Review

The LAHC Review is a premier service offered on a voluntary basis to LAHC member schools. The Review is neither an inspection or accreditation but rather, a peer-led evaluation whose aim is to serve as a critical friend in a school’s quest for school improvement. Its starting point is the school's own assessment of itself and its performance in the areas in which it desires to be submitted to scrutiny. The Review Team is comprised of teachers and leaders of other member schools who have been trained specifically for this purpose and are carefully selected based on their experience and expertise to meet the needs of the school under review.

 

The LAHC Review is characterized by several unique features. It is flexible. Although there is a standard core review model, it can be applied in as complete or as partial a manner as is desired, with each application being tailored to the specific needs of the school. The decision is the school’s, and at all times the review team and its leader respond to the needs and requests of the school. Although joint-reviews are not currently in implementation, the LAHC Review may be adapted in order to complement protocols from other boards and/or be articulated with other school visits. Another defining characteristic that sets it apart from many evaluation models is its concentration on classroom practice, with observations from as many as 200 or more complete lesson observations providing the principal source of evidence for the report. Finally, the school may request a follow-up visit at a future point in order to provide on-going support in their improvement journey and to appraise advances in recommendations made by the visiting review team.

 

The self-assessment documents are used as the basis for the examination carried out by the team during a week on site, during which time the team observes and compares the perceived reality with the school's assessment. At the end of the operation, verbal reports are presented to the Heads of Departments/Section and the Senior Leadership Team. Subsequently, a full written report, consisting of perceptions, points for commendation and recommendations, is delivered to the Head of the School, who uses this as a basis for a future action plan.

 

Once a school expresses interest in a review, they will be provided orientation to determine a model that best meets their needs. Approximately 10 months are recommended to allow sufficient time for the school to conduct a thorough self-evaluation before the arrival of the visiting team. A minimum honorarium is charged for the review service, and the school will be required to cover all travel related expenses of the review team.