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The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement
Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning
The current high-stakes accountability environment brought on by the federal No Child Left Behind Act places great pressure on school districts to demonstrate success by meeting yearly progress goals for student achievement and eventually demonstrating that all students achieve at high standards. Many urban school districts, in particular, face great challenges in meeting these goals. This study analyzes three urban districts’ efforts to face these challenges and assesses the contribution to those efforts made by an intermediary organization, the Institute for Learning. It describes the districts’ work in four areas: promoting principals’ instructional leadership; supporting teachers’ professional learning, in particular through school-based coaching models; specifying curriculum; and promoting data-based decisionmaking for planning and instructional improvement. For each area, it identifies constraints and enablers of district success, assesses the nature and effect of district-intermediary partnerships, and makes recommendations for districts undertaking similar instructional reforms.
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Pages: 220
ISBN/EAN: 0-8330-3853-2
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Contents
Chapter One:
Introduction
Chapter Two:
Research Background, Framework, and Methods
Chapter Three:
Setting the Stage: Overview of Study Districts and the IFL
Chapter Four:
District Strategies to Improve Instruction: Implementation and Outcomes
Chapter Five:
Overarching Findings About District Instructional Improvement: Common Constraints and Enablers
Chapter Six:
Impact of the Institute for Learning
Chapter Seven:
Conclusions and Lessons Learned
Appendix A:
Survey Instruments
Appendix B:
Technical Notes on Research Methods
Appendix C:
Student Achievement Trends
Appendix D:
Principles of Learning
The research described in this report was conducted within RAND Education and supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
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