Key Strategies

Professional Development: The Lee County partnership pre-trained teachers and staff on the Sterling and Glasser models during their planning phase. The combination of the Sterling and Glasser models is unique to Lee County, developed over eight years through use at Tropic Isles Elementary. All training and activities have been developed to align with the District’s Strategic Plan, thus setting the stage for sustainability of efforts past the anticipated five-year funding cycle. The combined model allows for:

• Regular monitoring of how cohort schools’ achievement compares to that of other schools in the district and state
• Development of specific goals and action plans at the school, grade or department, and class levels
• Provision of professional development to all teachers focused on specific strategies for helping students set their own goals and action plans
• Regular collection, analysis and use of formative data appropriate to drive instructional improvement

Collaboration: Union, district and community leaders comprising the formal leadership team for the effort plan to:

• Collaborate to determine specific needs of grant schools, and facilitate activities to meet identified needs
• Provide infrastructure to facilitate sharing of best practices among and within grant schools
• Maintain active membership on the District Quality Improvement Advisory Committee

Collaboration at the school level promises to be equally strong, and is also focused on teaching and learning. Each spring, student achievement data will be reviewed for each school, and “Goal Teams” will be formed to address deficiencies. In the fall, the Goal Teams meet to review additional data and to submit specific subsequent years revised goals for staff approval. Noteworthy are the development of action steps to be followed by individual teachers in each school.  

Lee County Public Schools Demographics and Achievement Gaps

Enrollment: 81,929
Student Poverty: 69%
Diversity: 52%
Black: 16%
Hispanic: 30%
Other: 6%

Related Resources

Lee County School District awarded $1.25 million grant, The News-Press, Oct. 25, 2011

Lee County public education partnership receives $50,000 grant, Naples News, April 4, 2011