A number of forces have increased the momentum for school districts to develop district-wide reform strategies as a means of initiating and sustaining school improvement. First, districts have sometimes found it easier to manage and support a single districtwide initiative rather than many different school reform models. Second, they have come to recognize that some educational problems, such as high student mobility, are better addressed above the level of individual schools. Finally, new accountability systems that make districts responsible for the success of their schools have created an audience for new ideas about the appropriate role of districts in spearheading reform.
Current Projects
Two projects now under way are expanding our knowledge about how school districts can support reforms. MDRC is leading a study of the effects on student performance of a reform strategy developed by the San Francisco Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC). The strategy emphasizes coaching of supervisors, principals, and teachers; evidence-based decision-making; and networking among schools to share experiences and lessons. In the Instructional Leadership Study, planned in collaboration with the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, MDRC will examine the extent to which efforts to improve instructional leadership among school principals and their supervisors translate into changed instructional practices and, ultimately, better student outcomes.
Completed Project
MDRC’s first examination of districtwide reform efforts, the Foundations for Success study, has garnered considerable attention. The study suggested hypotheses about successful strategies used by urban districts that have managed not only to raise student achievement overall but also to shrink racial and economic disparities in achievement levels. MDRC will seek to test these hypotheses more systematically in future demonstrations.
Key Documents on District Reforms
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