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Over the last three years, Napa Valley Unified School District has revamped its school support model -- resulting in a 25-point gain on California’s Academic Performance Index (API) district-wide and growth in more than 90 percent of district schools. One element of this reform effort is a new mindset at the district office. When John Glaser became superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) after years of consulting there, he already knew the district well and understood the value of good customer service. As a result, he reformulated NVUSD office to reflect a consultant’s model—to become more service-oriented and more collaborative with schools. “We need to be so good,” he told central office staff, “that schools won’t have to go anywhere else to get what they need.” Glaser’s goal: a district-wide professional learning community working together to improve student performance and close the achievement gap.
Pursuing this more direct customer service model, the roles of all central office personnel were redefined to better reflect district goals and to better support the schools. All certified district office staff were reclassed as Learning Support Partners (LSPs) and assigned to schools according to the schools’ needs and the LSP’s expertise. The critical care schools (i.e., program improvement and Title I schools) were assigned an LSP first. The LSP met with leadership at each school, provided coaching for the principal and professional development for the staff, and worked with them to apply research, analyze school data, assess school needs, and to develop a school improvement plan.
In assisting schools, LSPs have focused on how they and the principal and teachers could work together to improve students’ performance and close the achievement gaps. As a result, they worked collaboratively and built professional learning communities in each school and across the district.
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