School Design Collaborative


The School Design Collaborative (SDC) is a data-driven school improvement process that incorporates shared leadership and decision-making. Developed in 1992, SDC has been adopted by schools to develop their internal ability to affect positive changes resulting in increased student achievement and parental satisfaction. This model uses a team approach to address improvement opportunities at the school. The model also allows participants to have greater ownership of school issues and, in turn, promotes better communication, understanding, and support among all those with a stake in the school.

Teams of parents, teachers, support staff, administrators, and school districts are the life-force of SDC. The end result of the School Design Collaborative wholly relies on a productive team dynamic. To that end, we have developed two types of resources for teams: stand-alone tools and an SDC handbook. The online resources should serve as a guide for all teams as they create and implement a school improvement process.

When we initially developed the School Design Collaborative, we intended to have an outside facilitator or consultant lead teams through the process. We understand, however, that hiring a consultant is not a realistic option for all school communities and that many districts have adopted shared decision making models other than SDC. We believe that 5-7 member teams, whether facilitated by an outside consultant or self-facilitated, including teachers, aprents, principals, and other stakeholders, can benefit from the School Design Collaborative, and that the process and the tools can help schools reach higher levels of student achievement.

While the tools and handbook can act as a guide in the absence of an outside facilitator, you and your team may choose to incorporate a consultant's services into your process. If you wish to hire a consultant, first contact your district office; your district may provide a facilitator. You can also contact your regional education agency for assistance. Additionally, you can contact the Association for Quality and Participation (AQP) or the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) for additional resources on how to find a facilitator. These organizations may also be excellent resources on how to engage your team in facilitation training.

We invite you to use the School Design Collaborative handbooks as a guide toward increasing productivity and achievement in your school. In order for us to obtain feedback on the tools and process provided in the handbook, we ask you to register with the foundation by sending us an email with your contact information, school district, and how you first learned about SDC. We will then provide you with a password that allows you to download the handbook from the link below.

 

School Design Collaborative Handbook (password protected)

 

Schools currently participating in the School Design Collaborative:

Springfield Public School District 186 (Illinois)

Dobson Academy (Chandler, AZ)
Hearn Academy (Phoenix, AZ)

  
 

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Building Effective Teams
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Consensus Decision Making
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