The blueprint for educational reform in Iowa schools is designed around three primary areas. The "centerpiece" of the plan is based on making sure that every school has great teachers and great principals. The blueprint suggests specific steps to make sure this goal is reached including plans for attracting talented educators, improving the recruiting and hiring practices, creating leadership roles and transforming the teacher salary structure.
The second area suggested in the blueprint model is to assure that there is a relentless focus on learning with high expectations and fair measures of accountability. Included in this segment of the plan are plans to improve and expand upon the Iowa Core work, developing new formative and summative assessments, and ensure literacy by third grade.
The third area of the reform initiative focuses on a "spirit of innovation". Suggested ideas in the blueprint include online learning options, moving to a competency based system, and creating a statewide parent and community engagement network.
You can access the entire report from the Benton website home page.
