Charleston County School District
Running counter to national math and reading declines, Charleston County School District’s Acceleration Schools have been on the rise since 2019 due to strategic investments in scaling excellent teaching. As of 2024, Charleston led the country in both reading and math recovery.
Education Recovery ScorecardAccelerating Turnaround
In 2019, Charleston County School District’s Acceleration Schools—a subset of schools on the state improvement list—were in need of significant support. Now, they are outperforming their pre-pandemic learning and outpacing growth for the district at large.
Over four years, Leading Educators has partnered with CCSD to bolster teacher knowledge and skill in math and English language arts, and it’s paying off.
About the Partnership
The Challenge & Opportunity
Charleston County School District, which serves more than 50,000 students, reflects so much of what makes Charleston great.
The second-largest district in South Carolina, it spans 1,000 square miles of coastal lands that are home to a rich cultural heritage; growing medical, business, industry, and technology sectors; premier institutions of higher and technical education; and entrepreneurship. However, the district’s 2019 strategic plan named a mounting imperative to close gaps in students’ experiences to ensure they can all access these opportunities.
- School ratings were on the rise, but nearly half of students had a below-proficient grasp of math and reading standards as measured by test scores.
- CCSD leaders also found that many teachers needed additional support to implement high-quality curricular materials, deepen their content knowledge, and better tailor classroom experiences.
In the fall of 2020, the district approached Leading Educators about a partnership to strengthen teaching and students’ access to grade-level learning.
Now, several years of data show that the work is paying off.
- Acceleration Schools saw significant improvement in math and ELA state assessments from 2021 to 2023 despite national declines in achievement seen across the country.
- 78% of schools supported by Leading Educators in ELA surpassed their 2019 (pre-pandemic) state scores in 2022, maintaining progress through focused work on instruction.
Solution: Building a System for Excellence
Leaders have worked diligently to build the conditions and learning infrastructure for teachers to practice what they teach in collaboration.
Behind the Change
Over four years, Leading Educators has helped Acceleration Schools design and implement ongoing professional learning and coaching for teachers tied to high-quality instructional materials.
As these schools implement vetted, common curricula, school-based leaders and instructional coaches participate in intensive learning, data reflection, and lesson practice that they can turnkey at their schools for other teachers in weekly sessions.
Simultaneously, Leading Educators designers and facilitators work alongside Acceleration School Leaders to set learning objectives, bolster design capacity, and monitor the set of supports that participating schools receive. All ELA and math teachers in Acceleration Schools participate in shared learning once per quarter alongside principals, assistant principals, coaches, and PLC leaders to strengthen content knowledge and instructional skill.
Partnership By The Numbers
100% of teachers
implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) across Acceleration Schools
4,230 students enrolled
in Acceleration Schools
200+ teachers
supported with ongoing professional learning in ELA and math
300 minutes
of weekly planning time and 60+ min collaborative PLC time
100% of teachers
implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) across Acceleration Schools
4,230 students enrolled
in Acceleration Schools
200+ teachers
supported with ongoing professional learning in ELA and math
300 minutes
of weekly planning time and 60+ min collaborative PLC time
Learn About More Partnerships
Charleston is just one of dozens of partnerships across the country that are pushing the boundaries of what school can offer students. Learn more about how we customize our supports to meet the needs and strengths of visionary districts.
