SLLA key terms

A concise declaration of the future state a school aspires to create for students and staff, describing desired outcomes and the values that will guide decisions.

A brief statement of a school's core purpose and daily work, explaining whom it serves and what it does to move toward its vision.

A multi-year written roadmap that sets priorities, measurable goals, actions, timelines, and responsible parties for improving school performance and closing gaps.

Objectives written to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound so leaders can track progress, compare results, and adjust actions.

A repeating process of planning, implementing, checking results, and adjusting actions based on evidence, used to refine school practices over time.

A collaborative process in which staff, families, students, and community members co-create a school's desired future, building commitment and common language.

The process of making sure what is taught, what is assessed, and what standards require fit together coherently across grades and subjects so learning builds without gaps.

Teaching that organizes lessons, tasks, and assessments around clearly defined academic standards so students know what they must learn and demonstrate.

Ongoing checks for understanding during learning that give teachers and students feedback to adjust instruction before a final grade or summative test.

An evaluation at the end of a unit, course, or year that measures what students have learned against standards, often used for accountability or placement decisions.

A small group of educators who regularly examine student work and assessment results to identify needs, plan instruction, and monitor whether changes improve learning.

A collaborative team of educators who meet regularly to study practice, analyze evidence of learning, and improve instruction through shared inquiry and collective responsibility.

Planning lessons so content, process, and products match students' readiness, interests, and learning needs while keeping the same high expectations for all.

A layered framework that provides increasingly intensive academic and behavioral supports based on student need, with progress monitored and decisions made from data.

Job-embedded professional support in which a coach observes, models, and gives feedback to help teachers refine specific classroom practices over time.

A structured classroom visit using a rubric or protocol to gather evidence about instruction, followed by feedback aimed at improving teaching and learning.

Planned learning activities for educators that build knowledge and skills needed to improve instruction and student outcomes, ideally tied to school goals and data.

Persistent differences in academic performance between groups of students, often by race, income, disability, or language, signaling inequitable opportunities or supports.

A written set of procedures for preventing, responding to, and recovering from emergencies, including roles, communication, drills, and coordination with outside agencies.

A scheduled practice of a safety procedure, such as evacuation or lockdown, that tests readiness and reveals gaps to correct before a real crisis.

Identifying, reducing, and planning for hazards that could harm people or disrupt operations, including insurance, inspections, and safety protocols on campus.

The process of distributing limited funds among staffing, programs, materials, and operations in ways that support school priorities and legal requirements.

Legal and ethical obligations to protect student education records, limit access to those with legitimate need, and handle sharing and storage according to federal and state rules.

Building respectful, ongoing partnerships with families so they can support learning at home and contribute to school decisions and improvement.

A formal collaboration between a school and outside organizations-businesses, nonprofits, agencies, or colleges-that brings resources, expertise, or services to students and families.

Information exchange in which schools share updates and also seek, listen to, and act on input from families and community members.

Purposefully involving those affected by school decisions-families, staff, students, community partners-in planning, feedback, and problem-solving to build trust and better solutions.

Professional standards that describe expected conduct for educators, including honesty, confidentiality, fairness, and avoiding harm to students and the profession.

A systematic review of policies, practices, resources, and outcomes to find disparities and determine changes that give every student fair access and support.

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that can influence decisions and interactions, sometimes producing unfair treatment even when a person intends to be fair.

The ability to understand and respond respectfully to people from different cultural backgrounds, using that understanding to improve relationships and instruction.

The ethical and legal duty to keep private information about students and staff secure and to share it only when authorized and necessary.

A situation where a leader's personal, financial, or family interest could improperly influence a school decision, requiring disclosure or withdrawal from the decision.

The local governing body-usually a school district-responsible for operating public schools and complying with state and federal education requirements.

The state-level department that oversees public education, administers federal funds, sets accountability rules, and provides guidance and monitoring to districts.

An elected or appointed local body that sets district policy, approves budgets, hires the superintendent, and represents community interests in public education.

Sharing influence and decision-making across teachers, teams, and administrators so improvement work is not dependent on one person and persists over time.

The leader's focus on teaching and learning-setting clear expectations, supporting instruction, and using data-to improve classroom practice and student outcomes.

The strategies used to guide people through transitions, including communication, training, and addressing resistance so new practices take hold in daily work.

The set of federal and state rules that measures school performance through indicators and assigns consequences or supports based on results.