Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE) Resources

DTSDE Tenets of Effective School Systems and Practices

Tenet 1 – Systems and Organization: Effective schools establish school-wide systems and structures that promote continuous improvement and success for all students.

Tenet 2 – School Leadership: Visionary leaders create a school community and culture that leads to success, well-being, and high academic outcomes for all students.

Tenet 3 – Curriculum: Effective schools provide students with rigorous, coherent, and relevant curricula that prepares all students for success.

Tenet 4 – Instruction: Effective teachers engage with students in a manner that promotes mastery and allows students to stretch their knowledge and deepen their understanding.

Tenet 5 – Social-Emotional Learning: Effective schools develop a systematic approach to Social-Emotional Learning to ensure that all students can develop social-emotional learning skills necessary for success within and beyond school.

Tenet 6– Parent and Community Engagement: Effective schools develop a systematic approach to Family and Community Engagement to empower parents to effectively advocate for their child’s learning and for the improvement of the school.

DTSDE Framework 

The DTSDE Framework outlines effective practices organized along the DTSDE Tenets. The framework is a reference tool to assist schools in examining the practices and engaging in reflective dialogue to improve practice.

DTSDE Phases of Implementation 

The DTSDE Phases of Implementation is a companion document to the DTSDE Framework. While the Framework provides a reference to organize educators’ thoughts around the various practices of effective schools, the Phases of Implementation serves as a tool to assist educators in planning as they consider the appropriate next steps for the school.