High Reliability School pilot sites chosen

 National Joint Powers Alliance® (NJPA) selected Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (W-H-A) and Verndale school districts to undergo a rigorous three-year reformation process to improve the effectiveness of student learning and become certified as High Reliability Schools. NJPA will fund the program, and in conjunction with Marzano Research, provide professional development, coaching and support throughout the process.

W-H-A and Verndale will be the first Minnesota schools to become High Reliability certified and will serve as demonstration sites for other schools in the region, state and beyond. The two schools were selected from a pool of strong applicants from Region Five because of their exceptional demonstration of commitment to growth and continuous improvement.

The High Reliability Schools framework is based on 40 years of educational research by Dr. Robert J. Marzano and his team and consists of five progressive levels of performance: Safe and Collaborative Culture, Effective Teaching in Every Classroom, Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, Standards-Referenced Reporting and Competency-Based Education.

Each school will host a launch event to celebrate its selection and officially mark the start of the program.

W-H-A’s event will be  held Monday, Dec. 12, 7:30-8:10 a.m. at W-H-A Auditorium, Walker. 

Verndale School’s event will be held Wednesday, Dec. 14, 7:45-8:10 a.m. at Verndale Auditorium.