How can a “balanced scorecard” benefit Delaware?
“Balanced scorecards” are a school-improvement tool that allows school leaders to establish strategic priorities and tie them to a series of measurable milestones that can be monitored over time for progress at the school, district and state levels. The focus includes both student outcomes (for instance, raising performance on the state’s achievements tests and closing achievements gaps by a certain percentage a year) and the numerous inputs that affect those outcomes (everything from the quality of teacher development to the curriculum that is taught). As districts and schools strive to turn Delaware’s schools into the best in the world by 2015, a management resource such as this allows educators to set and monitor very specific learning priorities and, in the process, keep everyone focused on “the main thing”–improved student achievement.
