Learning-Focused Strategies Expanding Within Delaware

As students, parents, and communities return from summer vacation, they will arrive amidst a flurry of excitement as Delaware begins implementing numerous reforms through Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants.  One aspect that school stakeholders will begin seeing is the influx of nationally recognized organizations with various competencies lending their expertise to campuses and districts.  One organization that has already formed a partnership within Delaware is Learning-Focused Strategies. 

Learning-Focused Strategies, a for-profit company based out of North Carolina, is expanding their imprint throughout the First State by consulting Mount Pleasant and Seaford High School(s) on the school turnaround strategies outlined in each district’s School Improvement Grant (SIG) application.  Through this partnership, Learning-Focused Strategies will provide campus staff support in implementing specific instructional practices within their classrooms.    

Learning-Focused Strategies has worked and continues to work in Delaware through partnerships with school districts, including Indian River, Lake Forest, and Smyrna, to implement teacher training programs.  These programs provide professional development to educators across various pedagogical competencies aimed at increasing effectiveness inside the classroom.  Strategies covered include lesson pacing, questioning techniques, and lesson to assessment strategies.  In addition, Learning-Focused Strategies worked with the Chief School Officers Association of Delaware to prioritize Delaware’s standards. 

Recently, Learning-Focused Strategies introduced the Turnaround/Transformation Model to their portfolio.  This model, potentially in response to the nation and state’s increased focus on turning around our persistently low-performing schools as exemplified in the Race to the Top and SIG programs, takes their previous work with school districts and tailors it to meet the specific needs of schools engaged in these difficult efforts.

In the coming weeks and months, it will be interesting to see how schools, districts, and outside organizations, such as Learning-Focused Strategies, collaborate to help Delaware achieve the goals outlined in our winning Race to the Top and SIG applications.