (2) determine acceptable evidence, (3) plan learning experiences and instruction.

Curriculum alignment requires congruence among the written (standards), taught (instruction), and tested (assessment) curricula; misalignment produces invalid inferences about learning.

Formative assessment is assessment for learning (ongoing, feedback-oriented, typically ungraded); summative assessment is assessment of learning (end-of-unit judgment against standards).

Revised Bloom's taxonomy, low to high: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create. Task cognitive demand should match the verb in the standard.

Differentiation modifies content, process, product, or environment in response to readiness, interest, and learning profile; the standard itself is not modified.

MTSS tiers: Tier 1 universal core for all students, Tier 2 targeted small-group support, Tier 3 intensive individualized intervention; movement between tiers is decided by progress-monitoring data.

PLC guiding questions: What do we want students to learn? How will we know they learned it? How will we respond when they have not? How will we extend those who have?

Hattie's meta-analyses rank feedback, teacher clarity, classroom discussion, and reciprocal teaching among the highest-effect instructional influences; ability grouping and grade retention rank low or negative.

Instruction for English learners integrates content and language objectives and provides scaffolded access to grade-level standards rather than watered-down curriculum.

Budget decision rule: every expenditure is traced to a goal in the improvement plan; categorical funds (Title I, IDEA) carry restricted purposes and must supplement, not supplant, local funds.

A comprehensive emergency plan has four phases: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery. Each phase has assigned roles, training, and post-incident evaluation.

The Incident Command System (NIMS) assigns five functions: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration; a single incident commander directs the response.

Drill type and frequency (fire, lockdown, severe weather, evacuation) are set by state statute and local board policy, and each drill is documented.

FERPA protects education records: parents may inspect and request amendment, and written consent is required before disclosure, except for directory information and specified exceptions.

The master schedule is the main resource-allocation lever: it determines time on task, intervention blocks, common planning time, and staffing equity across classrooms.

Facility and safety compliance includes ADA accessibility, fire-code occupancy limits, playground and equipment inspection, and hazardous materials storage.

Corrective action for staff follows board policy and progressive discipline, includes notice and an opportunity to respond, and creates a documented record supporting due process.

Epstein's six types of involvement: parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community.

Title I schools must adopt a written parent and family engagement policy, hold an annual meeting, and implement a school-parent compact describing shared responsibilities.

Two-way communication requires multiple channels and translation into home languages; one-way notices do not constitute family engagement.

Frequent engagement barriers: work schedules, transportation, childcare, language, technology access, and prior negative school experiences.

Overlapping spheres of influence: student learning is strongest when family, school, and community spheres share responsibility and communicate regularly.

Families should hold genuine decision-making roles on committees, councils, and hiring or budget processes, not merely receive information.

Community partnerships with businesses, higher education, nonprofits, and social services expand resources and are governed by written agreements defining roles and data sharing.

Disaggregating attendance, achievement, and engagement data by family subgroup identifies which outreach strategies to target first.

Equality provides identical resources to all; equity differentiates resources by need so outcomes are not predicted by race, income, language, or disability.

Equity audit: disaggregate achievement, discipline, gifted and AP enrollment, and special education identification by subgroup; unexplained gaps become the action targets.

Disproportionality is quantified with risk ratios comparing a subgroup's rate of suspension, identification, or placement to the rate for all other students.

Goss v. Lopez (1975): students facing suspension of ten days or less are entitled to oral or written notice of the charges and an opportunity to respond.

Confidentiality rule: student and personnel information is shared only on a need-to-know basis consistent with FERPA and district policy.

Conflict-of-interest rule: leaders disclose gifts, outside employment, or relationships that could influence decisions and recuse themselves when policy requires.

Restorative practices address harm through dialogue and relationship repair; zero-tolerance policies have weak evidence and contribute to exclusionary disparities.

Culturally responsive leadership replaces deficit explanations for achievement gaps with examination of school practices, expectations, and access.

ESSA (2015) replaced NCLB, returning accountability design to states while requiring annual reporting on subgroup performance and 95 percent assessment participation.

IDEA guarantees FAPE in the least restrictive environment, an IEP with measurable annual goals, procedural safeguards, and meaningful parental participation.

Section 504 requires accommodations and services so students with disabilities can access programs and activities in federally funded schools.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County (2017): an IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable meaningful, appropriately ambitious progress, exceeding de minimis benefit.

Governance chain: the elected local board sets policy and hires the superintendent; the superintendent implements policy and leads the district; the principal leads the building.

School finance combines local property tax revenue, state formula aid, and federal categorical funds; adequacy concerns funding level, equity concerns distribution across schools.

Instructional leadership responsibilities: define and communicate shared purpose, monitor instruction and data, develop teacher capacity, and manage the change process.

School improvement cycle: comprehensive needs assessment, root-cause analysis, prioritized goals, evidence-based strategies, monitoring, and revision.

Landmark precedent: Brown v. Board (1954) ended de jure segregation; Plyler v. Doe (1982) guarantees K-12 access regardless of immigration status.