Network for School Improvement

A collaboration of the University of Pittsburgh School for Education Center for Urban Education (CUE), the Dallas Independent School District (ISD), and the Institute for Learning

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Building a Network
for School Improvement

The Institute for Learning (IFL), in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School for Education Center for Urban Education (CUE), and Dallas Independent School District (ISD) serve as a network improvement hub in literacy for 14 Dallas ISD secondary schools. This collaboration provides supportive and instructional materials to create equity for underserved students – who are primarily African American, Latino, and low-income – by helping them develop the reading and writing skills they need to succeed in college, career, and beyond.

The IFL partners directly with Dallas ISD educators to build a culture of continuous improvement for equity that prioritizes trust with students and engaging subject matter. Our relationship with the CUE at the University of Pittsburgh gives us access to senior scientists and seasoned educators from across the country, allowing us to move and work more quickly to implement research-based strategies that lead to educational equity.

And by forming partnerships with educators, the IFL is building capacity within the Dallas ISD to continue to push this work forward across the entire district over the long-term. It is our vision that all students in Dallas have the reading and writing tools and instruction they need to succeed.

Our Philosophy of Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement means that students become confident and competent in their own thinking. As their expectations for themselves move, teachers’ expectations move; teachers then provide their students with even more challenging texts.

We believe that when students are given subject matter that is rigorous, engaging, and interesting to them, they become excited to do the work – and more confident in what they can bring to the table. And when students trust their teachers, they become more interested consumers of the curriculum and critical observers of what is happening inside their classrooms.

Check out the work the Dallas NSIs engaged in during the 2020 Leaders Online Forum:

People

Resources for Networked Improvement