SchoolWorks organizes our remote school quality reviews into three distinct categories.
Pre-Review Prep. Our team will meet with the school’s leadership to discuss specific programs, teaching strategies, current learning approaches (fully remote, hybrid, or in-person), and any other relevant information to comprehensively understand how the school is functioning. After we’ve met with school leadership, dates will be set for the virtual review and surveys will be distributed to students and parents as we conduct document analysis and prepare for the review.
Interviews and Observations. Over a period of two days, the SchoolWorks team will interview school leadership, conduct focus groups for teachers, administrators, and other instructors, and observe instruction through any combination of:
- Real time observation in virtual “classrooms”
- Analysis of prior sessions that have been recorded
- Review of learning assignments completed in an asynchronous environment
School leadership interviews typically take about 2 hours total, while focus groups take about 45 minutes. Length of classroom observation will depend on the length of the class itself, as well as the format in which the observation is being conducted.
Final Report. After the review has been concluded, our team will send a detailed written report outlining all findings as well as any supporting evidence. Schools should expect their final report within four weeks after interviews and observations. If desired by the school’s leadership, SchoolWorks can facilitate a Post-Review Prioritization Session to go over all of the review’s findings in depth and begin to prepare a plan of action to improve educational quality moving forward.
What insights can be gained from a remote school quality review?
SchoolWorks is dedicated to improving the functionality and potential of learning environments, especially in this uncertain time of remote and hybrid learning, by asking the important questions:
- Is the school cultivating a healthy and productive culture for their students, teachers, and administrators?
- Is the school collecting useful data around student performance and using it to inform decisions?
- Does remote learning adequately cater to students’ individual needs?
- Is the administration maintaining a high level of morale among teachers, staff, and students?
- How are students’ home lives and resources affecting their success with remote learning?
These are only some of the crucial topics that are breached during remote learning quality reviews with SchoolWorks. For the leadership of any learning institution, in-depth feedback on any one of these topics can have an enormous impact on the quality of instruction, as well as the culture among instructors and students alike.
Within the unfamiliar environment of fully remote and hybrid learning, research-based assessment of distance learning programs is especially important. Many teachers and administrators are attempting to achieve fluency in online learning systems that are largely unfamiliar and racing to keep up with rapidly increasing volumes of students.
Though every school is facing a learning curve of some kind right now, a remote school quality review can provide immediate insights that help school teams refine online learning strategies, elevate quality of instruction, and improve student outcomes.
Remote Learning Review Consulting: Why It Works
There are many immediate benefits to school quality reviews, including:
- Transparent, unbiased information about the quality of instruction or remote learning opportunities
- An objective view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses
- Satisfaction of monitoring requirements for grant programs
- Identification of specific resources needed to improve student success
- Introduction of sustainable habits to improve school function
- and many more
The insight gained through a SchoolWorks review can set a school on track to greatly improve teaching strategies, quality of instruction, and student success for years to come. For more information on this service,ACCESS OUR VIRTUAL SCHOOL QUALITY REVIEW FACT SHEET.
