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Blueprint was created to bring the learning from high-performing, high-poverty schools to life in district-led public schools. Our framework arose from an unprecedented analysis of more than 100 charter schools by the Education Innovation Laboratory at Harvard University (EdLabs) to identify the factors driving achievement in the most successful of these schools. From this research, five principles, or “tenets,” emerged as the drivers of student achievement in gap-closing public schools. These five strategies, which each demonstrate a significant correlation with increased student achievement when enacted as part of a comprehensive plan for school turnaround, include:

Blueprint has a demonstrated track record working with districts to implement its model in networks of chronically underperforming public schools. We adapt our framework to each district’s local context by first understanding a district’s needs and capabilities and assessing the conditions that we believe are necessary to effectively implement the five strategies. These conditions include staffing support, systems for data collection, financial planning, and flexibility around scheduling and human capital. We work with the district to achieve these necessary conditions and set the groundwork for long-term sustainability and success. Blueprint provides technical assistance in the implementation of the five strategies and then monitors each school’s progress through ongoing communication and regular site visits. Throughout our engagement with districts, a primary focus is building district and school capacity to effectively sustain this work.