Education Excellence Partners

Partner Success Stories & Highlights

July 25, 2024

Case Study: Campbell Union School District — Where Continuous Improvement Begins with Leader Empowerment

Our partner districts strive to drive positive change and foster continuous improvement to create a brighter future for all students. Explore case studies, insights, and podcasts highlighting exemplary organizations, innovative leaders, and successful practices for organizational excellence.

Case Study: Campbell Union School District — Changing the System to Work for the Student

Campbell Union School District’s leaders and teachers were seeing a significant increase in the number of younger students showing up to school with a lack of school readiness skills. This caused disruptions to the classroom and teachers and staff felt underprepared to address these new students’ academic and emotional needs. Something had to be adjusted, and quickly, before the achievement gap became larger and more challenging to close. Download this case study to learn how the district successfully prepared for new challenges and an influx of younger students.
Case Study: Burton Middle School Improves Reputation and Enrollment Through Transformational Leadership Practices

Explore how Burton Middle School improved leader engagement, increased enrollment, decreased staff turnover, achieved academic excellence, and enhanced its reputation by fostering individual connections with students.
Case Study: Burton School District — A Culture of Trust Impacts Student Success

Read the case study to learn how Burton School District Superintendent David Shimer sought an unconventional solution that would work for teachers and students when his schools faced critically low math proficiency. Download the full case study and the improvement toolkit here.
Case Study: From CSI to a Top 5 School – Erwin Middle, a Jefferson County Success Story

A school in crisis was turned around by a dedicated leadership team led by Principal Dr. Angela Bush who was committed to encouraging cultural change, leadership empowerment, communication improvements, and student achievement all while engaging the broader community in the success of Erwin Middle School. Download the Case Study and School Improvement Toolkit.
Case Study: Sand Creek Zone-School District 49 Sets the Standard in Employee Engagement

Sand Creek Zone strives to provide quality education by developing tools and systems that allow their staff to focus on the people they serve. By adopting Huron Rounding, Sand Creek Zone improved their ability to connect often with staff and collect feedback to remove barriers and recognize colleagues who were making impact.
Case Study: Improving Culture and Performance Through Feedback

The Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District leadership team approached their ailing culture with a shared sense of urgency to develop a healthy environment for students and all stakeholders. Wisely, the team started by requesting, receiving, and responding to feedback to build trust with disillusioned employees. Through their partnership with Studer Education, leaders built their mindset and skill set to accept honest, actionable feedback and use it for improvement.
Case Study: Creating a Culture of Unmistakable Value at Northwestern Illinois Association

Sustainable business partnerships are symbiotic in that each partner gives and receives something of perceived value to the other. When one perceives a decrease in the value of what they are receiving from the partnership, they may replace the partnership with one they believe to be more valuable. With this dynamic in mind, Northwestern Illinois Association embarked on a new journey to increase its value. These are the steps they took to create a culture of “unmistakable value”.

Studer Education Partners at Carnegie Summit 2024

The Carnegie Foundation is a pioneer in education improvement science. Each year, our coaches and partners join thought leaders and difference makers at the Carnegie Summit to share discoveries, success stories, and advancements in practices of excellence.

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Studer Education Coaches and Partner Districts share how to improve student connections and scale impactful practices at the 2024 Carnegie Summit.

With a series of pre-conference, general, and poster sessions, Studer Education Leader Coaches and our K12 partner districts share insights and experiences highlighting their commitment to meaningful change within their districts and school systems.

Presenting custom ways of building the engine for improvement, to emphasizing student connections and success, our sessions offer valuable lessons and inspiration for educators. Topics ranged from aligned efforts for impact, to scaling out improvement practices. These sessions exemplified the dedication of Studer Education district partners to continuous improvement and student-centered approaches to educational excellence.

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Partner Presenters

Hemet Unified School District, California
Campbell Union School District, California
Jefferson County Schools, Alabama
Porterville Unified School District, California
Burton School District, California
Estacada School District, Oregon
Portage Public Schools, Michigan
Tea Area School District, South Dakota
El Dorado County Office of Education, California
Tulare City School District, California
Oxford School District, Mississippi
University of Mississippi National Center for School-University Partnerships
Clackamas Education Service District, Oregon

We started through wanting to learn more about continuous improvement processes/improvement science work at Carnegie. Pat Greco did a local training. This session resonated with the Redmond community. They were in a mindset of want to operationalize continuous improvement. The connection with Studer surfaced as the need is bigger than simply PDSAs (plan, do, study, act). Transitioning out of the pandemic was the perfect time for a rebirth.
Linda Seeberg Assistant Superintendent, Redmond School District, OR
Our district was looking for a thought partner. After seeing Studer Education in action at Carnegie where a partner district was presenting, I was drawn to Studer’s mindset that coaching is done with teachers and administrations. We contracted Studer Education for high school classroom improvement coaching.
Pam Chairs Title 1 TOSA, Montebello Unified School District, CA
Hemet initiated daily team huddles right after we worked with Studer Education in their pre-conference session at Carnegie in 2023.
Christi Barrett Superintendent, Hemet Unified School District, CA

EP377: From a System of Schools to a School System

Superintendent Bradley Roberson of Oxford School District is a leader who understands that true improvement transcends individual schools. Join [...]

