Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Success for All?
A. Success for All is a whole-school improvement approach that is proven by research to increase student achievement. It features:
- structured lessons and materials,
- professional development to build teachers’ capacity to meet the needs of all students
- data tools to drive instruction
- interventions for struggling readers
- outreach strategies to engage parents and community members
- a cooperative-learning model in which students work together to achieve at a high level, and
- a collaborative leadership network involving teachers and administrators to ensure effective outcomes.
Q. How does it work?
A. Success for All puts reading at the cornerstone of the curriculum. For children to succeed in school, they must be reading on grade level by the end of the third grade and keep building reading skills through secondary school. They also need effective teachers, so SFA includes intensive professional development, ongoing coaching support, and data tools to give teachers feedback on how students are learning and where they need additional instruction or extra help. SFA involves the whole community in implementing effective instruction that is based on the best research on what works. Success for All makes learning fun and engaging for kids and helps teachers become knowledgeable, skilled instructional leaders.
Q. What does my school/district need to do to get the i3 grant discount?
A. Full implementation of the elementary Success for All program is required to receive the discount.
Q. Am I eligible for a $50,000 grant from SFA?
A. You may be eligible for $50,000 or more toward implementation of Success for All if you are a Title I elementary school.
Click here to see if your school meets Title I requirements.
Q. What costs does the grant cover?
A. The grant covers all SFA professional development and materials costs. While the grant covers a significant amount of the SFA program, there are additional costs such as your school’s choice of textbooks. With the i3 discount, SFA is less than half the cost of other programs that claim to change school culture and raise achievement. It’s one of the most effective investments you can make in changing the schoolwide culture. With the $50,000 i3 grant, SFA costs about 60 cents a day per student.
Q. Is Success for All a one-size-fits-all program?
A. Success for All adapts to the needs of all learners in all kinds of schools. It is far from a one-size-fits-all program. It includes proven strategies for English learners, response-to-intervention strategies with computer-assisted tutoring to help struggling students, and accommodations for urban and rural schools to meet their own specific needs. It provides a solid structure for effective instruction, while allowing teachers to use their knowledge and skills to deliver a dynamic and engaging learning program. There are even lessons adapted for whiteboard technology and multimedia activities with humorous puppets and appealing actors to help build students’ skills.
Q. Isn’t Success for All a scripted program?
A. No. Success for All introduces the same structured instructional model throughout the school, and it helps teachers to change how they teach—cooperative learning, for example, is a key feature of Success for All classrooms. SFA relies upon teacher judgment and teacher involvement. We provide teachers with detailed lesson guides and support to allow them to use the proven instructional practices embedded in Success for All.
Q. Does Success for All just tell teachers what to do?
A. In Success for All schools, teachers are active, engaged professionals in the classroom. Before Success for All is implemented in a school, the school must have the agreement of at least 75 percent of the teaching staff, who vote by secret ballot. Success for All engages teachers as professionals, working with them to guide the implementation process in their school. A facilitator from the school’s staff supports teachers in the implementation. SFA provides extensive professional development in each school to help all teachers succeed. All teachers and school leaders work in teams and as part of a leadership network.
Q. Isn’t Success for All just another fad?
A. Over the years, we’ve all seen so many different approaches, as well as federal programs and policies, come and go. Success for All has demonstrated that it is not fad, that it is research-based, and that it is proven to be effective. We have more than two decades worth of data showing that Success for All gets results, which is why Success for All schools have used our approach, on average, for more than ten years.
Q. Is Success for All just a reading program?
A. Success for All is a program that transforms teaching, learning, and the entire school culture. It uses reading as the cornerstone because research shows that if kids are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade they are more likely to continue to struggle in school, repeat grades, act out, and eventually drop out of school. SFAF also offers proven optional programs in math and writing.
Q. Can I still use the reading texts and other materials we purchased?
A. Success for All helps schools develop effective standards-based instruction, using the instructional materials the district has adopted. It provides innovative materials for kindergarten and first grade, but then builds around commercial basals and trade books for grades 2–8. Success for All is aligned with prevailing state standards for the states in which it operates, including the Common Core State Standards.
Q. Is Success for All aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)?
A. The most current version of Success for All is aligned with the CCSS.