Success at the Core harnesses the power of media to fill an immediate need in the education field. Success at the Core is a free field-tested professional development toolkit designed to help leadership teams and teachers elevate classroom instruction and improve student outcomes. Entirely web-based, the toolkit includes downloadable materials and multi-media presentations, as well as 47 documentary-quality videos filmed in Washington State middle schools. The toolkit captures how highly effective leadership teams operate and what outstanding instruction looks like.

Across the country, leadership and teacher development initiatives are at the top of educational reform agendas and the field needs effective materials to advance these efforts. Our research found that:

• Most schools have leadership teams; but many lack the tools and direction to be effective
• In schools without effective leadership teams, teachers often work in isolation—which, experts believe, hinders student performance
• Teachers generally learn best by watching other teachers
• Existing resources often stop short of showing what quality instruction looks like in real classrooms ("this looks like me"). Engaging and compelling videos that bring quality instruction practices to life are rare

Vulcan Productions collaborated with the Education Development Center, a non-profit with a track record in fostering school improvement through innovative materials and professional development, to develop Success at the Core.

Success at the Core features seven modules for leadership teams and 24 practical strategies for classroom teachers. The Leadership Development and Teacher Development materials work together to drive school wide instructional improvement.

• Leadership teams learn to define quality instruction and advocate for it at their school. Leadership Development materials consist of seven modules, each structured as a group learning experience.
• Teachers learn strategies for making such instruction real in their classrooms. Teacher Development materials consist of 24 strategies. Individual teachers or groups of teachers can use a strategy's resources to build customized professional development experiences.

The independent evaluation firm, Inverness Research, studied the toolkit's efficacy during a pilot program in Washington State. Schools using the toolkit report a growth in leadership capacity, improved professional culture, stronger instructional focus and increased student engagement.

Success at the Core is rolling out in Washington State middle schools during the 2010 school year, towards a goal of national distribution in 2011.

Experience Success at the Core here: www.successatthecore.com