Anatomy of School System Improvement: Performance-Driven Practices in Urban School Districts

Author: Petrides, L., Nodine, with T., Nguyen, T., Karaglani, A., Gluck, R.
Publisher: NewSchools Venture Fund
Publication Date: 2005, May
Full text available online at: http://www.newschools.org/viewpoints/documents/District_Performance_Practices.pdf

Abstract (written by WestEd)

This study looks at 28 medium and large urban school systems that are working to be performance-driven systems. The four main practices that these authors put forth as defining a performance-driven school system are:

• Clear and rigorous student achievement goals
  
• Efforts to gather and assess information
  
• Action plans based on performance results
  
• Ongoing feedback loop

The report's overall findings include:

1. Managing people and processes is as important as its goals, policies, and systems.
   
2. Adopting performance-driven practices must be district-wide and cut across functions and hierarchies.
   
3. Professional development is the primary means to engage people in change.
   
4. There needs to be a dynamic balance between district oversight and direction, and site-based leadership.
   
5. External factors — NCLB and state assessments — help districts focus more on student achievement outcomes.
   
6. Districts face many significant hurdles in adopting performance-based practices.

The report also outlines its findings by the following functional areas: goals and governance, matching goals to resources, instructional leadership, assessments, and professional development. In addition, the report provides implications and recommendations, calls out common and promising practices, and provides three case studies.