Cultivating a Culture of Gratitude and Continuous Improvement in the Casa Grande Elementary School District

Casa Grande Elementary School District is on a mission to remove barriers to student success and create a culture of gratitude, excellence, and [...]

Daily Huddles, Student Voice, and Engagement: How Hemet Unified School District is Driving Student and Staff Success

Hemet Unified School District is proving that strategic focus and intentional leadership drive real results. Under Dr. Christi Barrett’s [...]

How Three School Districts Are Solving Problems and Driving Student Excellence

Dedicated educators shape student success, and exceptional leaders foster the conditions for continuous improvement. Across the country, school [...]

EP376: Drive Student Achievement with Scorecards

Principal Lori Phillips of Oak Grove Elementary shares with Dr. Janet Pilcher how a schoolwide scorecard drives both student achievement and [...]

Aligning for Impact and Student Success in Meade County Schools

As a fifth-year partner with Studer Education, Meade County Schools continues to refine its systems, strengthen trust, and create meaningful [...]

EP373: Create Momentum with Short Cycles of Improvement

Tune in to hear Dr. Ryan Carpenter, Superintendent of Estacada School District, share how he implements short cycles of improvement to build [...]

EP372: Building Leadership Capacity Through Daily Huddles

In part 2 of the series, Dr. Janet Pilcher welcomes back Dr. Christi Barrett, Superintendent of Hemet Unified School District, to dig into the [...]

EP370: Wrapping Up the Year with Purpose

As the year comes to a close, Dr. Janet Pilcher reflects on the beauty of the holiday season, the lessons we can learn from A Charlie Brown [...]

EP369: Just Start: Driving Change in Education

What does it mean to "start where you are," and how can leaders leverage a cadre of the willing to drive meaningful change? Join Dr. Janet [...]

EP368: Alignment and Accountability in Operations

What does it take to lead a school district through tough facilities challenges? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Coy Sasse, Chief [...]

Superintendent of the Year: Honoring Excellence in Education Leadership

We are proud to share that superintendents from our partner organizations have been named AASA National State Superintendent of the Year. Join us [...]

EP365: How Gratitude Anchors Organizations

Expressing gratitude and recognizing a job well done are powerful leadership practices. Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher describes how these practices [...]

EP364: People-First Leadership in Classrooms and Communities

Listen as Dr. Janet Pilcher sits down with Dr. Adam Leckie, Superintendent of Casa Grande Elementary School District, to hear how his district is [...]

Tools to Monitor Progress and Connect Employees to Results

Consistent communication and connections with employees through leader huddles and rounding increase employee engagement and keep teams focused [...]

EP363: Go Slow to Go Fast

How does going slow to go fast build a strong foundation for continuous improvement? Join Superintendent Ira Porchia and Assistant Superintendent [...]

EP362: Rounding for Service Excellence

What is a rounding road show, and how is it being utilized by Oldham County Schools to achieve service excellence? Listen as Superintendent Dr. [...]

Celebrating Visionary Leadership: Meet the 2024 Difference Maker Award Recipients

At the 13th annual WRIE conference, the Difference Maker Award, a nationwide recognition of bold leadership, was given to two honored K-12 [...]

EP360: Clarity in Alignment

To build excitement for the upcoming What's Right in Education conference in Colorado, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Superintendent Mike Crawford [...]

EP359: Building a Strong Leadership Pipeline

Developing skilled leaders is a top priority at Manitou Springs School District 14. Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she speaks with Superintendent Sean [...]

EP356: Student-Centered Strategies in Alternative Education

What would a school look like if all faculty and support staff regularly met to discuss student successes and challenges? It would look exactly [...]

EP355: Excellence in Operations

How can you create departments that people want to work in? Amy Andersen and Meghan McAndrews, both operational leaders in El Dorado County [...]

EP353: Classroom Improvement That Empowers Students

What can you achieve when you collaborate with students to identify their learning barriers and make a plan to overcome them? According to [...]

