What does it take to build a school
where everyone succeeds and wants to be?
Every principal has a vision: teachers who feel supported and confident, students who are engaged and making real progress, a culture where improvement is expected and sustainable.
The gap between that vision and daily reality isn’t lack of commitment or will, but of infrastructure. The systems, structures, and shared practices that turn a principal's vision into how the school actually operates aren't yet established.
Success for All closes that gap by building the distributed leadership system that brings a principal’s vision to life.
"Implementing SFA creates a school culture and environment that allows every person who walks in the building, adult or kid, to thrive in a safe, engaging work and learning environment."
Deborah Salomon
Assistant Principal, Choices in Learning Elementary Charter School
What is Leading for Success — and how does it develop school leaders?
SFA's leadership development approach is called Leading for Success. It’s a goal-oriented, distributed leadership structure that helps principals build a team of leaders at every level — so the work is shared, the results compound, and the school keeps getting better because everyone expects it.
The difference is evident the moment you walk in an SFA school. Students are engaged and confident. Teachers are doing their best work because they have the support and clarity to teach well every day.
What leadership structures does
SFA help put in place?
Leading for Success is built around four interconnected structures. Together they ensure that every part of the school — instruction, student support, attendance, school culture — has a team responsible for it, a data cycle driving it, and a clear connection to schoolwide goals.
The principal, SFA Facilitator, and Schoolwide Solutions Coordinator are required members of the Leadership Team, alongside grade-level chairs, counselors, and others. The Solutions Coordinator oversees all Solutions Teams and ensures what those teams learn reaches the people who can act on it. Leadership Team meetings are working sessions.
Each quarter, the Leadership Team together with representatives from Instructional and Solutions Teams meet to review data, set goals, and outline priorities.
| Team | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Leadership Team | Monthly |
| Leading for Success Quarterly Meeting | Quarterly |
"If you set the expectation that your entire school will implement SFA with fidelity and hold people accountable to that expectation, you will have 100% of your teachers utilizing highly effective teaching practices on a daily basis." — Dr. Jordan Rodriguez, Choices in Learning Elementary Charter School
Teachers on each instructional team examine classroom data, set measurable targets for student progress, and identify the specific practices that need strengthening — tied directly to what's happening in their classrooms right now.
| Team | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Early childhood | 1-2x month |
| Reading Roots | 1-2x month |
| Reading Wings | 1-2x month |
| Reading Edge | 1-2x month |
| Tutoring | 1-2x month |
Each Solutions Team addresses the barriers that can impact student learning. These teams monitor early, intervene quickly, and coordinate school resources around one shared goal: removing whatever stands between a child and their success.
| Team | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Attendance | 1-2x month |
| Community connections | 1-2x month |
| Cooperative culture | 1-2x month |
| Intervention | Weekly |
| Parent and family involvement | 1-2x month |
Students set goals, solve problems, and take shared responsibility for their classroom community. A school where students are active participants in the culture is a school where the conditions for learning are stronger for everyone.
| Team | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Class Council | Weekly |
What does an SFA Coach actually do — and how often do they visit?
Your SFA Coach is a dedicated implementation partner who knows your school, your team, and where you are in the implementation journey.
How much coaching does my school get?
Year 1 — Building the foundation
19-22 days onsite
Up to 11 SFA training days, plus 8–11 support visits
Year one is intensive because that's when the foundation is built.
Years 2–3 — Building capacity
9-12 days onsite
3 refresher training days, plus 6–9 support visits
Year 3 and beyond — Continuously improving
4+ days on site
Set with your leadership team based on need
Between visits
Your dedicated coach is reachable by phone and email.
Your SFA coach works alongside leaders and educators to:
- Develop clear instructional leadership practices and make strong teaching visible across classrooms.
- Use schoolwide assessment data to drive timely, informed decisions about instruction and students.
- Build the leadership team's capacity to solve problems together.
- Navigate the hard moments that come with change and keep moving everyone forward.
"What makes SFA a worthwhile investment is its consistency, focus on academic language, and emphasis on cooperative learning — all of which keep us aligned and working toward common goals. The professional development and support provided by our coaches truly bring everything together."
Courtney McCartney
Frank Layden Elementary
What does the SFA Facilitator do inside the school?
The SFA Facilitator is your school's internal implementation engine, a staff member whose primary role is to support teachers in their daily practice and keep the work coordinated across every classroom.
Your facilitator visits classrooms on a rotating schedule during the reading block, leads Instructional Team meetings, supports teachers in using data to make timely decisions about students, and coordinates the day-to-day logistics that keep regrouping and tutoring running smoothly. The facilitator also sits on the Leadership Team, connecting what's happening in classrooms directly to schoolwide goals.
The facilitator is a coach, not an evaluator. Teachers need to know that the person in their classroom is there to help them improve, not to judge them.
What does sustained implementation
look like over time?
"Seven years ago when we started, 28% of our students were on or above grade level. Because of SFA, we can now say that 75% are."
Laura Schmidt
Edwin Loe Elementary
Schools that build distributed leadership structures and implement SFA with fidelity don't just see better reading scores. They build a different kind of school where teachers feel equipped and supported, students feel confident and engaged, and the culture reflects a genuine commitment to every child's success.
Ready to build the kind of school
you became a leader to lead?
Success for All works alongside principals and leadership teams to build the systems, structures, and school culture that turn a vision for strong literacy instruction into daily reality — in every classroom, for every student.
For Title I eligible schools — public, private, and charter — up to $100,000 in School Success Scholarship support may be available to help with first-year implementation costs.
