Long-range Plans and HQIM Training Set Up Schools for Success this Year

Across NIET’s partner schools nationwide, the foundation for a strong school year begins months before students arrive. This intentional work is built through planning, goal-setting, and anticipation for what the new year brings. NIET partners took advantage of this momentum to start strong this year, from strengthening instructional leadership to refining systems that support educator growth. Below are three examples from Arkansas, South Carolina, and Indiana that demonstrate how NIET’s coaching, HQIM training, and leadership development are shaping classrooms from day one.

Supporting Student Ownership in Arkansas

This summer, NIET supported Alma School District in Alma, Arkansas, to prepare educators to meet their goals for the upcoming school year. Educators from each campus within the district, along with district administrators, participated in a professional development session led by NIET.

The session, titled Elevating Coaching, empowered teachers to take on leadership roles within schools by using student work to strengthen instructional practice. When students are engaged in their work, it reflects what students understand about their learning, providing insights for educators to reflect on effective instructional practices.

Elevating Coaching equips educators and school leaders with the certification required to serve as mentors for aspiring teachers enrolled in yearlong residency programs and novice teachers in their first, second, and third years in the classroom. The need for sustained support of early educators is critical in inspiring teacher retention, an effort that is further supported by NIET in Arkansas through its coaching of Educator Preparation Programs on HQIM implementation.

During the sessions, NIET shared research-based strategies centered on student data analysis, reflective practice, and planning – all designed to foster the professional growth of early-career educators.

Long-range Plans in South Carolina

Goal-setting and Instructional Leadership Team training were a priority for Columbia High School in Richland One during their work with NIET this summer. In an intensive ILT training program that included an in-depth planning session with Columbia’s teacher leaders, the teams shifted from process to action within their professional learning communities as an intentional tool to impact student outcomes. NIET’s support helped craft a long-range plan for the schools’ PLCs this year, embedded with purpose and a renewed commitment to collaboration. 

These shifts at Columbia High are not about fulfilling mandates or requirements; they reflect leadership’s commitment to raising the bar for professional learning communities and investing in ILT capacity. Their work over the summer builds on two years of cultural transformation, elevating student achievement, and instructional practices. Now, with a new year unfolding, the school’s leadership team is equipped with clear goals centered around reinforcing their ILT and deepening coaching practices campus-wide. 

The school’s theme for this year, Leading with Excellence, resonates deeply with NIET’s core values. Columbia High is demonstrating what it means to lead with purpose, implementing systems that drive excellence through intentional, educator-led work.

District Collaboration and HQIM in Indiana

NIET worked with Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) to strengthen instructional systems district-wide using two scopes of work. First, the district focused on collaboration with secondary district leaders to align systems of support, connecting district-level priorities to schools, classrooms, and students. This work was launched in the spring, sustained with NIET support through the summer, and now continues into the new school year to help leaders build coherence between initiatives, structures, and instructional priorities across all levels of the system. 

Aligned with this scope of work, NIET began a multi-year collaboration with IPS elementary school leaders as a part of the Lily Endowment Grant. Starting in May, NIET met with elementary district leaders to review focus areas and co-develop partnership goals that aligned with the districts’ vision. Further into the summer, the partnership launched two high-quality instructional materials training workshops (Empowering Teachers during a Unit Preparation Process and Enhancing Impact by Supporting Teachers with Intentional Lesson Preparation) to bring together elementary principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and district leaders to build a shared foundation for strengthening instruction across campuses. This dual focus to refine district-level systems of support and elevate HQIM training will drive IPS for years to come in collaboration with NIET. 

It is no secret that early investments in the school year, like those described in these schools and districts, are key in shaping our partners’ goals and driving desired outcomes. They also reflect the impact that is possible when leadership teams and educators receive the right support from the moment they enter the classroom. The excellence we find in these systems is built through intentional planning and a commitment to building the capacity of educators. As the year progresses, NIET will share how these efforts translate into measurable gains in instructional quality, collaboration, and student success.