School districts and instructional renewal / edited by Amy M. Hightower ... [and others].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Hightower, Amy M.

Series:

Critical issues in educational leadership series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

School districts--United States.

School districts.

Educational change--United States.

Educational change.

United States.

Physical Description:

vi, 232 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Teachers College Press, [2002]

Summary:

Contrary to the widespread perception of school districts as rigid bureaucracies and obstacles to reform, this volume shows how school districts can and do make essential contributions to the renewal and enhancement of American education. In this unique and very timely volume, an authoritative group of contributors presents and analyzes emerging evidence on district policy and leadership. Providing compelling images of what is possible, this book: Assembles the best current research, including a fascinating case study of San Diego's Alvarado/Bersin reform initiative. Expands the conversation on what school districts are, what they do, and how they can enhance the quality of teaching and learning in U.S. schools. Introduces powerful conceptual frameworks for visualizing school districts as a catalyst for meaningful and sustained reform, highlighting particular roles the district can play to prompt instructional renewal. Identifies dilemmas and contradictions that arise when examining the district as a key unit of analysis, raising important questions for future research and practice.

Contents:

Forgotten players : how local school districts shaped American education / David Tyack

How districts relate to states, schools, and communities : a review of emerging literature / Julie A. Marsh

District strategies for building instructional capacity / Diane Massell and Margaret E. Goertz

District as a professional learning laboratory / Mary Kay Stein and Laura D'Amico

San Diego's big boom : systemic instructional change in the central office and schools / Amy M. Hightower

New Haven Unified School District : a teaching quality system for excellence and equity / Jon Snyder

Constraints and opportunities in changing policy environments : intermediary organizations' response to complex district contexts / Patricia Ellen Burch

Focusing the concerns of new teachers : the district as teacher educator / Pam Grossman, Clarissa S. Thompson, and Sheila W. Valencia

District policy making and state standards : a cognitive perspective on implementation / James P. Spillane

Leadership for learning : a theory of action for urban school districts / Lauren B. Resnick and Thomas K. Glennan, Jr.

Reforming districts / Milbrey W. McLaughlin and Joan E. Talbert.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0807742678

080774266X

OCLC:

49649086