Portico Overview and Impact

  • Hold the space to make the Important work (school change/improvement) urgent.
  • Portico Goals:
    • Transform the Student Experience
    • Engage in Inclusive Leadership and decision making practices.
  • Year 1 Objectives:
    • Establish a shared purpose, a holistic vision for readiness (student outcomes)
    • Establish a community driven sense of identity

Engage ALL stakeholders – Statements of Identity/Purpose that reflects the values/beliefs of the community.

“Relationships matter: the currency for systemic change was trust, and trust comes through forming healthy working relationships. People, not programs, change people.”   – Bruce D. Perry
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”   – Margaret Mead

By the end of the Portico journey, leaders will be equipped to transform how they lead their school community in two areas.

  1. Transform the Student Experience so that all students feel prepared for their futures and feel a sense of belonging, connection and engagement. 

To do this leaders will:

  • Apply effective strategies for communicating a common purpose and creating buy-in among all stakeholder groups. 
  • Select and apply strategies and structures that facilitate students’ ownership of learning and develop reinforcements that support these behaviors with all stakeholder groups. 
  • Identify and implement schoolwide and classroom practices that ensure each student feels equipped with the skills for their next steps (i.e., transitioning to middle school, high school, and beyond).
  • Identify and implement schoolwide and classroom practices that empower students to feel a sense of belonging, connection and engagement. 
  1. Engage in Inclusive Leadership and Decision-making Practices.  

To do this leaders will:

  • Discover and apply inclusive leadership techniques and create systems and structures that support a common purpose and empowers all stakeholder groups to engage in collective decision making.  
  • Apply effective techniques to gather meaningful feedback from the school community (students, staff, and families). 
  • Interpret and use feedback from the school community in decision-making processes.
  • Identify and apply common equity frameworks that emphasize sharing diverse perspectives, ensuring all groups feel heard/represented, and ensuring that all groups have what they need to thrive.