All of CSSR's services are customized to meet the needs of our clients.
By clicking on the images to the left, you will be directed to CSSR's many services.
Relevant content will appear in this area of the page as you click the images to the left.

1. Best Practices for Personalized Learning and Teaching
CSSR has worked with state, district, and school personnel to develop and implement personalized learning strategies. CSSR works with individuals to personalize content, product, assessment, and instruction and discover a range of options for personalizing teaching and learning both in and out of the classroom. CSSR is also working to expand the research base focused on personalized learning.

Sample projects include: 

New Hampshire Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs)
CSSR is working to support the nine schools in New Hampshire that are piloting the implementation of various methods for students to earn high school credit anytime, anyplace. CSSR is assisting the schools to put in place systemic changes such as advisory programs that can support students to demonstrate mastery through ELOs.

New England Network for Personalization and Performance (NETWORK)
CSSR is working with 13 schools across four New England states to develop a network of support for schools in the development of personalized learning environments that include performance assessment as a vehicle of demonstrating mastery of course competencies.

Personalized Learning Workshops:

New England Showcase for Personalization and Performance
November 15, 2010
Concord, NH

Breaking Ranks School Showcase
February 24, 2011
San Francisco, CA

Personalized Learning Materials:

DiMartino, J., & Clarke, J., (2008) Personalizing the High School Experience for Each Student. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA.

DiMartino J., & Wolk, D., (2010) The Personalized High School: Making Learning Count for Adolescents (published by Josey Bass)

DiMartino, J., Clarke, J. & Wolk, D., Editors (2003) Personalized Learning: Preparing High School Students to Create their Futures, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD.

Contact CSSR for more information on Personalized Learning and Teaching.

2. Change Leadership/ Organizational Development
The best intentions and a well-crafted project plan are often not sufficient to insure objectives are met. Major initiatives often fall short of meeting desired objectives because an effective change leadership process has not been instituted and sufficiently resourced. CSSR's change leadership support includes support in two ways: facilitating District leadership to support the process and supporting schools to address shifting roles and responsibilities that are necessary to sustain meaningful change.

Major initiatives necessitate the development and/or reprioritization of leadership knowledge, skills, and talents at the individual and team level. Workshops and consultation in this area enhance the leadership capabilities of all key stakeholders engaged in meeting objectives. Leaders gain a thorough understanding of the motivational and influence requirements necessary to institute sustainable change. A key component of this is development of the knowledge, skills, and talents required to set and execute reasonable change goals in the face of individual, team, and/or organizational resistance. This enhancement of capabilities is provided within the context of improved organizational diagnostic skills that insure the application of leadership skills is focused for most impact. The result is enhanced influence, critical thinking, and team building skills.

Our management support work is characterized by a long-term commitment to assisting clients with a variety of tasks, from leadership development to strategic planning to program implementation support to fund development. Long-term relationships enable us to understand our clients' values, dynamics, and needs - making it possible for us to help our clients do their best work.

Sample projects include:

U.S. Department of Education's Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) Program
CSSR is working with the Academy for Education Development (AED) and the Great Schools Partnership as a technical assistance provider for the 214 project directors and more than 600 high schools that are currently involved in the SLC program. The three organizations work in collaboration to develop events, professional development opportunities, and products for grantees. Through this work, CSSR has developed the product, Writing Goals and Objectives: A Guide for Grantees of the Smaller Learning Communities Program, available from the U.S. Department of Education.

Support for Redesigning High Schools
CSSR works with a number of schools and districts exploring ways to redesign their high schools to meet the needs of all their students. CSSR has worked with Yonkers, NY to develop district level leadership to help transform four of their high schools. CSSR is also providing techinal assistance in the creation of a new middle school and a new early college high school.

Change Leadership Workshops:
CSSR offers a variety of Institutes and workshops throughout the year. Contact CSSR for information on the next Change Leadership workshop.

Change Leadership Materials:

Bryan, W., & DiMartino, J., (2010) Writing Goals and Objectives: A Guide for Grantees of the Smaller Learning Communities Program.U.S. DOE

3. Strategic Planning
The CSSR strategic planning process compels the district office to identify those practices that contribute to the school's success, and to replace those policies and practices that no longer work with new ones that are more responsive to the school's current and future needs. Our support for a district level task force helps to create a policy and support plan that will be useful as a guide for the district and that will be central to all aspects of creating SLC's across all high schools in the district.

Planning involves understanding how the changing environment affects your organization; accurately assessing your capacity and resources; defining your strengths and niche; and setting new goals and objectives. CSSR will work with you to develop a planning process that fits your budget, involves the right people, uses the best available data, produces the most robust discussion, and establishes recommendations and methods to monitor progress. Qualified staff will assist you along the entire process - from design, to data analysis, to meeting facilitation, to the crafting of clear, detailed reports to share with your organization, your partners, your funders, and the broader community.

