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Every school deserves a clear path toward meaningful growth—and that’s exactly what a School Improvement Plan (SIP) provides. Think of a SIP as a blueprint for positive change: a strategic document that helps schools set goals, track progress, and ensure all students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
For principals, having access to the right resources can make all the difference. Navigating accountability standards, setting SMART goals, managing budgets, and engaging stakeholders are big tasks, but with the right tools, they’re completely achievable.
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ve compiled a collection of school improvement plan examples, helpful templates, links to state-level guidance, budgeting tips, and real-life case studies to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re updating an existing SIP or building one from scratch, you’ll find inspiration and direction here to lead your school confidently into the future.
Looking for real-world inspiration to shape your school’s improvement efforts? You’re not alone. Strong, actionable examples help turn big ideas into concrete plans. Below are three high-quality resources that offer school improvement plan examples designed to empower school leaders with practical, collaborative, and strategic approaches.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) describes School Improvement Plans as “living, breathing blueprints for enhancing student achievement.” It’s a powerful image and an important reminder that SIPs are more than just static documents. They’re meant to evolve alongside your school’s goals and challenges, fostering collaboration among staff, families, and the wider school community.
What sets North Carolina’s approach apart is its emphasis on transparency and shared responsibility. The state has created a comprehensive digital platform for districts and schools to create, implement, and monitor their school improvement plans. Some of the resources available include:
Their digital platform guides school teams through six key dimensions of improvement:
This is a prime example of how state guidance for school improvement plans can empower schools to drive real change through collaboration and continuous reflection. You can explore these resources on the DPI’s website. There are also classroom resources available.
Another powerful resource is the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement framework, developed by WestEd and supported by the U.S. Department of Education. This framework outlines four interrelated areas that drive sustained school transformation:
The Four Domains framework guides planning and inspires action by helping schools focus their energy where it matters most. It’s a widely adopted resource and an excellent complement to more traditional school improvement plans. You can learn more and access the tools through WestEd’s resources hub.
Education Elements (EdElements) offers a set of curated School Improvement Plan Examples from diverse districts and schools. These examples show how different schools tailor their SIPs to meet their unique goals and challenges. You’ll find plans that highlight:
What makes EdElements’ examples especially useful is their clarity, adaptability, and real-world relevance. Explore their collection of School Improvement Plan Examples and browse additional tools and templates in the EdElements Resources Library.
Related Reading: Innovative School Improvement Ideas for 2025
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A strong School Improvement Plan doesn’t need to start from scratch. With the right tools, principals can save time, improve clarity, and build plans that are actionable and aligned with state and federal expectations. Below, we’ve highlighted practical school improvement plan examples and ready-to-use templates that can help you jumpstart the process with confidence.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington State offers a wealth of resources for school leaders, including one of the most user-friendly templates for school improvement plans available. This customizable template covers every essential component—from needs assessments and goal setting to progress monitoring and stakeholder engagement.
You can download the 2025–2026 Consolidated School Improvement Plan Template directly and begin tailoring it to your school’s context and needs.
Beyond the template itself, Washington’s Student Success Resources page provides guidance on how to build inclusive, effective, and data-driven improvement plans. In fact, the OSPI website has a robust collection of school improvement plan resources.
These are excellent instances of how state agencies can provide school improvement plan examples that work in real-world settings.
Building a SIP involves long-term planning, collaboration, and consistent follow-through. That’s why OSPI also created the Step-by-Step SIP Planning and Implementation Guide. This resource walks school leaders through every phase of the improvement cycle, including timelines, responsible parties, and measurable benchmarks.
For broader support, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) offers planning calendars, implementation tools, and research-backed insights to guide your school’s continuous improvement efforts. Their ERIC database includes a range of SIP planning resources that can help you stay organized and on track throughout the year.
Together, these guides offer school improvement plan examples that are grounded in the best practices and adaptable to diverse school environments.
Related Reading: How to Create an Elementary School Improvement Plan
When it comes to School Improvement Plans, each state brings its own structure, tools, and expectations to the table. Understanding these nuances is essential—not just for compliance, but for crafting a plan that truly reflects your school’s context and goals. Below, we’re highlighting some trusted resources that offer federal and state guidance for school improvement plans to help principals lead with clarity and confidence.
Arizona’s Department of Education provides school improvement resources for schools identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Federal School Improvement unit works directly with districts to develop plans that address resource equity, student outcomes, and capacity-building.
The department offers guidance documents, funding opportunities, and technical assistance that align with ESSA’s vision of school-led, locally developed improvement strategies.
At the national level, the U.S. Department of Education sets the foundation for school improvement through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA requires that states identify and support underperforming schools, but it leaves room for local innovation in how plans are developed and executed.
Key ESSA requirements for School Improvement Plans include:
Understanding ESSA is essential to interpreting state guidance for school improvement plans and ensuring that your local plan meets federal expectations.
