Highlander Institute

2021-2022
Annual Report

Our team has emerged from the pandemic smaller, stronger, and more adept at improving experiences and outcomes for all students — particularly those from historically marginalized communities. Explore our highlights and reflections below.

From Our

Executive Director

Leading during a time of great uncertainty is never easy, but leading an organization through the hills and valleys of the 2021-2022 school year was the greatest challenge I have ever faced professionally. Traditional leadership tropes fell short as COVID protocols, political polarization, and the Great Resignation threatened every aspect of our educational infrastructure. 

The leaders in our partner schools weathered the storm by trusting our team to support their visions and coach their talented educators. We saw several school communities thrive this year because they had adaptive organizational cultures that prioritized instructional equity and social and emotional well-being, especially for their most historically disenfranchised students. 

As an organization with expertise at leading school change efforts, we learned a lot this year about the conditions that encourage or discourage change, the bureaucracies and policies that bolster or threaten innovation, and the ways in which our Culturally Responsive School Change model can serve as a foundational roadmap. The pandemic has brought increasing attention to the inequities of our current education system, but questions remain as to whether recovery efforts will solely privilege those who already have resources, power, and access.

When things got challenging for us, we found strength in our mission, vision, and the core values of our Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy framework, which culminates in the development of critical consciousness with students.

Popularized by Paulo Freire, critical consciousness combines deep critical thinking, a social justice focus, and project-based learning with the goal of empowering students to transform their communities and society. This concept is our north star as we train teams of adults to engage students in the work of identifying, disrupting, and improving current systems of inequity.

As you will see in the sections below, our Culturally Responsive School Change efforts have spanned multiple school environments, states, and priorities — allowing us to gather rich evidence from our partners about how our model is building leadership capacity, shifting teacher mindsets and practices, and improving student outcomes even during times of struggle and challenge. My pride in our team is strong and my belief in our work is even stronger, but what drives me above all are the opportunities for renewal and reinvention that are in front of us in the year ahead. 


Best,

shawn_signature

Shawn Rubin, Executive Director

OUR MISSION

We partner with communities to imagine and create more equitable, relevant, and effective schools. Using research, we convene, coach, and build capacity to improve outcomes and experiences for all students.

OUR VISION

Students, educators, and communities partnering as agents of change to design:

Classrooms that empower
Schools that adapt
Systems that liberate

LEARNING SHOULD MAKE THE WORLD BETTER

We believe students will be successful:

  • when they learn in environments that leverage their identities and interests as strengths,
  • when they develop positive mindsets around learning,
  • when their thinking skills are nurtured so they can be self-directed learners, and
  • when they are supported to apply their learning in meaningful ways that make the world better.

Our Model

Our Culturally Responsive School Change model offers school partners three years of intensive coaching across our instructional, data, and change management frameworks. Emerging from the pandemic, we opted to work more deeply with fewer partners to prove the efficacy of our new focus. The three high-impact levers are:

inclusive_change

We support education leaders to design, convene, and facilitate school improvement teams (design teams) that elevate family, student, and teacher voice in redesign efforts. We craft a shared vision, set goals, and develop action plans to improve both social-emotional and academic outcomes for all learners, particularly for those who are currently struggling.

instructional_equity

We leverage our Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy framework with 19 evidence-based practices to help teachers increase relevance and engagement. Our professional learning opportunities improve persistence, independence, and success within challenging curricula, creating joyful learning experiences that honor and celebrate all student identities.

liberatory_data

We center student experiences as a key measure of instructional efficacy. Our innovative data tools quantify student perceptions around belonging, academic confidence, cognitive skills, and engagement. We study and compare data from various student populations, mobilizing stakeholders to take action to close gaps and replicate best practices.

