Project ACHIEVE: Improvement with a Purpose
Program Overview
Project ACHIEVE is an innovative school reform and school effectiveness program that has been implemented in schools and school districts across the country since 1990. To date, one or more of its components have been presented to almost 1,500 schools in over 40 states—with the schools ranging from urban to suburban to rural, and from the lowest performing to the highest performing schools in the nation.
Project ACHIEVE’s ultimate goal is to help design and implement effective school and schooling processes to maximize the academic and social/emotional/behavioral progress and achievement of all students. Project ACHIEVE has also helped schools to implement effective and efficient problem-solving and strategic intervention processes for students with academic and behavioral difficulties, while improving the staff’s professional development and effective instruction interactions, and increasing the quality of parent (and community) involvement and engagement.
In all, Project ACHIEVE helps schools, communities, and families to develop, strengthen, reinforce, and solidify children and adolescents’ resilience, protective, and effective self-management skills such that they are more able to resist unhealthy and maladaptive behavior patterns.
Project ACHIEVE Outcomes
- Positive School Climate
- Increased Academic Engagement
- Improved Academic Achievement
- More Effective Instruction
- Better Classroom Management
- More Prepared and Confident Teachers
- Students with Stronger Social Skills
- Fewer Discipline Referrals and Suspensions
- More Effective Early Academic and Behavioral Interventions
- Fewer Special Education Referrals and Placements
- Stronger Home and Community Involvement
More About Project ACHIEVE
At its core, Project ACHIEVE is a blueprint that is based on research-proven and empirically-demonstrated effective practices that have been woven together into an implementation process that works. Using the blueprint, schools complete a needs assessment to determine their current needs, the current approaches they are using that are working, and the gaps that are preventing them from improving further. Project ACHIEVE then employs a whole school improvement process that has professional development and ongoing technical consultation as its foundation. The professional development process focuses on teaching staff (a) research-based information and effective instructional and educational practices that (b) translate into skills that are successfully implemented in school and classroom settings in a way where (c) staff confidence and autonomy develops over time.
Using its school effectiveness and professional development process, Project ACHIEVE places particular emphasis on increasing student performance in the areas of social skills and conflict resolution, improving student achievement and academic progress, facilitating positive school climates and safe school practices, increasing and sustaining effective school and schooling processes, and in increasing parental involvement and support.
In summary, Project ACHIEVE is an innovative school reform and school effectiveness program targeting the academic and social development of all students. In doing this, Project ACHIEVE implements preventive programs that focus on the needs of all students. It develops and implements strategic intervention programs for at-risk and underachieving students. Finally, it coordinates comprehensive and multi-faceted “wrap-around” programs for students with intensive needs.
Project ACHIEVE teaches and reinforces critical staff skills and intervention approaches that focus on helping staff to strategically plan for and address the immediate and long-term academic and behavioral needs of all students. Project ACHIEVE uses an integrated process that involves strategic planning and the building of school and staff resources, internal capacity, and system independence. Formative and summative evaluations using “real-time” data help to determine whether Project interventions and procedures are improving student, staff, and home/community outcomes. Project ACHIEVE has demonstrated its ability to positively impact schools and districts across the country, and it has earned its designation as a National Model Prevention Program from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Project ACHIEVE truly lives its motto: “Building Strong Schools to Strengthen Student Outcomes.”
Applying to Become a Project ACHIEVE School:
School and districts that are interesting in becoming involved with Project ACHIEVE, or in implementing one or more of its components may contact Dr. Knoff directly or complete a Project ACHIEVE Application.
