Reforming Districts: How Districts Support School Reform

Author: McLaughlin, M., Talbert, J.
Publisher: Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy
Publication Date: 2003, September
Full text available online at: http://depts.washington.edu/ctpmail/PDFs/ReformingDistricts-09-2003.pdf

Abstract (written by WestEd)

Using multi-level survey data and four-year case studies of three reforming California districts, this report addresses the following questions: (1) Does the district matter for school reform? (2) What does a reforming district do? (3) How do reforming districts navigate the pitfalls associated with efforts to foster meaningful system change?

The report concludes that "districts matter fundamentally to what goes on in schools and classrooms and that without effective district engagement, school-by-school reform efforts are bound to disappoint." The report also debunks the following common myths about school reform:

• Teachers and principals will resist a strong district role — the study found the opposite, in that a weak central office limits school reform efforts.
  
• Personnel turnover in top levels of the district will derail reform efforts — the study found that leadership turnover did not disrupt the reform process in districts with solid reform plans and communication protocols embedded into the district culture.
  
• Local politics can defeat serious reform agendas — again, they found this did not happen in districts with clearly articulated, unambiguous goals and priorities.