Partners for Acceleration

”Exceeding Students’ Expectations”

PFA Overview AND GOALS

 

Overview

 

Partners for Acceleration (PFA) is designed accelerate student learning. It does so by marshaling the efforts of all existing and potential partners to create learning environments that promote student belonging, accomplishment, and engagement. Its focus is on the whole child, and on the improvement of the environments in which children learn.

 

PFA coordinates efforts of multiple partners through a common commitment to providing:

· Supportive school and classroom environments

· Accelerated learning opportunities

· A collaborative governance structure and systematic decision-making processes

 

Through this structure, entire school communities identify strengths and needs of students, available school and community resources, and appropriate interventions that meet the needs of individuals, groups, and whole school populations.

 

 

 

Goals

 

Goal One: Accelerate learning of all students.

 

Students learn best when they are active and responsible, when teachers are highly skilled, knowledgeable, and caring, when curriculum is of high intellectual quality, and when instruction challenges students to go beyond their own expectations. PFA works with teachers and schools to reach this goal for all children.

 

Goal Two: Create learning environments in which all students experience accomplishment, belonging, and engagement.

 

Improving student achievement is an important goal for all teachers and schools, but we cannot lose sight of the total student and the environment in which students learn. Efforts to improve student achievement have to occur within environments that encourage multiple opportunities for accomplishment (academic, social, and physical), that provide a sense of belonging, security, and mutual responsibility, and that engage students academically, socially, and physically. PFA examines existing learning environments and provides assistance in strengthening and improving individual classrooms and entire schools.

 

Goal Three: Channel the efforts and expertise of multiple school-level partners through a collaborative governance structure and systematic decision-making processes.

 

Most schools juggle multiple programs, organizations, and individuals interested in improving education, but these efforts are rarely coordinated for maximum benefit. Although the specific focus of each effort may be different, all seek to improve the lives of students so that they can learn at the highest levels possible. Most schools lack organizational structures and decision-making processes to make the best use of resources. PFA provides such structure and processes.