Our work is tailored to the unique needs of every client. Primary and Secondary culture and climate is highly specific based on the school and needs; personal perspective, institutional history, and the varied demands of the students, the teachers, and the community engaged therein. 

We help leaders see through the minutia and day-to-day, listening with compassion, verifying with evidence, and inspiriting student success through strategic programatic change. We empower teachers to build strong systems that prioritize the academic experience, and build even stronger relationships.

All with the underlying belief that our students deserve better.

Middle School, Lawrence MA

The Skinny

At the tail end of their first year of school turnaround, this particular school approached Russell Clay Consulting to help sort through their climate and cultural needs. We took school systems down to the studs and not only rebuilt communication, habit, and celebration structures, but orientation around staff appreciation and student achievement as well.
 

Our Task

• Equipping on-site staff with proactive tools to address and manage the high volume of students needing additional academic and emotional support.

• Transitioning systems to more appropriately address behavior with reflection and relationship restoration, consistency, and celerity, rather than compounding consequences.

• Building school culture systems based on the shared principles of academic rigor and joyful celebration.

• Generating internal and external communication protocols to ensure all community members could coalign on best practices in supporting the students.
   

Our Results

• 91% reduction in ISS rates

• 54% reduction in OSS rates

• 30% increase in Staff Satisfaction (2013-14: 63% // 2014-15: 93%)

• 48% increase in Family Culture Engagement Assessment (2013-14: 51% // 2014-15: 99%)

Testimonials

PreK-8 Teacher Training

The Skinny

Many schools are faced with a substantial number of new staff starting every August.  This new cohort arrives with varying experiences, habits, strengths and areas of growth. A critical component to being a strong and impactful teacher in any school is the ability to effectively and proactively manage a classroom, while simultaneously building relationships and a culture of achievement. Mastering such principles takes strong training and ample time to practice and receive feedback.  And, while each network school spends time in August training staff on key classroom moves, it is difficult to differentiate training for new vs. returning staff.  

Our Task

• Building effective professional development for cohort of 200+ teachers.

• Synthesizing best practices and decades of achievement-based strategies into eight-hour training sessions.

• Generating authentic and engaging classroom simulations for practice and real-time feedback while using proactive management strategies.

• Scaffolding and adapting scope of work for teachers in general and special-education settings in PreK-Grade 8.
   

Our Results

The training, while rigorous, provided the perfect foundation for teachers just entering the profession, as well as those who were gearing up for their first year in a high-expectations school. “The work was at once targeted for precise management, and yet general enough for wide-sweeping application,” according to the session facilitator. “After two days, teachers throughout the network were empowered with skills and a common lexicon from which DCIs and direct managers could enact quick hits and growth on day one.”

Testimonials

High School, Lynn MA

The Skinny

Russell Clay Consulting was approached by a regionally respected high school that sought to improve their systems, cultural operations, and student/teacher relationships. Their challenge was in taking a culture of academic achievement--strong and pervasive for the first two years of the program--and allowing it to flourish as it increased enrollment to over 500+ students, in addition to training and equipping a cohort of teachers new to the profession with the proper tools for student success.
 

Our Task

• Developing reflection and restorative practices

• Drafting targeted and actionable teacher coaching

• Routinely and consistently delivering wide-sweeping leadership coaching

• Establishing communication and operations protocol, including scheduling and resource allocation
   

Our Results

Class Referrals: 33% reduction in 4 months

Detention: 20% reduction (from 25% of the student population to just under 4%) in 4 months

“The creation of developmentally appropriate systems was a game changer,” according to the project manager. “Proper resource allocation, mid-year staff training, and philosophical grounding allowed the school leadership team to be able to focus on academic rigor and ratio, no longer burdened by having to react to student crisis and teacher mismanagement.”

testimonial

UP Education Network

THE SKINNY

Following a period of unprecedented demand and ensuing growth — expanding from 1 to 5 area schools in three years — the network sought assistance in generating norming metrics for schools that would reduce student exclusion.
 

OUR TASK

• Developing and implementing a consistent network-wide behavior matrix (conceived and designed with support by Christopher Habetler), that would norm response to behavior and reduce suspension and student exclusion as the primary tool to address behavior.

• Assisting with the development and language around policies and procedures, limiting and offering alternatives to academic exclusion, especially as it relates to suspension.

• Norming behavior systems and best practices for developmentally and culturally diverse K-8 schools.

• Teaming with and training school-based administration throughout the network to generate a central lexicon around positive emotional supports and joy initiatives.

OUR RESULTS

•     Increase of student emotional connection (self-report) to trusted staff at a rate from 28% to 88%

•     Reduction of in-school academic exclusion: 68%

•     Reduction of out-of-school academic exclusion: 74%

testimonial