Oxford School District Aligns for District-wide Excellence with Strategic Planning, Scorecards and Collaboration

Explore how the Oxford School District successfully aligned all schools with a system of collaboration. The district's strategic focus on [...]

EP352: Moving from Hope to Action

As Dr. Christi Barrett from Hemet Unified School District reminds us in this episode, "Hope is not a plan." For meaningful improvement to occur, [...]

EP351: Creating Compassionate Classrooms

Creating a learning environment modeled on a healthy family unit might sound unconventional, but at Child Development Centers of Erie, [...]

Partner Success Stories & Highlights

Key Ingredient for Success? Leadership Rounding

Performance Conversations: Ensuring employees reach their highest potential

Promising Results: The Impact of Implementing Performance Conversations

Good performance management practices are key to the success of an organization. Performance management skills, particularly having effective [...]

Action Planning: Go Slow to Go Fast

Achieving results requires building a certain level of trust with those you lead. Trust is created when leaders consistently share the direction [...]

Determine Top Priorities to Achieve Results

Focus on Priorities Action planning is the process where leaders engage in collective conversations with their teams to gain insights on [...]

Service Excellence—Even on a Snow Day

Those in service-oriented fields are driven by their core values, which keep them on target. It can be easy to get bogged down and forget how [...]

Proactive Behavior Fosters Improvement

The most successful organizations have proactive leaders who focus on maximizing their own performance, which influences results throughout their [...]

Progress Monitoring Improves Processes to Meet Goals

Strong leaders are highly familiar with data. Data helps us achieve our goals, become better drivers of change, and expands our understanding of [...]

Hardwiring Educational Excellence

In creating a culture for educational excellence, Muskego-Norway school district has hardwired the processes that feed alignment, accountability [...]

Digging into Data

Using Data to Inform Division, Department and Individual Action Plans In celebrating and highlighting the great work in the Hopkins County [...]

Collaboration Deepens Data Reflection in Christian County School District

Sharing a spirit of collaboration, focusing on continuous improvement, and connecting with the work are crucial actions for how Christian County [...]

What Makes a Great Executive Team?

What makes a great executive team? Think about your own team. How do they perform? How do you help them grow to their maximum capacity? Did you [...]

Developing Leaders is Important for Success

Not everything we do has the same outcome. We can only take so many steps in a day; we need to make sure they are all the right steps. [...]

Always Improve. Using PDSA Cycles.

Most leaders want to be more successful than they were yesterday and are always searching for ways to improve. Some organizations exceed results [...]

Cultivating a Culture of Unmistakable Value

How Can Organizations Set Themselves Apart? Effective, transparent leadership combined with a culture that’s focused on purpose is the key to [...]

Key Drivers for Changing a Culture

Four years ago… you couldn’t get a group of people in the room to have a shared conversation and understanding about who we were, [...]

Maintaining Momentum During Leadership Transitions

IMPACT IN THE INTERIM From 2013 until 2019, University of West Georgia President, Dr. Kyle Marrero, led the University to achieve records in [...]

Getting Better by Facing Failures

When Dr. Brendan Kelly arrived on the University of South Carolina Upstate scene to serve as chancellor, he quickly identified the need to [...]

5 Tips for Effective Virtual Job Interviews and Hiring

As school leaders prepare for the possibility of resuming classes virtually this fall, another process going virtual is hiring. In this climate [...]

Communicating What Matters to the School Board Ahead of Reentry

A very different school environment is right around the corner. As schools and organizations prepare for reentry, communication around the [...]

What Does Success Look Like?

Commit to Excellence: Set high expectations to achieve results while living out mission and values Cultures are built by setting expectations, [...]

Effectively Use Data to Build Trust and Improve

Measure the Important Things: Continuously track progress to achieve results with an improvement mindset. How do we know if a change or decision [...]

Define Guiding Actions to Live By

Build a Culture Around Service: Connect services to organizational values. Organizations aren’t providing excellent service by accident. The [...]

Build an Army of Improvers

Develop Leaders to Develop People: Coach people to be their best at work. Recently, Gallup reported that engagement levels in the US have reached [...]

Are Your Employees Being Heard?

Focus on Employee Engagement: Attend to aspirations and desires in the workplace. What makes an organization a “best place to work”? The [...]

Empower People to do Whatever it Takes

Be Accountable: Commit to individual accountability to achieve organizational goals. When we align individual goals to organizational goals, we [...]

Partner Success Stories & Highlights

Studer Education Partners at Carnegie Summit 2024

Studer Education Coaches and Partner Districts share how to improve student connections and scale impactful practices at the 2024 Carnegie Summit.

Partner Presenters

Partner Success Stories & Highlights

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