Sample projects include:

Clinton, CT Strategic Planning
CSSR worked with the strategic planning committee in Clinton, CT to create a new vision of their high school. By going through the strategic planning process the district was able to revision the use of space in their current high school without having to build an entire new building while still meeting the needs of their students.

Sante Fe Indian School (NM) Strategic Planning
CSSR is providing technical assistance to the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) to support their strategic planning initiative. Since starting the work in 2009, CSSR and SFIS have created effective communication plans, developed vision/mission/value statements, reorganized leadership teams, conducted various stakeholder focus groups, and have re-prioritized community initiatives. With CSSR support, SFIS is now working on the final stages of the 18 month strategic plan that will be presented to the board and community members.

Pittsfield Middle High School (NH) Visioning Process
Pittsfield Middle High School was faced with a need to reorganize staff. The district chose to engage in a planning process to redesign the high school before determining how to move forward with the budget cuts. The redesign has been implemented including a revised schedule, daily advisory, daily common planning time, and weekly professional development due to late start Wednesday. Perhaps the most innovated initiative is the creation of a site council (with a majority of students) as the governing body of the school.

4. School Change Coaching
The school change process is difficult and complex. This is especially true when new practices are being implemented while school is in session, and prior professional development has not totally prepared the staff to deal effectively with the changes being introduced. A CSSR school change coach has an expertise in facilitating the school change process and working with staff to ensure their successful adoption of the initiatives being introduced. All CSSR coaches have a deep understanding of both the “What - content best practices" and the “How - process/organization development implementation." To begin any program, a school leadership team must have the tools, research, and data around best practices to support implementation, but MUST have the roadmap on HOW best to make sure the program is sustainable over a long period of time.

A significant part of our work includes change leadership and organization development tools and best practices. The best intentions and well-crafted project plans are often not sufficient to insure objectives are met. Major initiatives often fall short of meeting desired objectives because an effective change leadership process has not been instituted and sufficiently resourced.

Workshops and coaching for school and district leadership about the change process are provided to the leadership team and other key stakeholders. The concepts and tools required to meet objectives are provided so as to facilitate major change in the school. These include communication and influence requirements, changing roles and responsibilities, identifying all project stakeholders, creating buy-in, “off the platter analysis," and addressing the positive politics of change.

Sample projects include:
Prince Edward County School District, VA School Change Coach
CSSR school change coaches worked with the leadership in Prince Edward County to establish a creative schedule that supported time for teacher collaboration and the implementation of an advisory period for all high school students. School change coaches work throughout the country meeting the individual needs of schools and districts. A sample list of sites that utilize a school change coach include: Dartmouth, MA; Plymouth, MA; Yonkers, NY; Napa, and New Brunswick, NJ.

New Hampshire Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs)
CSSR is working to support the nine schools in New Hampshire that are piloting the implementation of various methods for students to earn high school credit anytime, anyplace. CSSR is assisting the schools to put in place systemic changes such as advisory programs that can support students to demonstrate mastery through ELOs. Each school has a school change coach working with their leadership team.

New England Network for Personalization and Performance (NETWORK)
CSSR is working with 13 schools across four New England states to develop a network of support for schools in the development of personalized learning environments that include performance assessment as a vehicle of demonstrating mastery of course competencies. A school change coach is supporting all schools in this project.

5. Readiness Assessments
CSSR conducts Readiness Assessments to help middle schools and high schools develop an implementation plan. Readiness Assessments allow teachers and faculty to see their school through the eyes of the students.

Research has shown that an essential characteristic of successful school redesign is the school culture's readiness to accept and participate in the change process. The Readiness Assessments are designed to provide an opportunity for various school stakeholders (e.g., students, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff) to identify their school's successes and areas of concern. Through such identification, the CSSR team can develop a customized plan to support each school's successful implementation of personalization strategies.

Sample projects include:

Student Shadowing, Fulton City, NY
Coaches from CSSR conducted a Readiness Assessment at G. Ray Bodley High School. CSSR coaches, along with faculty from Fulton City shadowed students for one day, facilitated focus group sessions, surveyed faculty and staff, analyzed student data, and mapped out initiatives already in place at the school. As a result of the assessment, CSSR coaches assisted G. Ray Bodley High School to create a plan to implement an advisory program and student-led conferences.

Grant Writing/Development
CSSR will work with your organization research, identify, define, and develop grant funding opportunities. CSSR has partnered with numerous districts to secure funding from the U.S. Department of Education, state departments of education, foundations, and other local funding sources.