Our Impact

At A Glance

During the 2021-2022 school year, our team had the opportunity to work deeply with a highly aligned, diverse group of partners:

states

5

States

States

Rhode Island
Massachusetts
New York
Illinois
Iowa

districts

21

Districts

Districts

75% Public School Districts
10% Charter Networks
10% Private School Networks
5% Other Partner Organizations

schools

49

Schools

Schools

70% Urban Ring Schools
18% Suburban Schools
10% Urban Schools
3% Rural Schools

leaders

80

Leaders Coached

Leaders

79% Building Leaders
21% District Administrators
88% with 10+ Years of Experience

teachers

1,687

Teachers Coached

Teachers

79% Female
89% White
8% Early Childhood
36% Elementary
22% Middle School
34% High School

students

25,000

Students Impacted

Students

44% Students of Color
11% English Learners
47% Receive Free/Reduced Price Lunch

Our Services

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Knowledge-building workshops sharing culturally responsive approaches

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Small groups of teachers & leaders diving deeper into implementation strategies

TEACHER & LEADER COACHING

1-on-1 sessions focused on goal setting, planning, implementation, & reflection

DESIGN TEAMS / SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAMS

Teams of diverse stakeholders convening to analyze data & set school priorities

offering_professional_development_icon_ony

Professional Development

“The content pushed the teachers to try new strategies in their classrooms. It was presented in bite-sized pieces and allowed for some very valuable conversations around some very sensitive topics.”

 — Principal, Diocese of Providence

85%

average percentage of participants reporting high levels of satisfaction, engagement, and strategy implementation

offering_plc_facilitation_icon_ony

Professional Learning Communities

“I have adapted all of the thinking routines and tools presented to use with my students. The work to expose the implicit, hidden, and null curricula is beneficial for our entire student body and staff.”

 — Teacher, Norwood Public Schools

92%

average percentage of participants reporting high levels of satisfaction, engagement, and strategy implementation

offering_1_on_1_teacher_coaching_icon_only

Teacher & Leader Coaching

Leaders

100%

rated coaching sessions as
"extremely useful"

Teachers

87%

agreed that coaching sessions had a positive impact on their teaching

“Our Highlander Institute coach has helped us refine our data analysis practices and develop more supports to help teachers with instruction. Despite pandemic related challenges there have been so many successes for us this year.”

 — Assistant Principal, Newport Public Schools

offering_design_teams_icon_only

Design Teams

“I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and discuss the data with colleagues and the chance to reevaluate our focus moving forward.”

 — Design Team Member, Woonsocket Ed. Dept.

92%

of participants found Design Team meetings engaging

SCHOOL SUCCESS SNAPSHOTS

Partner schools and districts featured below received a customized combination of professional development sessions, professional learning communities, teacher and leader coaching, and design team facilitation — as well as administration and reporting for our Student Experience Survey aligned to outcome data. All partners received an average of 150 hours of annual direct service support.

ELEVATING STUDENT FEEDBACK & SCALING HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES
IMPROVING EXPERIENCES & OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
RECRUITING & SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EDUCATORS
RAISING THE BAR ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
ALIGNING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOL CHANGE WITH TRANSFORMATION
ACTIVATING LEADERS AS LEARNERS TO CHAMPION EQUITY DISTRICTWIDE
ELEVATING STUDENT FEEDBACK & SCALING HIGH-IMPACT PRACTICES

Elevating Student Feedback & Scaling High-Impact Practices

Baychester Middle School, Bronx, NY

This school serves 277 students in grades 6-8. 98% of students identify as BIPOC and 86% qualify to receive free/reduced price lunch. The school’s design team used our Student Experience Survey data to drive improvement efforts, and saw these results:

Baychester Middle School showed the highest growth on ELA MAP scores in the district

100% of teachers participated in professional learning and implementation activities

Year 2 Interim Assessment Data Progress at Baychester (MAP)

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Responses to “My teacher is glad that I am their student” increased:

 

10% for 6th graders

12% for 7th graders

18% for 8th graders

14% across the whole school

42% for English Language Learners

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“The Highlander team has impacted the conversations teachers are having, the instruction underway in classrooms — they have shifted our practices and mindsets beyond the scope of the contract. It’s some of the best work I’ve undertaken.”

— Shawn Mangar, Principal, Baychester Middle School

IMPROVING EXPERIENCES & OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Improving Experiences & Outcomes, Particularly for Students with Special Needs

Whiteknact Elementary School, East Providence, RI

This school serves 252 students in grades K-5. 48% of students identify as BIPOC and 63% qualify to receive free/reduced price lunch. In SY22, the school completed its 3-year partnership with Highlander Institute, with Years 2-3 focusing on special education students.

