The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement

Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning

Julie A. Marsh, Kerri A. Kerr, Gina Schuyler Ikemoto, Hilary Darilek, Marika Booth, Ron Zimmer, Heather Barney

ResearchPublished Oct 18, 2005

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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  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Available
  • Year: 2005
  • Print Format: Paperback
  • Paperback Pages: 220
  • Paperback Price: $27.50
  • Paperback ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-3853-1
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/MG361
  • Document Number: MG-361-EDU

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RAND Style Manual
Marsh, Julie A., Kerri A. Kerr, Gina Schuyler Ikemoto, Hilary Darilek, Marika Booth, Ron Zimmer, and Heather Barney, The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement: Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning, RAND Corporation, MG-361-EDU, 2005. As of September 20, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG361.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Marsh, Julie A., Kerri A. Kerr, Gina Schuyler Ikemoto, Hilary Darilek, Marika Booth, Ron Zimmer, and Heather Barney, The Role of Districts in Fostering Instructional Improvement: Lessons from Three Urban Districts Partnered with the Institute for Learning. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2005. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG361.html. Also available in print form.
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The research described in this report was conducted within RAND Education and supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

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