Connecting the Dots of Accreditation

Barry R. Groves; Marilyn S. George

doi:10.5771/9781475862232

Summary

How do school leaders build a collaborative, cohesive culture to ensure high quality learning for all students? This book provides a practical, succinct guide for educators on “how” the core elements of the accreditation process can unite a school in its transformative, continuous improvement journey. The authors explain “what is accreditation” and elaborate on using the core elements for schoolwide involvement and collaboration in determining the effectiveness of a school’s program and systems and the impact on student learning through a perpetual cycle of assessing, planning, implementing, monitoring and reassessing.

The authors clarify the “why” of accreditation and provide case studies of schools that have used accreditation as a coherent framework to build the capacity for change. The lessons learned from many educators embracing accreditation also provide further insights. Readers will deepen their understanding of how the accreditation process honors educators’ desire to be self-directed in their passion for learning and well-being for all students. They will understand how accreditation builds and strengthens the trust, engagement, ownership and dialogue among all, viewing the school as a professional learning community. Educational leaders will value the book for its realistic approach to connecting the dots of leadership, coherence, continuous improvement through accreditation.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-4758-6221-8
ISBN-Online: 978-1-4758-6223-2
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 108
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
2. 1. References No access
3. Acknowledgments No access
1. What? No access
2. So What? No access
3. Now What? No access
1. Success High School’s Journey No access
2. The Faculty Meeting No access
3. The Overall Process No access
1. Regional Accreditation Associations No access
2. Evolution of WASC No access
3. Regional Accreditation Associations: Expansion, Reorganization, and Mergers No access
4. National and International Recognition No access
5. Regional Accreditation Associations: Collaboration with Other Organizations No access
6. Examples of National K–12 Accrediting Agencies No access
7. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion No access
8. Evolving Emphasis on Continuous Improvement No access
9. Past and Future No access
1. Reasons for School Accreditation No access
2. Why Not Accreditation? No access
3. Summary No access
1. Guiding Principles No access
2. Basic Components of the Accreditation Process No access
3. Self-Study No access
4. The School Visit No access
5. Refining, Implementing, Assessing, Modifying Actions/Services No access
6. Conclusion No access
1. Road Map to Student Achievement No access
2. Conclusion No access
1. School Leader Characteristics No access
2. Leadership Leveraging Accreditation for Capacity Building No access
3. Conclusion No access
1. 1. New Leadership, New Commitment No access
  2. Path Forward No access
  3. Rallying Cry No access
2. 1. Signs of Success No access
3. 1. Accreditation as the Glue No access
4. 1. Goals for Improvement No access
  2. Leveraging the Accreditation Process No access
5. Bridgepoint High School: From Probation to Excellence No access
1. DEI and Accreditation No access
2. Diversity No access
3. Equity No access
4. Inclusion No access
5. Accreditation’s Support of DEI in Schools No access
6. Does DEI in Schools Hurt the Affluent? No access
7. Why There Has Been So Little Impact on DEI Improvement No access
8. What Accreditation Agencies Look for Regarding DEI No access
1. Enjoy the Continuous Improvement Journey; After All, that Is Why We Got into Education No access
2. As the School Leader (Principal or Head), Be Actively Involved in the Accreditation Process but Not Micromanage No access
3. Focus on One Set of Schoolwide Goals (One Schoolwide Action Plan) No access
4. Consider the Accreditation Journey as Something that You Do Every Day No access
5. You Only Get Out of the Accreditation Process What You Put into It No access
6. Virtually All Schools that Seek Accreditation Are Eventually Successful No access
7. Be Inclusive in Continuous Improvement No access
8. Ensure the District or Governing Body Is Part of Your Self-Study, Visit, and Ongoing Follow-Up Process No access
9. Participate in the Training Offered by the Accrediting Agency Before Beginning the Self-Study No access
10. Reach Out to Other Schools that Have Gone through Accreditation to Learn Best Practices from Them No access
11. Read the Accreditation Manual. If You Need Clarification, Seek Help No access
12. Realize the Benefits of Having Your Accreditation Self-Study Coordinator and Others Serving on a Visiting Committee Before Starting Your Self-Study Process No access
13. Schedule About Eighteen Months for the Entire Process, Self-Study through the Site Visitation No access
14. Engage All Stakeholders in Conversation to Ensure Understanding of the Concepts of the Standards or Criteria Outlined by the Accreditation Agency No access
15. When Conducting the Self-Study, Engage All Groups in Identifying the Most Important Information, Evidence, and Data to Analyze to Determine Findings. Don’t Just Report Information; Analyze the Data No access
16. Disaggregate the Data to Ensure that Self-Identified Groups Are Carefully Analyzed No access
17. Do Not Clutter the Self-Study Report with Unnecessary Photos, Graphs, Charts, and Information No access
18. Be Honest about Your Areas for Improvement during the Self-Study Process No access
19. Communicate Regularly with the Visiting Committee Chair before and during the Self-Study Visit No access
20. If You Have the Expertise, Put Together a Video/Slideshow Overview of Your School and Share It with the Visiting Committee No access
21. Be Sure that All Stakeholders Review the Final Self-Study Draft Before Submitting It to the Visiting Committee No access
22. Celebrate, Communicate, Publicize, and Review After the Team Has Visited Your School Site No access
23. Understand that the Progress Report/Visit, Such as a Mid-Cycle, Is a Review and Celebration of Progress in Your Accreditation Journey No access
24. If You Receive Probationary Status, Work on Those Areas of Needed Focus and Make It a Positive Experience for the School No access
25. Virtual Visits Can Be Just as Productive as In-Person Ones No access
1. Should Accreditation Influence What Is Taught in Schools? No access
2. Should Accreditation Be a Carrot or a Stick in Providing Information to Schools and the Public? No access
3. What Should Be the Role of Peer Review in Accreditation? No access
4. Should Accreditors Work as an Oligopoly? No access
5. What Are the Needs of Public Disclosure/Accountability versus Transparency? No access
6. Should Accreditation Use Qualitative and Quantitative Measures? No access
7. Should Virtual or Online Schools Be Accredited? No access
8. Should Accreditors Include a Discussion on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? No access
9. What Should Be the Role of the State Departments of Education in School Accreditation? No access
10. Should There Be More Research and Public Discourse about K–12 School Accreditation? No access
11. The Future No access
Appendix No access Pages 93 - 94
Bibliography No access Pages 95 - 100
Index No access Pages 101 - 106
About the Authors No access Pages 107 - 108