About People & Organizations


Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Schools - Elementary, Secondary, and Adult Schools 533 Airport Boulevard, Suite 200 Burlingame, CA 94010 Phone (650) 696-1060 Fax (650) 696-1867 Southern California Office: Phone (951) 693-2550	The WASC-ACS web site completely revised. Many materials are available for download. Check it out!
California Department of Education Intersegmental Relations Professional Development and Curriculum Support Division Department of Education 1430 N Street, Suite 2401 Sacramento, CA 95814	Sallie L. Wilson serves as liaison between CDE and WASC for FOL. 916-323-5765 916-323-2817 FAX Jim Greco, a major contributor to Aiming High, is another resource for secondary schools.
Achieving Success for All Students	This web site is part of the statewide initiative to close the achievement gap. Aimed to support the work of policymakers, it is the electronic hub for information, research, success stories, and helpful information on efforts to close the gap in California. The California Department of Education and WestEd are partnering on this initiative with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Doing What Works	Doing What Works is a website dedicated to helping educators identify and make use of effective teaching practices. Doing What Works contains practice guides developed by the Department’s Institute for Education Sciences that evaluate research on the effectiveness of teaching practices described in the guides. The website also contains examples of possible ways this research may be used, but not necessarily the only ways to implement these teaching practices.
Re-Inventing Schools Coalition (RISC)	The RISC Schools Model (RSM) brings together all stakeholders as a learning community to create and then continuously refine a system that improves the educational experience of EACH individual student, allowing them to reach their full potential, through standards and assessments that are authentic, challenging, fair, and consistent. RSM causes systemic and sustainable changes to the educational process resulting in learning communities. The model (based largely on the work of Robert Marzano) is composed of four components: Each of these elements is an essential aspect of a model designed to create systemic changes in education as they understand it today. Shared Vision: Stakeholders driving systemic change Leadership: Leadership capacity for all stakeholders Standards-Based Design: Innovative learning is the constant, time is the variable Continuous Improvement: Refining processes that foster excellence
Other Regional Accrediting Associations Each organization has its own set of standards (criteria) & protocols. All have these on-line. They are instructive regarding national thinking about accreditation & school improvement as well as useful in developing language for the school self-study & the Visiting Committee report.	New England Association of Schools & Colleges North Central Association - Commission on Accreditation & School Improvement Northwest Association of Accredited Schools Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools
County Offices of Education	County offices are supportive of schools' work with Focus on Learning. Resources (print and people) are likely available.
JanSue Training and Consulting	Janet Knoeppel has offered help if your school is a continuation or other alternative school.
California Legislative Information	The official site for California legislative information, this site is updated nightly. The site contains legislation from the 1993-1994 Regular Session of the Legislature to the current time.
AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer	Along with other resources, this site includes the award-winning Blue Web'n, an online library of 1200+ outstanding Internet sites categorized by subject, grade level, and format (lessons, activities, projects, resources, references, & tools) and Filamentality. You can search by grade level, broad subject area, or specific sub-categories. Each week 5 new sites are added. You can get a list and description of these additions sent to you by signing up below for free weekly updates!
Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership	California Department of Education funded project to assist educators in their technology decisions. The site has for its "meat and potatoes," a matrix of resources compiled by a team of educators throughout California.

Acknowledgements

Site last modified & updated December 14, 2007

Achieving Success for All Students