Resources
The following resources were created especially for SEAs by the Center for School Turnaround and Improvement (CSTI). We collaborate closely with SEAs on broad initiatives to implement the survey and feedback system in many districts and schools. Schools in about half of the states use the Four Domains CALL Survey to help plan and carry out improvement efforts. These resources are made available to inform and support schools and SEAs undertaking rapid school improvement, with or without the support of CSTI.
These resources are free for state educational agencies, local education agencies, and schools to use. The resources are also free to be used for the Four Domains Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning (CALL) Survey. The resources may not be reprinted, linked to, or altered in any way for commercial use, nor may they be used as foundational documents in the design of AI applications.
Leading with Urgency: Sample Planning Calendar
This resource is designed to show school leaders an example of school-year planning with three week cycles that use the Five Levers as anchors.
This resource is from Appendix K in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Five Levers in Practice Self-Assessment
Use this self-assessment at the close of the school year—or as you plan for the year ahead—to reflect on how effectively you are leading in each of the Five Levers for School Improvement.
This resource is from Appendix J in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Diagnostic Review Tool
To identify a school’s current status across each domain using both quantitative and qualitative data, this diagnostic tool supports leadership teams in clarifying strengths, surfacing gaps, and guiding initial goal setting.
This resource is from Appendix I in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Short-Cycle Wins and Feedback Loop Protocol
This protocol is designed to support school leaders in launching, monitoring, and refining short-cycle instructional improvements that build momentum and deepen adoption through continuous feedback.
This resource is from Appendix H in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Principal Implementation Readiness Reflection Tool
Use this reflection tool to assess your school’s readiness to begin or deepen work through the Active Implementation Framework. This is not a checklist for perfection, but a guide for planning and adaptive leadership.
This resource is from Appendix G in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: The Mindset Shift Protocol
Purpose: To help school leaders surface, interrupt, and replace deficit-based language and assumptions with asset-based, growth-oriented mindsets.
This resource is from Appendix F in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Coaching Conversation Guide for School Leaders
This guide is designed to help principals and instructional leaders structure short, supportive, and focused coaching conversations that build trust, improve practice, and cultivate momentum in turnaround schools.
This resource is from Appendix E in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: School Leader’s Planning Checklist
This checklist helps school leaders prioritize standards-based planning and data-driven instructional decisions. Use this checklist as a guide for reflection, planning, and leadership action during the school year.
This resource is from Appendix D in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Instructional Presence Walkthrough Tool
Use this tool during informal classroom visits to engage in purposeful, learning- focused observation and follow-up. This is not for evaluation, but rather to support reflective teaching, instructional alignment, and professional trust.
This resource is from Appendix C in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Capturing Lost Instructional Time Observation Checklist
The Capturing Lost Instructional Time Observation Checklist is designed to help school leaders systematically identify patterns of lost instructional time across classrooms and school routines. This tool is best used over a period of 1 to 2 weeks during a typical stretch of the school year, excluding testing periods, special events, or shortened schedules.
This resource is from Appendix B in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Leading with Urgency: Horizon Map
The Horizon Map is a particularly effective tool for facilitating this collective sensemaking. Group ideas into clusters, label emerging themes, and use those insights to inform a mission and vision that reflect shared aspirations. The result is a future your school community believes in— and is willing to work toward together.
This resource is from Appendix A in Leading with Urgency (2026).
Strategies and Suggestions for Local Education Agencies Using the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement Framework
This guide was developed for district leaders and leadership teams to use as a supplement to the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: A Systems Framework and its related survey system.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Strategies and Suggestions for Using the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement Framework
Four Domains Strategies and Suggestions includes strategies, suggestions, and reflection questions for each item in the CALL Survey.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
An Evidence Base for Using the Four Domains
Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning Survey and Feedback System to Support School Improvement
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Four Domains Strategies and Suggestions Incorporating Native Knowledge Systems (NKS)
Schools serving Native American students have unique needs. This version of the Four Domains Strategies and Suggestions offers additional content designed specifically for schools serving Native American students.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Working Respectfully With Tribal Leaders to Strengthen Relationships
This resource is intended to help school leaders build and strengthen partnerships with Tribal leaders and staff in order to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous students.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Four Domains Framework
The Four Domains Framework guides rapid school improvement through four key areas—Turnaround Leadership, Talent Development, Instructional Transformation, and Culture Shift—based on successful practices and research.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Using Needs Assessments for School and District Improvement
This tactical guide is designed to support state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), and schools as they design and complete needs assessments for various purposes.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Indicators of Effective Practice
This resource facilitates educators’ ability to take and track action within each domain and provides the specificity of indicators for each practice identified in the framework.
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Recommendations for Differentiating Services
This resource provides recommendations for differentiated support for schools designated for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI).
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Promising Leadership Practices
This report describes practices for sustaining school improvement progress. Drawing from literature and five principals’ experiences, it identifies key factors for ongoing growth in student achievement.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license
Using Federal Funds
This handbook outlines four strategies to effectively use federal grants, including Title I, Part A; Title II, Part A; and IDEA Part B funds for turnaround efforts.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Balancing Act
This brief highlights how states and districts collaborate to enhance underperforming schools under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It outlines roles based on 23 state plans and provides examples from 10 states.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Resource Allocation Strategies
This guide helps districts effectively distribute resources to support school improvement efforts.
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Goal-Tuning Protocol
Reflect on a school improvement goal or strategy in your school improvement plan and then brainstorm ways to accelerate progress by using one or more of the Four Domains practices. Perfect for a school leadership team meeting!
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Practice Cards
Rank order your individual practices, compare your list of prioritized school strengths and needs to others, explore how a strength can be leveraged to address a relative weakness, and discuss what success looks like.
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Please contact us about using this product outside the scope of this license.
Conversation Cards
Introduce Four Domains Conversation Cards at a staff meeting or leadership team meeting to generate rich discussions about how to attain a desired future state for selected Four Domains practices.
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Four Domains CALL Protocol: Glance
Make observations by taking a first glance at your Four Domains CALL data.
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Four Domains CALL Protocol: Predict
Predict if and how conversations around the Four Domains CALL Data will impact school improvement efforts.
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Four Domains CALL Protocol: Focus
Dive more deeply into CALL data.
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Four Domains CALL Protocol: Apply
Explore opportunities to apply the CALL data to support priority initiatives.
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Four Domains CALL Protocol: Connect
An opportunity to revisit and monitor school-based goals and strategies.
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Get the Books
Transformational Leadership for Rapid School Improvement, edited by Dr. Kevin Perks with a foreword by Dr. Terry Hofer, strengthens your capacity to implement the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement Framework.
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Leading with Urgency by Joseph G. Sassone, introduces a practical, field-tested framework designed to help K–12 principals navigate the complex challenges of leading meaningful school change efforts.
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