Helping students connect with success.

Dear Colleague:

"Intervention" means many things to different people, but educators have a special understanding of the word. An intervention is an action taken to improve a situation or prevent something bad from happening, which is basically what we do every day in our schools. But in this issue of Leadership magazine, we're taking a look at the programs and services that go beyond the regular curriculum.

For example, you'll read about an elementary school where each student receives differentiated instruction in flexible classroom groupings. This action has brought the school's API similar schools rankings from a 1 to a 10 in just a few years.

At an inner-city high school, sophomores who may have never planned to go to college spend an entire semester studying at the local CSU campus, where most become inspired to strive for a college degree.

At a continuation school where the arts are emphasized, students who were not able to connect with the traditional curriculum find success they never could have imagined.

At a school with a majority of English learners and poor students, staff found that by asking the right questions, gifted students who had been overlooked can be identified and provided with enriched learning opportunities.

You'll also read about how the Response to Intervention model can result in improved instructional strategies for students, how to conduct effective walk-throughs at your school, how to provide the learning environments needed by the growing numbers of autistic students in California schools, and much more.

There is a common thread running through these articles: Effective schools don't force students into a rigid learning mold. Instead, instructional delivery is personalized to meet each student's learning needs.

One of the reasons that school leaders are among the busiest people on the planet is that we continually evaluate what we are doing for our students, and seek out new information that can improve student outcomes. I hope that the examples offered by these contributors to Leadership magazine will make it easier for you to do just that.

Sincerely,

Toni Hyland

ACSA President