Overview of Our Services

Modern Red SchoolHouse assists schools and districts in achieving challenging goals through an array of customized professional development services. To help improve student achievement, we help schools build coherent curricula that are clearly aligned with state and local standards, improve teacher capacity to choose and implement effective instructional practices, and create collegial environments where the focus is on serving the needs of all students.

What distinguishes the MRSH approach to professional development from other providers?

• First, all professional development sessions are customized for your school or district. Content is adjusted to reflect the needs and experiences of your staff. MRSH never depends upon one-size-fits-all solutions to the challenges you face.
  
• Second, all sessions are conducted on site by members of our distinguished National Faculty, educators who are recognized experts in improving schools. We don't use the "train-the-trainer" model of professional development; we ensure that each staff member has the opportunity to work directly with our specialists.
  
• Finally, MRSH provides you with a team who consistently works with you, becoming experts in the needs and culture of your district or school. Professional development works best when educators can establish long-term relations with facilitators and experts. We stick with you as you work to improve.

Implementing meaningful and sustainable change in your school or district may be hard work, but collaborating with MRSH is easy. We generally follow a four-step process:

Step One: Diagnostic Visits

MRSH planners meet with school leaders to understand thoroughly the challenges faced by your school or district. After completing a "walk-through," our planners conduct extensive interviews with principals and teachers. We examine student achievement data, teacher and student mobility rates, parent and community participation, teacher certification, adopted instructional programs, and other relevant data that contribute to our understanding of your needs.

Step Two: Professional Development Proposal

Once we examine all data, MRSH planners, working collaboratively with your district personnel and school administrators, develop a professional development proposal outlining the services to be provided by MRSH, a detailed timeline for work, and a budget for implementing the proposal. While professional development sequences and priorities may vary, the goal is the same: to enhance educators' capacity to design and adapt continually an effective instructional program that supports student mastery of academic standards.

Step Three: School Improvement Activities

We work with you to set concrete outcomes for participants at each professional development session, and we continuously monitor progress toward those outcomes. We schedule professional development sessions around your district calendar. Depending upon your needs, we can schedule summer sessions, set-aside professional development days, small group sessions throughout the school year, and even Saturdays. After all work is agreed upon, MRSH facilitators deliver on-site professional development to district leaders, building administrators, classroom teachers, and school support personnel.

Step Four: Continuing Support for Building Capacity

Our ultimate goal is to build improvements in your school or district that will continue to produce results after we're gone. MRSH helps teachers increase their capacity to plan and implement effective instruction and assessment. We provide leadership training for curriculum coordinators, professional development departments, building administrators, and staff members with supervisory responsibilities. We work with school staffs to establish practical frameworks for shared decision-making. Finally, MRSH helps schools and districts build their capacity to reach out to parents and communities for vital support.

This four-step approach enables MRSH to provide your district or school with professional development uniquely suited to your needs. Together, we translate ambitious state and local standards into effective instruction, raising student achievement as a direct result.