The work leveraged staff meetings, data meetings, and teacher-requested coaching to refine practices

During the 2021-2022 year, Whiteknact's schoolwide iReady data showed the most growth since 2016

Academic Mindset Scores from Student Experience Survey

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Interim Assessment Data (iReady) for Special Ed Students

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“You can walk into any classroom in the building and see posters about ‘the learning pit’ and understand the relationship-building methods being used. These are now fully integrated practices.” 

— Laurie Marchand, Former Principal, Whiteknact Elementary School

RECRUITING & SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EDUCATORS
freedomdreams

Recruiting & Supporting Community Educators

Learning Pod Initiative, Central Falls High School, RI

Beginning in winter 2021, in partnership with Freedom Dreams, Highlander Institute collaborated with leaders from the Central Falls School District to create a learning pod model led by 7 community members. The first project cohort served 42 students in 9th grade at Central Falls High School who were chronically absent and/or failing multiple courses during COVID. 100% of pod leaders and participating students identify as BIPOC.

100% of families rated learning pods as extremely helpful in supporting their child

Participating students reported an 85% increase in engagement and a 55% increase in sense of belonging

Responses to “I can learn the hardest topics assigned to me” increased:

 

23% for female students

48% for all students

82% for male students

150% for Black students

Students participating in learning pods saw a 35% decrease in school absences

67% of pod leaders reported wanting to stay in the education field due to their project experiences

Responses to “I feel like an important member of this learning pod” increased:

 

66% for Latine students

100% for male students

169% for all students

487% for female students

1150% for Black students

learning_pod_parent

“A lot of positive changes have happened from my son joining a pod. He is doing academically better, and he also started getting into sports. He's less combative at home. His grades have improved. Having a male figure to talk to and have conversations that he can't always have with me has been amazing.” 

— Parent of Student Learning Pod Participant, Central Falls

RAISING THE BAR ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Raising the Bar on Student Achievement

Greystone & Centredale Elementary Schools, North Providence, RI

These two PK-5 schools serve a combined student population of 492 learners, with 44% identifying as BIPOC and 41% qualifying to receive free/reduced price lunch. In our multi-year partnerships, both schools:

  • Introduced strategies to develop academic mindset
  • Focused on routines to support critical thinking
  • Increased student access to high-quality instructional materials
  • Facilitated inclusive school improvement teams

In a year of unprecedented drops in RICAS results, both Greystone and Centredale Elementary Schools were recognized with Governor’s Citations for improving student achievement despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic

Between 2019 and 2021, Greystone students improved their ELA scores by 5.3 points and outperformed their district and state by over 10 points across both Math and ELA

Between 2019 and 2021, Centredale improved ELA scores by 4.3 points and significantly reduced the percentage of special education students not meeting expectations

Improvement in RICAS Outcomes for All Students at Greystone

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Improvement in RICAS Outcomes for Special Education Students at Centredale

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louise_seitsinger

“It is a true example of how combining the expertise of our leadership and educators with a talented Highlander Institute facilitator and effective school change model created successful outcomes — especially for our students.” 

— Louise Seitsinger, Assistant Superintendent, North Providence School District

ALIGNING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SCHOOL CHANGE WITH TRANSFORMATION

Aligning Culturally Responsive School Change with Transformation

Coleman Elementary School, Woonsocket, RI

A K-5 school, Coleman Elementary serves 256 students, with 78% identifying as BIPOC and 84% qualifying to receive free/reduced price lunch. Our partnership began in the fall of 2020 and was initiated after the school was identified by the state as underperforming. Our Instructional Equity Partners coached educators around key priorities:

  • Building awareness by reflecting on our materials & teaching practices
  • Increasing student persistence
  • Establishing empowering formative assessment structures

 Interim Assessment Data at Coleman (STAR)

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Students at Coleman experienced the highest growth in reading skills in the district (measured by STAR), with over 75% of students showing improvement

In post-session surveys, 89% of teachers reported feeling engaged by professional learning sessions and 100% reported that Highlander Institute coaching improved their teaching skills

In a June 2022 state site visit report, ratings for “focused instruction” grew 30% and “feedback” increased 33%. Site visit leaders reported that the school “showed the most improvement they had seen.”

teachers_1

“We have established so many strong foundational pieces this year and feel ready to dive deeper and keep learning.” 

