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PartnersSI Launches Leadership Development Initiative

PartnersSI, with the support of visionary foundations The Walter and Elise Haas Fund, the E. Richard Jones Family Foundation, and The W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation, is launching a comprehensive leadership development initiative to develop high-impact and results-oriented leaders. Said Lin Ishihara, Senior Program Officer at The W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation: "Great schools require effective leaders. We believe Partners in School Innovation's leadership development work will result in more high impact leaders with the skills, competencies and fortitude to improve schools and increase student achievement. Our grant to PartnersSI is an investment in a rigorous, strategic and smart approach that is benefiting Bay Area schools and yielding valuable lessons for the field."

PartnersSI Awarded $750,000 to Launch English Language Development Initiative

PartnersSI, with the generous support of the S.H. Cowell Foundation and the Morgan Family Foundation, is launching a three-year initiative to dramatically accelerate the learning of English Learners in PartnersSI schools and build the field's knowledge of effective English Language Development teaching practices and school improvement systems that foster high quality instruction for English Learners. We will be partnering with ELD expert Susana Dutro and her organization, EL Achieve, to combine high quality, research-based professional development with PartnersSI's in-depth school improvement services. We are proud to partner with Susana and with two visionary foundations to address one of the greatest needs in schools across California.

PartnersSI Launches Leadership Development Initiative in SFUSD

Partners in School Innovation, in partnership with San Francisco Unified, the San Francisco School Alliance and UC Berkeley's Principal Leadership Institute, will begin a three-year initiative to develop San Francisco's current and future school leaders to lead their schools to high achievement and close the achievement gap. This partnership has enabled PartnersSI to 1) expand our intensive, site-based school partnerships from 2 to 6 elementary schools in SFUSD, 2) expand our Leadership Networks to include the low-performing middle schools along with the low-performing elementary schools in SFUSD, and 3) work in close partnership with the leaders of San Francisco Unified, the SF School Alliance and UC Berkeley to create a strategic, coherent leadership development pathway for aspiring leaders in the district. This work enables PartnersSI to both make a measurable impact on a significant number of schools in San Francisco and to provide a platform to work strategically with our colleagues at the district to impact the systems that will support and sustain the improvements that we make at the schools

PartnersSI Expands School Improvement Fellowship Program

PartnersSI announces the expansion of our School Improvement Fellowship program, a two-year fellowship connecting individuals with outstanding teaching and leadership skills and a commitment to education reform and equity, with direct experience supporting teacher professional development in low-income public elementary schools. The program is primarily comprised of site-based work and focuses on improving teacher practice as the most important lever for transforming chronically low-performing schools into equitable learning environments for all students. School Improvement Fellows (SIFs) support teachers to accelerate the learning of low-performing students and close the achievement gap by using data and other evidence to improve instruction. Additionally, SIFs guide teachers through a continuous process of peer collaboration and reflection, in order to better identify and address different students' learning needs. Because SIFs are former teachers themselves, they are already familiar with the many challenges facing teachers in under-resourced schools and thus have the credibility and experience to support them through their professional development.
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PartnersSI Selected to Train Instructional Leaders in SFUSD

PartnersSI launched a series of trainings for 30 teacher-leaders from San Francisco Unified School District's (SFUSD) lowest performing elementary schools. SFUSD looked to PartnersSI to build the capability of their key instructional leaders to guide their colleagues through a data-based continuous improvement process. Participants have been very enthusiastic about the quality of trainings so far. "I leave every development session focused, with a clarity of purpose and an enthusiasm to keep going forward," said one participant. Workshops occur twice monthly and provide participants with the skills, tools and support to make an immediate and ongoing impact back at their sites.

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PartnersSI to Help Design the Gardner Professional Development School

PartnersSI is teaming with San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) and other key educational leaders to develop an exemplary Professional Development School (PDS) out of the ashes of a tragic fire that took place at Gardner Elementary School. Mary Ann Rockovich, Director of Professional Development and Special Projects for SJUSD, says that they wanted PartnersSI at the table because, "We want the PDS to be a place where teachers are constantly seeking and finding ways to enable children to learn more. PartnersSI has the expertise to help develop that kind of learning environment for teachers." The Professional Development School is scheduled to open in September 2005.

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