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

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [...]

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, [...]

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

Explore this case study to see how the Campbell Union School District confronted challenges head-on by developing and empowering leaders to [...]

Celebrating Extraordinary Leaders: Meet the Higher Education Difference Maker Award Recipients

Each year, the Destination High Performance conference unites exceptional higher education leaders from across the nation to share innovative [...]

Rounding for Success: A Superintendent’s Journey from Skepticism to Impact

Dave Kline, Superintendent of the Colton School District in Oregon, shares an inspiring journey from skepticism to success with the [...]

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 [...]

Building Trust with the Community Yields High Dividends: Lessons from a Superintendent

Dr. Michael Barnes, Superintendent of Mayfield City Schools in Ohio, shares insights on building trust, redefining success, and implementing [...]

Building the Leadership Muscle to Improve Hiring and Retention

By embracing core processes that consider and address the individual needs of staff, school districts can help alleviate shortages and improve [...]

EP342: Cascade and Execute Your Strategic Plan

How can school districts effectively cascade, communicate, and execute strategic plans? Superintendent Todd Antony and Principal Jared Schaffner [...]

EP341: Reflect, Plan, and Lead

What insights and lessons can be unpacked from the previous school year? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Charan Cline, [...]

From First Year Scorecards to Achieving Alignment Across Departments

School districts use scorecards as strategic tools to guide progress, align efforts, and drive continuous improvement. Discover how Hemet Unified [...]

EP338: Transform Communities by Transforming Schools

Learn how effective school leadership sparked community-wide transformation in Jefferson County, Alabama. Dr. Angela Bush shares how she [...]

Partner Success Stories & Highlights

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

EP319: Achieve Accountability Through Consistency and Communication

Join us as Dr. Janet Pilcher sits down with Mr. Rob Clayton of Warren County Public Schools for a compelling conversation about accountability, [...]

Leading Through Disruption: Leveraging Data for Informed Decision-Making

Explore how education leaders in Alabama and California leverage data-driven decision-making to navigate disruption and drive student success in [...]

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 [...]

Leading Students Back to Learning

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 [...]

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 [...]

Continuous Improvement: Adjusting Through Disruption

Before joining Studer Education as partners on their continuous improvement journey, Superintendent Ryan Carpenter and his team at Estacada [...]

Mastering the Art of Reflection: A Superintendent’s Guide to Progress, Strategic Planning, and Impact

Mark Martin, Superintendent of Meade County Schools in Kentucky, shares valuable insights into the strategic planning and progress monitoring [...]

EP342: Cascade and Execute Your Strategic Plan

How can school districts effectively cascade, communicate, and execute strategic plans? Superintendent Todd Antony and Principal Jared Schaffner [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

EP301: Develop and Apply Standards of Excellence

In this episode of the Accelerate Your Performance Podcast, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Jon Malone, Regional Director and Chief Executive for the [...]

Guest Podcast: Dr. Janet Pilcher on Off the Cuff Podcast with Dr. Brendan Kelly

Dr. Brendan Kelly, host of Off the Cuff Podcast and President of the University of West Georgia, recently invited Dr. Janet Pilcher as a guest on [...]

EP312: Align Behaviors with Goals and Values

In this Accelerate Your Performance podcast episode, Dr. Janet Pilcher invites Dr. Angela Bush, principal of Erwin Middle School in Birmingham, [...]

Rolling Out Engagement Results from District to Classroom

In the School District of Altoona, located in Altoona, WI, leaders administer and share survey results with staff, as well as with students. The [...]

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 [...]

EP334: Round for Employee Retention

What is rounding like in action? Join Dr. Janet Pilcher as she interviews Dr. Deanna Ashby, Senior Director of Coaching at Studer Education, to [...]

From First Year Scorecards to Achieving Alignment Across Departments

School districts use scorecards as strategic tools to guide progress, align efforts, and drive continuous improvement. Discover how Hemet Unified [...]

Progress Not Perfection: Find the Wins and Capture the Learning from this Year

In this webinar, Leader Coach Kathy Oropallo shares how to target short-range outputs that align with our big annual goals and offer celebration [...]

The Right Communication Builds Trust

Communicate at all Levels: People know why what they do matters. It’s not just approaching it with intentionality but focused intentionality [...]

Creating a Collaborative Network to Improve Performance

A NOVEL APPROACH TO FAMILIAR CHALLENGES: CREATING A COLLABORATIVE NETWORK Situated in rural California, Tulare County faced some challenges that [...]

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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