These resources provide trusted frameworks, tools, and school improvement plan examples that reflect the innovation of federal and state-level education planning.
Related Reading: Principals: Here’s What to Include in Your School Growth Plan
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Every School Improvement Plan needs a budget to support it. That’s why aligning financial planning with strategic goals is essential. Here are some expert-backed tools and frameworks for budgeting for school improvement plans, as well as school improvement plan examples that emphasize fiscal alignment.
Sparkrock offers a clear, four-step framework to help schools make more informed budgeting decisions, all while staying aligned with their SIP goals. The process includes:
This approach ensures every dollar moves the school closer to its goals. It’s an excellent model for budgeting for school improvement plans that’s both practical and values-driven.
Euna Solutions outlines their 10 best practices in K–12 budgeting, ranging from scenario planning and stakeholder engagement to data-informed forecasting. Their guidance emphasizes the importance of integrating budgeting with academic planning—a key component of any effective SIP.
PowerSchool takes a strategic lens to budgeting, focusing on aligning expenditures with educational outcomes. Their approach includes:
This method underscores a central principle: your budget is a living document, just like your SIP. When aligned, they form a powerful engine for sustainable and adaptable improvement.
Vanco Payments breaks down the core factors influencing school budget development, including enrollment projections, staffing costs, infrastructure needs, and community engagement. Their insights help demystify the budgeting process, especially for schools navigating multiple funding sources.
Aligning your strategic and financial plans ensures that goals translate into results. These resources offer proven approaches to budgeting for school improvement plans while providing inspiration drawn from real-world school improvement plan examples.
Related Reading: Setting Goals for School Improvement: A Guide for Principals
If you’re looking to get buy-in from key stakeholders within your school and on the board, case studies provide concrete evidence of results. School improvement plans can— and do—drive measurable change.
The following examples illustrate how strategic planning, data-informed action, and strong leadership come together to transform schools. Each story also reinforces the value of clear, actionable school improvement plan examples that can serve as models for your own work.
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has conducted in-depth case studies of schools that received School Improvement Grants (SIGs). These schools faced significant academic challenges, yet each made measurable progress by implementing structured improvement strategies. Common success factors included:
These case studies are particularly useful for leaders who want to understand how federal funding can support scalable, research-based interventions.
Scholastic Achievement Partners features a variety of case studies showcasing academic gains across reading, math, and school climate initiatives. These stories highlight how instructional coaching, family engagement, and curriculum alignment contribute to schoolwide progress.
If you’re seeking examples for literacy improvement or district-wide transformation, Scholastic’s stories offer clear outcomes and replicable strategies.
In Campbell Union School District (California), Studer Education supported leaders in embedding continuous improvement into everyday practice. Their case study shows how empowering principals and teacher-leaders leads to measurable outcomes in instructional quality and student engagement.
This example demonstrates that sustainable improvement starts with leadership development and a shared vision—key components of every effective SIP.
Erwin Middle School in Alabama offers one of the most compelling turnaround stories. Once labeled a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school, Erwin is now ranked in the top 5 among middle schools in Jefferson County.
Through the use of real-time data, targeted interventions, and a student-centered culture, the school created lasting change. It’s a standout example of how strong execution of school improvement plans can shift a school from struggling to thriving.
These success stories show what’s possible, along with actionable insights you can apply in your own planning. When vision, strategy, and resources align, the potential for your school improvement plan is limitless.
A strong school improvement plan doesn’t just meet compliance – it changes lives. In today’s schools, where every student’s success matters and every minute of learning counts, an effective SIP is your most powerful lever for positive change. The right tools can make all the difference in turning school improvement plans from documents into dynamic drivers of student success.
That’s where Math & Movement’s whole school kits come in. These unique, kinesthetic learning resources are designed to get students actively engaged in math and literacy – boosting both academic achievement and classroom enthusiasm. Being easy to integrate and aligned with state standards, they offer a creative, evidence-based way to enrich your improvement strategy.
Imagine transforming a struggling math unit into a lively, movement-rich experience where students of all abilities build confidence and mastery. Picture staff energized by fresh teaching approaches that align with your SIP goals. That’s the power of movement-based learning, and it’s exactly what Math & Movement brings to your school.
If you’re looking for innovative, proven tools to help you achieve your school’s objectives, now is the time to act. Explore Math & Movement’s whole school kits and discover how they can support your vision for a more joyful, effective, and engaging school day. Let’s build a better future – one step, jump, and hop at a time.
Suzy Koontz, CEO and Founder of Math & Movement, has spent over 25 years helping students achieve academic success. She has created over 200 kinesthetic teaching tools adopted by schools nationwide and has authored over 20 books. As a sought-after national presenter, Suzy shares how movement can transform the way students learn.
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