Turning High-Poverty Schools into High-Performing Schools

Presented by Dr. William Parrett, Boise State University

Dr. Parrett’s Kentucky connections run deep, and KASA is pleased to welcome him to share his most recent work around closing achievement gaps. Expanding on an original framework's still-critical concepts of actions and school culture, Dr. Parrett’s recently released new edition incorporates new insights for addressing equity, trauma, and social-emotional learning. These fresh perspectives combine with lessons learned from 12 additional high-poverty, high-performing schools to form the updated and enhanced Framework for Collective Action.

Emphasizing students' social, emotional, and academic learning as the hub for all action in high-performing, high-poverty schools, the authors describe how educators can work within the expanded Framework to address the needs of all students, but particularly those who live in poverty.

Equipped with the Framework and a plethora of tools to build collective efficacy (self-assessments, high-leverage questions, action advice, and more), school and district leaders—as well as teachers, teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and other staff - can close persistent opportunity gaps and reverse longstanding patterns of low achievement.