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Our
Work
The
Ball Foundation partners with mid-sized urban school districts to transform
schools into places in which all children learn at high levels. Everything
the foundation does is grounded in a set of core beliefs and guiding principles
(see below). The foundation believes that sustainable educational transformation
is possible through partnership with school districts.
The
foundation does not enter into partnership with a pre-programmed set of
solutions. Together with a district, the foundation designs a set of activities
and interventions that is appropriate for that district at any given point
in time during the partnership.
Vision
The
Ball Foundation envisions a high performance education system in which
all children learn at high levels regardless of race, national origin,
socioeconomic status, native language or culture.
Mission
The
mission of the Ball Foundation, a partner in transforming schools, is
to increase literacy achievement for all students using systemic changes
to improve professional practice.
The
Ball Approach

click
to enlarge in new window -- graphic by Mary
Corrigan
The
Ball Approach is an adaptive process for change. [Download
PDF version]
By
supporting and enhancing organizational learning and building sustainable
organizational capacity, the Ball Foundation works toward high literacy
achievement for all students. In the Ball Approach, the foundation brings
expertise from four domains--- communities of practice, data-driven
literacy instruction, family engagement, and leaderful behavior---and
combines them with school districts' existing assets. Throughout the phases
of partnership---inquiry and engagement, implementation of design, and
transition to sustainability---the foundation serves as coach, consultant,
and critical friend to school districts.
Also
see the latest version of the Education Initiatives theory
of change.
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Core
Beliefs
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Guiding
Principles
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- We
believe that all children are capable of attaining high
levels of academic achievement.
- We
believe that a focus on English language literacy will result
in all students being able to read, speak, write, think and reason
at levels that allow them to fully participate in society as lifelong
learners, productive workers and contributing systems.
- We
believe that competencies of educators directly impact the opportunity
for and probability of all students attaining high levels of academic
achievement.
- We
believe that educators, parents, and policy-makers are capable
of leading transformational change.
- We
believe that external organizations can provoke and support leaders
of educational transformation.
- We
believe that achieving sustainable educational transformation
requires a systemic, rather than a programmatic or piecemeal approach.
- We
believe that the learning required for systemic transformation
occurs in a social context.
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- We
invest in strategic partnerships to produce sustainable improvement
in student achievement.
- We
build trustful relationships with our partners.
- We
build a shared vision and engage in collaborative learning with
our partners.
- We
implement adaptive models in a continuous process of co-discovery,
co-creation and co-intervention.
- We
work with what's working and what's possible, not with what's
wrong.
- We
ground our work in research-based practices.
- We
create connections between practitioners within and across partnerships.
- We
practice ongoing reflection, feedback and evidence-based conversations
with our partners.
- We
honor our obligation to share our learning and to learn from others
who work for school transformation.
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Indicators
of Impact
We
expect our partnership work to result in sustainable improvements in
- Organizational
capacity (as evidenced by changes in culture, competencies, and conditions)
- Organizational
learning (as evidenced by changes in the way knowledge is created, acquired,
interpreted, shared and used)
- Professional
practices (as evidenced by enhanced instructional, organizational, and
leadership practices)
- Student
achievement (as evidenced by reading and writing performance)
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