Mass Insight’s Building Blocks Initiative for Standards-Based Reform represents our effort to identify, analyze, and articulate demonstrably effective organizational strategies in standards-based reform.

Since 2001, we have sent teams of educators and researchers into schools and districts in Massachusetts that have clearly outperformed the averages (for demographically similar student enrollments, across multiple years). We have named these exemplars “Vanguard” schools and districts. This research has generated a knowledge base of more than 100 step-by-step strategies for school and district leaders. The strategies are accompanied by downloadable documents and tools developed by Vanguard-model educators.

This search function at this website provides you with easy access to information from the Building Blocks knowledge base. It will also alert you to other research we have conducted that relates to your area of interest, and to relevant Mass Insight services. For more on the Building Blocks Initiative itself:

>What is the Building Blocks Initiative for Standards-Based Reform?
>Criteria for Selection as a Vanguard Model
>The Research Process