Attribute Questions

Common Focus
    To what extent are your staff and students focused on the same goals?
    What does your school do to bring about and maintain this focus?

High Expectations
    How many of your students are engaged in a course of study that prepares them for college-level?
    How do you help all students meet high expectations?

Personalized
    What does your school do to make it possible for small groups of staff and students to work closely
together?
     How is the relationships between staff and students in your school different from those in traditional schools? (What does your school do to provide every student with an adult advocate?)

Respect and Responsibility
    What does your school do to encourage respect among students for each other?

Time to Collaborate
    How much time does staff in your school have to work together to meet the needs of all the students?
    How does your school develop relationships with the business world?

Performance-Based
    How do students in your school demonstrate that they have met instructional goals?
    How often are students involved in the performances of real tasks and in demonstrating their learning?

Technology as a Tool
    How do you make technology available to all your students?
    How do you integrate technology in your curriculum?

These are big questions, the ones we start with. The schools we visit and the answers we hear will lead to many very important follow-up questions.