TIDES Unites All Shareholders for Continuous Transformation

TIDES is a professional development, nonprofit organization that partners with districts to meet the needs of 21st century learners. We begin with helping districts recognize their strengths and offer a full range of professional learning opportunities that help district shareholders understand that to acquire 21st century skills (critical thinking and problem-solving, teamwork, creativity and innovation, and communication in all forms) requires educational systems that are guided by sound learning principles grounded in recent brain-based and cognitive research of how children learn. Our comprehensive process includes work with key shareholders (administrators, teacher unions, school boards, students, community) to establish a united and clear focus for the future; development of learning-focused, school-based leadership teams; social network mapping that facilitates a system-wide approach to reform; and the nuts and bolts of goal setting, curriculum development, instructional learning principles, assessment for 21st century learners and innovation that supports transformation and turnaround school implementation. Our broad range of services invites all shareholders to collaboratively design for a sustainable future.

OUR SERVICES 

District Wide Systemic Inquiry and Transformation

TIDES invites key shareholders from five to six districts to meet for three days and engage in courageous conversations about how to embrace change in complex systems and close the achievement gap. The days are framed by the latest research-based insights on innovation in leadership, learning, curriculum and assessment. The sessions are structured to promote personal reflection and growth, openness and trust building, and a shared commitment to implement a plan that will effectively prepare all students for successful lives in the 21st century.

Problem Based Learning and the Common Core

Learning in the 21st century requires problem solving, collaboration, curiosity, innovation and creativity. TIDES provides teachers with a systematic, student-centered instructional design that engages students in learning and applying new knowledge and skills around inquiry and solution finding of messy, real-world problems. TIDES professional development sessions are hands-on and provide teacher teams with an opportunity to understand the research and theory behind problem-based learning and complex instruction. Participants are guided through a process of concept mapping a unit that grounds the work in the new Common Core standards, overarching ideas, essential questions and authentic assessments. PBL provides a framework that can only enhance the way we teach the newly adopted standards.  As states adopt the Common Core and begin the tremendous task of bringing their states into alignment, it will be necessary to find frameworks and/or pedagogy that allow students to focus on 21st century skills and show what they know through performance tasks.  With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

School Leadership Team Development

TIDES partners with district central office and principals and teachers to implement effective school-based leadership teams that are able to successfully collaborate and lead their schools to high academic levels of achievement. Teams gain the skills and knowledge needed to set a clear academic direction, develop people, organize for learning and lead for social justice. As teams develop they recognize a shift in their role from conveyors of information to decision-makers. They identify existing expertise and develop new skills in data discussions, goal setting, lesson study, literacy, problem-based learning, and teacher collaboration.

School Design, School Transformation and Turnaround

The TIDES team will work with all shareholders using a DYNAMIC plan model to accelerate the developments of innovative schools, school transformation and turnaround.  21st century school design requires close collaboration among all shareholders (school board, union leadership and teachers, administration, students and community) with a shared goal and vision that is developed from an organization’s existing strengths. Our approach is based on 30 years of effective schools research and a clear focus on the needs of 21st century learners.  We know that high achieving schools have the following characteristics:
 

• A clear school academic focus with curriculum and assessment alignment
• High expectation of standard’s mastery and high quality work
• Shared instructional leadership 
• Frequent supportive coaching using a variety of achievement and system data
• Opportunity for engaged and deep learning and high levels of scholarly behavior
• Safe, orderly and flexible learning environment with collaboration at all levels
• Strong school, district, home, community networks

Data-Guided Decision Making

High performing systems know the power of data and monitoring performance regularly. The TIDES approach uses multiple sources of data to put laser like focus on system, teacher, and student strengths.  We use an interactive and iterative strengths analysis to create next steps to overcome obstacles.
The TIDES approach to data-guided decision making highlights the importance of taking action based on data.  To facilitate the action, the TIDES team assists the system in collecting and analyzing a variety of data.  We use achievement and student work data, network analysis, effective schools audits, and perception surveys of students, staff and community to provide a more complete picture.  By looking at strengths as well as gaps through multiple lenses, districts and schools can make effective, collaborative decision on what to do next for students and the greater system.  The TIDES team assists all members of the system (students, union leaders and classroom teachers, board members, administrators, and community) to use formative assessments to monitor decisions regularly to determine effectiveness and make adjustments along the way.

Social Network Mapping Process

Social Network Analysis is a tool that can provide the district with insights into existing relationship patterns that may be influencing reform efforts. The TIDES process is facilitated by UCSD faculty and TIDES in collaboration with district leadership.

Phase 1:    Overview and define the scope of the project.
Phase 2:     Professional development to increase understanding of 21st century networked systems, share the districts vision and purpose and familiarize participants with online network survey.
Phase 3:     Network data collection and analysis.
Phase 4:     Leadership discussion of the data, analysis and implications of the findings to develop initial district action steps.
Phase 5:     Participant discussion of data and maps to further develop action steps.
Phase 6:     Follow-up and next steps.