Creating Leadership for Change
Our Approach
CES specializes in working with school and district leaders; and brings deep perspectives, practices, and understanding to the issues around responding to learners’ multiple identities. We offer knowledge of the role of leadership in change management, and deep understanding of the programmatic and instructional implications of growth model and other student achievement data. We work to support strong school and district leadership that makes optimal use of communication and collaboration for mutual trust and accountability.
Experience
CES brings extensive experience with strategic planning, leadership development, and instructional coaching. Our partnership at the department, school, and district levels has supported educators toward deeper understanding and practical strategies for educating learners who are traditionally underserved, such as learners with disabilities, learners in poverty, learners living with trauma and atypical social-emotional needs, and culturally and linguistically diverse learners. We support educators in their efforts toward inclusivity in their policies and practices for the development of the whole child. When we support teachers and other educators to strengthen their practice, we partner with administrative and teacher leaders to promote a sustained effort beyond the consultation period.

Leadership Services include:
- Coaching for district and building leaders, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, and teachers, on
- Responding to diverse learners
- Designing for rigor
- Building academic language
- Student-centered instructional models
- Equity and inclusion applied to particular problems of practice
- Strategic planning at the
- District level
- School level
- Department level
- Grade level
- Program level
-
- Curriculum development (See Curriculum)
- Program evaluation to strengthen design, instruction, and administrator and teacher leadership
- Administrator development, coaching, and mentoring
- Tailored professional development on
- Culturally responsive practice
- Culturally responsive practice in using grant resources
- The IEP process and responsive teaming
- Trauma-engaged schools and practice
- Social-emotional learning for adults and young people and responding to challenging behavior
- Gifted education
- Improving outcomes for students in poverty
Some Examples of Past Projects Include
Leading Educational Access Project (LEAP)
Leading the statewide training-of-trainers component of MA DESE’s Leading Educational Access Project (LEAP) to improve outcomes for students in poverty, and facilitating an intensive institute on teaching students in poverty for the Anchorage, Alaska School District Summer Academy
Professional development, technical assistance and coaching for leaders, teachers and instructional coaches
Supporting the Chelsea Public Schools’ three middle schools to improve student outcomes
The Belchertown Public Schools Strategic Planning Project
Working with the Belchertown Public Schools leadership team to facilitate the development of a multi-year strategic plan and related year 1 action plans
The Principals’ Leadership Academy
The Principals’ Leadership Academy (PLA) in SY22/23, supported multiple district leaders. Dr. Johnson-Mussad teamed up with two other leadership coaches to provide professional development and year-long regular coaching sessions with district principals.
The English Learner Education (ELE) Program Development Project
Working with the ELL Coordinator at Windham Northeast Supervisory Union in VT to design a comprehensive ELL program for the 2022-2023 school year, including EL student scheduling, curriculum, meeting diverse learners’ needs, research- and evidence-based EL instruction, and systems to support EL education
The CES Team Includes
Albert Johnson-Mussad
Position: Leadership and Instruction Continuous Improvement Specialist
Email: ajohnsonmussad@collaborative.org
Phone: 413.586.4900 x5945
Angela Burke, M.Ed.
Position: Director of Professional Services
Email: aburke@collaborative.org
Phone: 413.586.4900 x5926