Starting Small for Big School Improvement (pdf)
by Helen A Scharff, Deirdre A. DeAngelis and Joan E. Talbert
Starting Small for Big School Improvement
SAM II Evaluation Report
SAM II Evaluation Report 10-30-09
Getting small to get big: An introduction to data-driven Inquiry
This stand-alone introduction to inquiry for the very beginner was distributed to all participants in Boston’s new fifteen-school inquiry initiative (the design and curriculum of which is adapted in SAM-Boston). It combines both pep and process by including a message from the superintendent and evidence of success from SAM-Boston schools while distilling the unique [...]
Inquiry Process Map and Supplemental Materials
This new and improved Inquiry Process Map (a.k.a Action Research Process Map) asks inquiry teams to record the steps of their inquiry (or action-research) cycles for two reasons: first, by laying out each decision and testing it against all data, hypotheses, and observations available, teams can more readily spot any logical gaps, mis-alignments, or leaps [...]
An Unorthodox but Pragmatic Approach to National Math and Science Literacy
Liz Gewirtzman
2008
Prepared for the Carnegie-IAS Commission on Mathematics and Science Education
Three Anchors of Effective SAM Facilitation
Three Anchors of Effective SAM Facilitation (PowerPoint)
Iceberg Template
The “iceberg” is a structured way for teams to unpack, understand, and eventually change the ways in which current practices produce—and will continue to reproduce—their current level of student outcomes. It can be used to make visible the invisible workings of any kind of system, from classroom to school and district levels. In all cases, [...]
Inquiry Process Map
This Inquiry Process Map asks inquiry teams to record the steps of their inquiry or action-research cycles for two reasons: first, by laying out each decision and the data it is based on as they make it, teams can more readily spot any logical gaps, mis-alignments, or leaps of faith that would undermine the effectiveness [...]
SAM Resources
Resources we have created during our time with SAM
Challenges: Teams
Challenges:
The major challenge we face working in and with teams, at the present time, is how to assess individual contributions to a group effort.
Our strategy has been to evaluate each team based upon: (a) the quality of what it produces in response to team-based prompts; and (b) feedback from team members on the process by [...]
