This posting is the first part of a four part series, aimed at sharing high-impact ideas and practices for consideration in relation to Establishing a District Collaborative Response. The following blogs make up the series and should be explored in this order:
- Establishing a District Collaborative Response
- Using Data to Inform a District Collaborative Response
- Conducting a District Collaborative Team Meeting
- Creating a District Continuum of Supports
Over the past decade or more, we have seen Collaborative Response have the greatest impact in schools when school divisions or educational authorities adopt a systemic approach across all schools. Although there is no single formula for implementation, a multi-layered, contextually designed approach with integrated networking opportunities results in the most meaningful shifts in school and division-wide practices with long-standing effects (for more on networking for system impact, see Rincón-Gallardo & Fullan).
We have come to realize that this framework has potential for impacting school improvement, growth in staff capacity and provides a unified approach to student learning and wellness across schools. In addition, school divisions have seen growth in their cohesive teams that are networking and speaking common language across the division to support each other and begin rowing in the same direction through a coordinated approach to actualize their school improvement plans and see growth in student learning.
With intensive focus on implementing and continuing to mold and shape Collaborative Response, we’ve had the opportunity to envision how this framework can have impact beyond individual schools and the coordinated network of schools at a district level. We believe that the same three foundational components of collaborative structures and processes, data and evidence and the continuum of supports has potential to impact many fields of development.
More recently, we have come to focus on school district teams and their function in supporting schools to achieve the benchmarks set out by the province and established to ensure growth and development for all. Most, if not all, school divisions would attest to the adage of “Student success for all”, understanding that our intentions are not only valid but propel us toward a moral imperative that demands we are all working toward that goal.
This is easier said than done. As a district leader, I was often perplexed by the dichotomy of the responsibilities in my district role as measured by student learning. It always seemed like a very loose and distant connection. Even when we were targeting a specific area of growth, such as Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Testing results, we reviewed our data, identified areas for improvement and then endeavored to focus on teacher professional learning to impact those areas. There was never an assurance that what we did in those PD sessions actually impacted student learning.
We then moved to a model of coaching to ensure the strategies that we were identifying were actualized in the classroom. This too, was an attempt to make the connection between the district goals and what happened in the classroom to impact student learning and growth that may or may not have been a result of the coaching or professional learning. And in addition, we often see the capacity of district leadership inhibited by departments or designations of a group of schools to individual district personnel. This follows the belief that one person can solely support every need of every school.
Clearly articulated structures and processes at the divisional level in regards to the alignment of the divisional goals with a direct connection to the work in classrooms conducted by a team approach is a necessary component of actualizing school improvement. So how does this happen?
This is where Collaborative Response has the capacity to align all systems across a school division to ensure that what is envisioned as the goals for the district (and province or state) have the potential of being realized through a system of supports across the entire division.
Working with a number of school divisions, we’ve been using the same foundations within Collaborative Response to create an effective system of supports for schools while directing and deploying a divisional team to respond to the needs of each school based on district priorities and school needs. There are three essential components to this work and as you can guess, they parallel the three foundational components of Collaborative Response.
Creating a Foundation of Support
When beginning the work of formulating a Collaborative Response to support schools, it is integral to pause and reflect on the purpose of establishing such a framework and the role that each district leader plays in the process.
In attempting to establish a culture of inclusion, we often contemplate the following visual:
Mousseau, J. (2024). Understanding the Difference Between Equality and Equity [Image]. Diversity Resources. https://www.diversityresources.com/understanding-the-difference-between-equality-and-equity/
Reflecting on access for students and how we ensure equity for all, we realize that it is necessary to identify what each student needs in order to be successful. Through Collaborative Response in schools, we engage the Scaffolding of Teams to Reduce the Number of Meetings…By Adding One More and the process of Collaborative Team Meetings to ensure every child has every opportunity to grow and learn based on their own jagged profile.
Likewise, we draw a parallel to our roles focused on the essential understanding that our main purpose as district leaders is to support schools in their growth and development toward their goals. If that is true, then we need to understand that schools also have jagged profiles and unique contexts that require district leaders to consider the needs of each individual school and what they need to grow and develop in alignment with district and school priorities. The key word here is support! If we want to see each school grow and develop then as district leaders we need to envision our roles as supporting schools to arrive at those goals.
The second belief that is critical in this work is that student learning, teacher learning, school learning and district learning are all rooted in the understanding that all learning is iterative and real growth occurs when we are able to plan, act on those plans, observe our actions and reflect on changes that lead us into the next plan. This cycle ensures that we are able to attend to readiness and respond to the variable needs of each school community.
Source: Hallam, G, 2013, “The learning institution maturity model: A self-evaluation tool for future planning in NSLA libraries”, Brave New Worlds: Libraries, Learning and Community Needs Seminar July 17, 2013, National and State Libraries Australasia, Canberra, viewed 19 June 2014,
District Collaborative Response to Support Schools
In order for district leaders to ensure equitable support is provided to each school based on their specific area of need, it behooves us to establish a Collaborative Response at the district level that is composed of the three foundational components of Collaborative Response. The following overview provides a brief explanation of the underpinnings of a District Collaborative Response that responds to the needs of schools.
In order to coordinate and operationalize the Collaborative Response as a district, we have designed a simple workbook that assists in guiding the process as well as functioning as an organizational tool for the templates and agendas required to move through this process. The following is a sample template and can be adjusted according to each district's needs.
The power of Collaborative Response lies in its capacity to unify and strengthen school systems by aligning district goals with the everyday realities of classroom practice. By embedding clear structures, fostering collaborative networks, and ensuring consistent, data-informed support, districts can create meaningful and sustainable improvements in student learning and staff capacity. When district leaders embrace their role as partners in the growth of schools—recognizing and responding to the unique contexts and needs of each community—they build a foundation of equitable support that drives continuous progress. Ultimately, Collaborative Response is not just a framework—it is a commitment to shared responsibility, collective efficacy, and the unwavering belief that every student, teacher, and school has the potential to thrive.
In part two of this blog series, we will explore a step by step process for Using Data to Inform a District Collaborative Response with the intention of supporting schools through the foundational components of Collaborative Response.
Email or if you have questions or something you wish to share related to the topic of supporting schools through a district Collaborative Response.
Getting Started with Collaborative Response
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