Virginia Foundation for Educational Leadership

Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals

The professional association of middle and high school administrators since 1906

4909 Cutshaw Avenue

Richmond, VA 23230

804.355.2777

The Virginia Model: Mentor Coaching for School Improvement Institute

Purpose

The purpose of The Virginia Model training was to provide schools with the knowledge, tools and skills to help teachers and principals make effective decisions that result in improved student achievement. The ultimate goal in school improvement is for the people attached to the school to drive its continuous improvement for the sake of their own children and students. The training revolves around research-based strategies developed by the Center on Innovation and Improvement, National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Breaking Ranks in the Middle, and the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals’ mentoring and coaching program.

The overarching goal of the initiative was to provide a research-based model around which schools can improve student achievement. While the initiative was designed to help designated schools, the model is applicable for all school divisions and schools. It is anticipated that The Virginia Model will be adapted and replicated in several other states.

Each school division involved in the initiative identified a mentor coach who will work with the principal and the school improvement team to develop and implement a school improvement plan. This mentor coach will be trained in mentor coaching, effective curricular and instructional strategies, and an adaptation of Breaking Ranks in the Middle (BRIM). The principals of the schools will be involved in the mentor coaching aspect of the training and will receive the adapted BRIM training in the fall. The success of the initiative is predicated on developing a close working relationship between the mentor coach, principal, and school improvement team.

The training involves a variety of topics which include, but not limited to, the following:

Creating a vision
Expanding leadership capacity of others in the building and community
Making data-driven decisions based on school identified needs
Building a collaborative school community
Evaluating both the formative and summative aspects of programs
Allocating both fiscal and human resources
Aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Creating a personalized environment

The goal of every school in the Commonwealth of Virginia is to improve student achievement, have fully-accredited schools, and make adequate yearly progress (AYP) around No Child Left Behind. The Virginia Model: Mentor Coaching for School Improvement provides a structure to accomplish this. Through a year-long series of activities beginning with the mentor coaching institute and expanding to webinars, site visits, and school-based data entry, the model will provide a structure for improvement.

The Virginia Model Collaborators

One of the primary responsibilities of VFEL was to select the faculty for the Institute and for continuing projects related to the Virginia Model, as appropriate. Members are: