Our Philosophy

At Focus On Results, we believe that every student, every teacher, and every school and district can perform at a high level. We encourage everyone involved with our work — teachers, administrators and students alike — to identify their potential and recognize the impact they can have on their schools.

We know there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" solution. There is no magic set of steps that will work in the same way and to the same degree of effectiveness for every school or district. Instead, we focus on getting to know our clients' staff, to gain a deep, thorough understanding of the challenges they face every day.

From our work with hundreds of schools across the United States and Canada over the past ten years, we have developed a set of four lessons learned that, when observed, set the stage for real improvement in student learning:


1. To improve teaching and learning on a large scale, the whole district must be involved.

Bureaucratic inertia can be a powerful force. It can stop well-planned, well-informed leadership development initiatives, if only because they represent change. For an entire school district to experience system-wide improvement, everyone in the school system must support the effort. Superintendents, senior management and school administrators must participate and contribute toward the creation of the process, content and support of leadership development initiatives that improve a school system. Getting all the stakeholders in a school system involved is what makes long-lasting improvement possible.


2. Re-focus the role of the school principal. Emphasize that his or her highest priority should be improving teaching and learning.

Far too often, administrative matters pull principals away from what ought to be their core mission — improving teaching and learning. Principals need training, support and coaching to help them re-focus their efforts toward student instruction. We work with schools and districts to provide principals the instruction, coaching and follow-up support they need to maintain their focus on improving teaching and learning for the long term.


3. Give equal focus to the 'how' as well as the 'what' of improving teaching and learning.

Teachers and administrative staff need training and support on how to implement changes in instructional methods so that the shift is consistent from classroom to classroom and from school to school within a district. We work with principals and administrators to develop their leadership and facilitation skills so they can lead their schools effectively in implementing improvements to teaching and learning.


4. To produce lasting professional development, coaching follow-up is essential.

Nearly everyone who's worked in education is familiar with this scenario: the one-shot professional development seminar that produces interesting, motivating thoughts and discussion, but is promptly forgotten as soon as it is over. Both research and experience confirm that unless professional development is embedded in day-to-day work, it tends not to get used after a seminar ends. We work with school leaders to organize and provide ongoing support, school site visits and leadership coaching to ensure words translate to action.



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