Partnering with Iowa Schools to Accelerate CLSD Grant Leadership Outcomes
by translating literacy leadership into measurable student gains through structured instructional support and data-driven performance and leadership coaching.
District Management Group (DMG) is an approved Iowa CLSD Leadership Grant Support Provider (Leadership GSP).
DMG empowers Iowa districts and schools to meet their CLSD goals through targeted leadership coaching, strategic planning support, and embedded professional learning—all grounded in the Science of Reading and aligned to IA-CLSD expectations.
With our Breakthrough Results (BTR) program, we help school and district leaders:
Drive school improvement using data-informed decision-making.
Develop high-leverage literacy SMART Goals aligned with scientifically based reading research.
Build systemwide capacity for strategic implementation, culture-building, and communication.
Implement structured instructional practices that directly impact K–12 literacy outcomes.
With DMG, you don’t just plan literacy leadership improvement. You do it. You measure it. You get results fast.
Ready for Literacy Leadership Breakthrough in Your District?
Whether you’re starting with a small pilot or launching districtwide, DMGroup can help you implement with urgency and sustainability. Our team of 300+ performance/leadership coaches and literacy experts are ready to partner with your District to make Iowa’s CLSD investment translate into breakthrough student and educator outcomes.
Let’s Build Your Breakthrough Plan
svaron@dmgroupK12.com 617-453-2580
Program Snapshot: Leadership-Focused Literacy Acceleration
DMGroup’s Breakthrough Results (BTR) Program aligns tightly with IA-CLSD goals to ensure that school and district leaders are equipped to lead literacy improvement initiatives with clarity and impact. Here’s how we do it:
1. Literacy Diagnostic & Landscape Review:
We begin with a deep dive into your district’s literacy and broader academic landscape. Our team analyzes ISASP, DIBELS, i-Ready, MAP, or other local assessments to pinpoint instructional strengths and identify priority skill domains.
The result: a clear, data-informed starting point and tailored program design for each leader and school team.
2. SMART Goal Design Aligned to the Science of Reading:
We guide school-based teams and leaders through collaborative development of high-leverage, literacy- and leadership-focused SMART Goals, directly aligned to:
• How Children Learn to Read
• Phonological & Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics (Decoding & Encoding)
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension
This sharp goal-setting process drives focus, alignment, and accountability across every participating educator and school.
3. High-Impact Weekly Leadership & Performance Coaching with Embedded Professional Development:
Each leader and team receives weekly support from a dedicated DMGroup Leadership and Performance Coach.
Leadership Coaches support leaders:
Build capacity to guide teams toward ambitious, measurable results, with targeted support in prioritizing and sustaining effective practices
Foster strong adult culture/collaboration and student social-emotional well-being, ensuring a healthy school culture that accelerates and sustains academic gains
Performance Coaches support teams:
- Translate SMART Goals into daily instructional practice
- Facilitate strategy planning and real-time refinement
- Review weekly or biweekly progress-monitoring data
- Build educator capacity through embedded professional learning
With structured leadership and performance coaching, educators at all levels turn theory into practice, and practice into measurable results.
4. Data Dashboards for Strategic Decision Making and Planning:
Our progress monitoring dashboards compile weekly or biweekly student data (e.g., DIBELS, i-Ready, etc.) into clear, visual reports that help leaders and teams track progress, identify the effectiveness of particular strategies, spot learning or instructional gaps, and make timely decisions to adjust course.
This gives your educators real-time insight to adjust instruction and accelerate leadership and literacy growth where it matters most.
5. Final Impact Report & Strategic Reflection:
At the end of each program, we provide a customized Outcomes Report highlighting trends in student gains and system transformation—building momentum for sustained improvement aligned with IA-CLSD.
These reports help district and school leaders continue to build momentum for what’s working and make informed decisions for future academic investments.
Our Coaching Philosophy: Empowering Leaders, Enabling Stronger Outcomes
At the core of our support is a collaborative, results-focused coaching model. We do not take over or prescribe solutions. Instead, we co-create conditions for breakthrough with the leaders closest to the work.
