The leadership team at Tustin High School in Tustin, California, has won the 2016 Shirley Hord Teacher Learning Team Award. The award is given annually to a school-based learning team that successfully implements a cycle of continuous improvement that results in increased teaching effectiveness.

Tustin High’s leadership team is made up of 13 instructional coaches (called iCOACHes), as well as three assistant principals, a “coach of coaches,” and school principal Christine Matos. The team engages in a cycle of improvement designed to increase members’ coaching skills and help them use various forms of student and teacher data to improve teaching and learning.

“The Tustin High School leadership team exemplifies the elements of a team using the cycle of continuous improvement in a collegial way to search out problems, explore solutions, and make changes to increase its effectiveness,” said Learning Forward Scholar Laureate Shirley Hord. “Team members openly share their classroom practices and suggest to others how they might respond to classroom issues. The teachers’ talk is about data and its basis for their professional learning goals. It is clear that they believe that student achievement and the learning of the school’s adult professionals are undeniably related.”

“I am impressed with the vertical and horizontal alignment of the instructional leadership team at Tustin High School,” said Learning Forward Executive Director Stephanie Hirsh. “Team members are committed to the learning cycle, and they are data-driven and goal-oriented. This team demonstrates its understanding and application of the cycle of learning, and there is evidence that the team’s commitment to the process has led to improved outcomes for all. This leadership team sets a powerful example for all other learning teams in the school.”

Teams from across the United States and Canada submitted applications for the award. Applications included documentation of each team’s work and its impact on teaching and learning, as well as a video showcasing the team engaging in the cycle of continuous improvement.

Located in Orange County in southern California, Tustin High School is a Title I school serving 2,200 students.

The award, sponsored by Corwin, includes funds to support attendance at Learning Forward’s Annual Conference for team members, $2,500 to support collaborative professional learning, and a gift of Corwin books for the school’s library.