“This feels like a different building — we have structural routines and learning expectations that weren’t there before.” 

— Teachers, Coleman Elementary School

ACTIVATING LEADERS AS LEARNERS TO CHAMPION EQUITY DISTRICTWIDE

Activating Leaders as Learners to Champion Equity Districtwide

Norwood Public Schools, Norwood, MA

A PK-12 district spanning 8 schools, Norwood serves 3,387 students. 33% of students identify as BIPOC, 22% have IEPs, 13% are English Language Learners, and 40% are considered economically disadvantaged. District leaders initiated a partnership with Highlander Institute as the Massachusetts Department of Education declared culturally responsive learning a top priority. Conditions that have increased the impact of our collaboration include completion of a district equity audit and the integration of audit recommendations into the district strategic plan. Highlander Institute’s work directly supports these recommendations.

2020-2021

norwood_y1@4x

30 Hours

45 Participants

Activities

PD Series with Administrative Council
PD Series with School Committee

Goals

Build knowledge, develop a vision, and clarify alignment across the district

Outcomes & Feedback

Administrative Council PD Series

  • Satisfaction Rate of 90%
  • “I’m committed to creating a safe space this year for all to struggle with this topic.”

School Committee PD Series

  • Satisfaction Rate of 85%
  • “I found the sessions really informative and enjoyed the discussions about academic mindset and student engagement."

2021-2022

150 Hours

315 Participants

Activities

5-Part PD Series for Teachers at All Schools
Elementary & Secondary Teacher PLCs
Leader PLC
MOY & EOY Student Experience Survey 

Goals

Develop broad CRSP understanding with full teaching staff, host PLCs with early adopters, and collect baseline Student Experience Survey data

Outcomes & Feedback

Full District PD Series

  • 100% Teacher Participation Across Schools
  • Satisfaction Rate of 78%
  • "Thank you for opening our minds...Your enthusiasm was infectious and wealth of knowledge admirable."

Teacher PLCs & Leader PLC

  • 81% of Participants Implemented Strategies
  • “It feels good to acknowledge and celebrate hidden voices and perspectives in our curriculum.”
  • “I’ve already seen very productive adjustments being made that truly help our kids.”

2022-2023

380 Hours

Entire District

Activities

3-Part PD Series
Addition of Non-Classroom Teacher Cohort
Teacher PLCs & Monthly Coaching for "CRSP Champions"
Leader PLC & Monthly Principal Coaching
BOY & EOY Student Experience Survey

Goals

Support the broad implementation of key strategies linked to Student Experience Survey data, continue to build capacity for district admin & school leaders, and identify individual teacher goals related to CRSP districtwide

Outcomes & Feedback

“We need to create specific opportunities for teachers to share ideas on how to make students’ cultures & lives part of the fabric of our classrooms & schools.”

Implementation this year is underway. We are excited about the introduction of 1-on-1 coaching with both teachers and principals this school year in Norwood.

Additional information coming soon!

alec

"Highlander Institute's professional learning is right in sync with our district's needs. Through their support, each year, more of our staff have been bringing these strategies to their classrooms to benefit our students."

— Alec Wyeth, Assistant Superintendent, Norwood Public Schools

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looking_ahead

Looking Ahead

The 2021-2022 school year was a challenging year for schools and communities as pandemic recovery efforts uncovered significant gaps in skill development, rising mental health issues, and diminished engagement and motivation for both students and teachers. Despite these challenges, Highlander Institute was able to continue to support partner schools through multi-year partnerships that have adapted to changing conditions and improved a variety of student outcomes.

With the Institute team at our smallest size in seven years, 2021-2022 was a year of new beginnings in many ways. We formalized our commitment to culturally responsive personalization by grounding all school improvement efforts in the foundation of our Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy framework. We upgraded our approach to data to focus on students and families rather than test scores. We elevated the highest impact aspects of our 2018 Pathways model to support inclusive change management. We doubled down on quality over quantity across the organization and have emerged with strong data points that present us with a new baseline for future accountability.

We are looking forward to the year ahead with renewed energy and hope amid rising uncertainty in the world.