Our coaches serve as thought partners—not evaluators—who:
Ask high-leverage questions to drive reflection, identify root causes, and challenge assumptions.
Help leaders hone implementation discipline by focusing on small, strategic changes that build momentum.
Foster psychological safety and ownership within teams, building the capacity to lead for literacy both now and into the future.
We build trust quickly by celebrating early progress, focusing on practical wins, and ensuring every coaching session advances both adult practice and student outcomes.
Real Results
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THIRD-GRADE LITERACY 
Participating third-graders increased their reading fluency by 75% in just 10 weeks.
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THIRD-GRADE READING 
In SY 2024, 81% of BCS third-grade students scored at or above grade level in reading—an impressive leap from 53% the year before!
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ABSENTEEISM
Absenteeism among targeted middle schoolers dropped by 56% in just 10 weeks.
The Breakthrough Results Program is built on the belief that “successful change programs begin with results”...not just plans or theories. Every performance coaching session, goal, and strategy is designed to produce measurable literacy gains that teams can see, celebrate, and build on. We don’t just talk about improvement; we deliver it, with a proven track record of helping schools and districts exceed benchmarks and accelerate student literacy outcomes.
Learn more about the Breakthrough Results Program
Testimonials
“We’ve learned through the process that quick cycle data reviews can impact small changes to interventions that make a BIG impact for students.”
~ Team Member, Grand Island Public Schools (NE)
“I saw the difference... When we jumped into this fluency program, it was interesting to see when you put the time, thinking power, and effort into it, you can see the growth and progress that students have made.”
~ Team Member, Dallas Independent School District (TX)
“During BTR, I've witnessed incredible growth in my Pre-K students since we implemented this reading program. The program’s strategic approach has made a huge difference. Working intimately with students allowed my students to build confidence. It’s been truly rewarding to see such meaningful progress at such a foundational stage. I’m excited to take this approach that I learned this year and implement next year from the beginning of the school year.”
~ Team Member, East Baton Rouge Parish School System (LA)
“This deep dive into Greek and Latin root words through Breakthrough has been so worth it. It’s been amazing to watch my students' knowledge grow—and even better hearing them start to notice root words in everyday life or while we're reading together. That kind of lightbulb moment makes all the review and repetition feel meaningful.”
~ Team Member, Birmingham City Schools (AL)
Why DMGroup?
As a Leadership GSP, DMG offers:
Performance coaching that builds leadership effectiveness and accountability.
Strategic planning support grounded in improvement science.
Professional learning embedded into daily work, not one-time sessions.
Tools to foster school culture, communication, and community engagement.
Other Ways District Management Group Can Support Your District
District Management Group stands out as a results-driven partner with over 20 years of experience helping schools turn evidence-based literacy theory into measurable achievement. Unlike traditional professional development or curriculum implementation providers, we embed performance coaching, professional learning, and data systems into the daily work of educators and instructional teams, aligning tightly to the Science of Reading, MTSS frameworks, and district-adopted HQIMs. Our team combines deep implementation expertise with proven impact across urban, suburban, and rural districts nationwide.
Prioritizing Resources and Initiatives for Strategic Management (PRISM)
PRISM is a DMGroup’s comprehensive service that equips districts with the tools and processes to make smart, financially responsible decisions that maximize impact for students. Learn more
Elementary School Scheduling Support
DMSchedules software and services help school administrators create effective strategic elementary schedules based on scheduling best practices in a fraction of the time. Learn more
Special Education Opportunity Review
We conduct an in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis to compare your practices with those of similar districts and established best practices and help you identify high-impact opportunities to raise student achievement, set priorities, and drive improvement. Learn more
DMCouncil Membership
DMCouncil, a professional learning community for superintendents and district leaders, was founded out of a recognition that district leaders need a community that will help them stay at the forefront of best practices and new ideas, help support and develop leadership and management skills, and provide a cohort of peers with whom to share ideas and experiences. Learn more
Professional Development for District and School Leaders
Develop skills that last through cohort-based coursework and coaching.
• Secondary Scheduling Institute
• Academic-ROI Institute
• Leadership Council for K-12 School Finance Officers
• Special Education Leadership Council
Learn more
