Continuous school improvement requires honest, regular self-assessment and diagnosis, along with thoughtful planning and careful attention to an array of program and legal requirements. Properly conceived and implemented, accreditation should be part of core school improvement activities designed to promote college and career readiness for all students. Armed with knowledge resulting from the diagnostic review, more focused and relevant research-based improvement plans can be developed to address not just the symptoms, but also the causes of underperformance. This information can and should feed seamlessly into existing, or redesigned, accountability systems, thereby strengthening the impact, utility and efficiency of all improvement efforts. This type of coherent approach to continuous improvement, using the best of accreditation and accountability systems, is required if our educational institutions are to make the gains necessary to ensure that all students graduate from high school college- and career-ready.

Laura Lefkowits is Director of Policy for AdvancED, the world’s largest education community. In this role she provides government relation services, professional development for policy makers, and strategic planning. Ms. Lefkowits has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and is certified by the Global Business Network as a scenario planner. From 1995 – 1999 Lefkowits was an At-Large Member of the Board of Education for Denver Public Schools (DPS). Other past positions include Vice President for Policy and Planning Services at Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), K-12 Program Director for the Colorado Institute of Technology (CIT), and Executive Director of the Colorado Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education Coalition (COMSTEC).