Evidence justifying CSS approach

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Two decades of national reports and research studies on the state of public
education increasingly point towards common set of denominators of effective
schools and effective curricular and instructional practices. The School
leadership studies, for example, have repeatedly found that effective
schools share the following characteristics: 1) strong principals with the
capacity to articulate a vision and who are first and foremost instructional
leaders and curricular experts (i.e. as opposed to business managers); 2) a
school culture that sets high expectations, values academic performance and
sets clear norms for personal behavior; 3) a focus on rigorous academics (
e.g. higher graduation requirements and advanced and college level course
offerings); 4) a systems of learning assessments that sets specific goals
and standards of performance, and that regularly provides feedback for
instruction, and 5) a school that motivates student by providing rich
opportunities for challenge and growth. (for e.g. a) *School Leadership:
Handbook for Excellence in Student
Learning*<http://www.amazon.com/School-Leadership-Handbook-Excellence-Learning/dp/1412936535/sr=1-10/qid=1165223561/ref=sr_1_10/002-7085673-8155228?ie=UTF8&s=books>by
Stuart C. Smith and Philip K Piele; b)
*School Leadership that Works: From Research to
Results*<http://www.amazon.com/SCHOOL-LEADERSHIP-THAT-WORKS-Research/dp/1416602275/sr=1-1/qid=1165223561/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7085673-8155228?ie=UTF8&s=books>by
Robert J. Marzano, Timothy Waters, and Brian A. Mcnulty;
 c) *Best Practice: Today's Standards for Teaching and Learning in America's
Schools* by Steven
Zemelman<http://www.amazon.com/s/002-7085673-8155228?ie=UTF8&index=books&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank&field-author-exact=Zemelman%2C%20Steven>,
Harvey Daniels<http://www.amazon.com/s/002-7085673-8155228?ie=UTF8&index=books&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank&field-author-exact=Daniels%2C%20Harvey>,
Arthur Hyde<http://www.amazon.com/s/002-7085673-8155228?ie=UTF8&index=books&rank=-relevance%2C%2Bavailability%2C-daterank&field-author-exact=Hyde%2C%20Arthur>
)

Likewise, studies on effective curriculum and instruction (e.g. Best
Practice literature), have called for curricula with the following
characteristics: 1) thematic threads that unify concepts and disciplines; 2)
extended blocks of time that allow for in-depth exploration in courses; 3) a
focus on key ideas and theories (i.e. depth over breadth); 4) greater
attention to science in terms of both time allocation and curricular
emphasis;  5) greater attention to science in terms of both time allocation
and curricular emphasis; 5) greater emphasis on writing and different kinds
of writing  across the curriculum (as opposed to writing just for English
language arts courses); 6) more seamless integration of technology and
multimedia communication skills (as opposed to stand alone computer
courses); 7) opportunities for learning in real world settings and for
providing extended immersions like experiences in; 8) community service
opportunities that allow students to serve their communities and develop
civic sensibilities; 9) a focus on the development of critical thinking and
moral judgment skills

CSCS emulates these characteristics in its curricular planning,
instructional emphasis, hiring practices and organizational structure.