The Maryland State Teachers Association has launched an initiative to give direct assistance to schools in systems thinking and restructuring for increased student achievement. Improving Maryland Schools (IMS) utilizes research?based tools to work with stakeholder groups to bring about understanding, collaboration, on going assessment and continuous learning.

KEYS-A SCHOOL YARDSTICK. The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's oldest and largest professional organization for educators, developed Keys to Excellence in Your Schools (KEYS). Through a collaborative effort with the University of Maryland, the KEYS instrument provides schools with an assessment tool, a "yardstick", to check operations against specific quality factors. NEA's research identified 35 factors essential to the development and maintenance of a quality school. By using this instrument, schools can see where they are in relation to high-achieving schools of similar demographics.

IMS ALSO USES:Systems Thinking/Systems Changing, a simulation that engages participants in the systemic change process;Decisionpoints to help stakeholders create a unique vision for their school;Baldridge Criteria as schools make progress in developing a quality organization; and,School-based data for decision?making and informing instruction.

MSTA brought IMS to schools around the state including Prince George's County, tailoring the program to fit their needs. Preliminary results show an increase in staff involvement in research-based best practices aligned with the school's Improvement Plans and some increase in student achievement. Time and commitment to the "new" modes of operating will be needed to see the anticipated leap in student performance.A message from the Maryland State Teachers Association and the Prince George's County Educators' Association.