English/Language /Arts/Mathematics Department Chair Interview

School code:

Interviewer:

ELA/MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT CHAIR INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
1. How long have you been a coach or department chair? How long did you teach? What grade
levels/subjects? At this school? What brought you to this school?

2. What are the major school improvement efforts your school has engaged in over the last five years?
[Probes for turnaround schools: Who or what do you think was responsible for the turnaround in student
achievement? Which of the efforts was most important for accomplishing the turnaround?]
[Probe for comparison schools: Which of the school improvement efforts had the most significant effects
on student achievement?]

3. Please describe your role at the school.
[Probe: With whom do you interact? How often? What services do you provide?]

4. What programs, practices, policies were introduced to improve student achievement? When? Why
were these selected? If multiple strategies are in use, what were early actions? What came later?
[Probes: On what basis were these selected? To what extent did the research base influence the
selection of strategies? To what extent did school-based data influence the selection? How are they
linked to goals for school improvement?]

5. How did staff react to the plans for improvement?
[Probes: Did staff support or resist the plans for improvement? How? How was staff resistance
overcome? Were there any staff changes or turnover? If yes, what were the reasons for these staff
changes? What is the process for replacing (hiring new) teachers? How did the staff turnover affect the
process?]

6. How did you support staff as they sought to implement the change?
[Probes: Use of external assisters, staff development opportunities, schedule changes to facilitate gradelevel and content sharing?]

7. When new teachers come to the school, are there practices (e.g., formal or informal mentorships,
special orientation) to introduce them to the key curriculum, instructional, and organizational
activities? If so, when were these practices introduced?

ELA/Mathematics Department Chair Interview Protocol
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8. Describe the formative and summative assessment system for student achievement at your school.
How do you use data from these assessments?
[Probes: How/where did you learn to use these data? Have there been any changes in the assessment
system in the past 5 years?]

9. What programs or policies currently exist designed to ensure sustained achievement?
[Probes: When were these introduced?]

10. Is there anything else I should know to tell the story of your school improvement efforts?

ELA/Mathematics Department Chair Interview Protocol
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