Project Distills Lessons Of ‘Coherent’ District-Level Reforms
How can school districts effectively organize and manage themselves to achieve excellence in all schools and classrooms, rather than just a select few? Over the past four years, Harvard University’s business school and graduate school of education have been working with nine large school districts across the country to address this question. This summer, the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP), a joint initiative between the two schools, held its first national conference to share the framework they have developed based on their research. The conference began with a case study of a fictitious district called "Bristol City," which represented the common challenges faced by school systems.
In Bristol City, the superintendent has a ambitious vision of ensuring that every student reaches their potential through high-quality teaching, comprehensive academic programs, and community involvement. However, it was quickly discovered that there was no clear strategy in place to achieve this vision, only a multitude of disconnected activities and initiatives. Stacey M. Childress, one of the founders of PELP, highlighted the familiar nature of this situation to the audience, which included district leaders, business executives, consultants, academics, foundation officers, and nonprofit executives. The question then arose: how can districts address this disconnect between their vision and their actions?
The answer lies in the "PELP Coherence Framework," which emphasizes the importance of focusing on the instructional core – the teaching and learning that happens in classrooms. Districts must establish concrete performance objectives and milestones to track their progress, and develop an explicit theory of action that outlines the cause-and-effect relationship between the district’s actions and desired outcomes.
For example, many districts believe that improving the quality of teaching is key to increasing student performance. With this theory of action in mind, a districtwide strategy would involve specific steps to ensure high-quality teaching occurs in every classroom, every day. By articulating a well-defined strategy, district leaders can make informed decisions about what actions to prioritize and what to avoid. Additionally, leaders must align the various elements of the school system, such as the district’s culture, decision-making processes, accountability mechanisms, compensation and training programs, resource allocation, stakeholder relationships, and compliance with external factors like state regulations and funding sources.
Allen S. Grossman, a professor at Harvard’s business school and the faculty chair of PELP, acknowledged that external forces can often distract superintendents from developing a strategy for large-scale improvement. These external forces may serve as excuses for districts’ lack of responsibility. He noted that many districts end up with a collection of unrelated programs, each with its own funding stream, resulting in a lack of coherence.
In conclusion, the PELP Coherence Framework provides a comprehensive approach for districts to achieve excellence in all schools and classrooms. By focusing on the instructional core, setting performance objectives, and establishing a theory of action, districts can develop a clear strategy that guides their decision-making and ensures coherence across all organizational elements. This framework is essential for addressing the next-generation challenges in education.
Since 2002, the district – which is the largest and most diverse in the state in terms of race and ethnicity – has made significant progress in closing the achievement gaps among African-American, white, and Hispanic kindergarteners in reading. The district has also made strides in reducing the disparities between students from poorer and more affluent areas when it comes to enrollment in higher-level math courses in 5th grade. Additionally, the percentage of black students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses is more than twice the national average, with a significantly higher proportion scoring 3 or higher on AP exams compared to the rest of the country.
According to the district’s superintendent, Mr. Weast, the key to this success is starting the educational process early, even before high school. He believes that preschool is where it all begins and that the efforts should continue throughout the students’ academic journey.
Mr. Weast attributes a large part of their progress to the partnership with the Program on Education Leadership at Harvard University (PELP). Through studying case studies and working with teams from other districts, the district has been able to connect the dots in their strategy, implement tangible actions, and accelerate their rate of improvement. They have not only learned from their own experiences but also drawn inspiration from the private sector.
According to Mr. Elmore of Harvard, thirteen years ago, finding examples of districts engaged in large-scale improvement efforts was a challenge. However, now, there are several ambitious strategies being implemented in various districts, resulting in improved student achievement. Unfortunately, there is still a significant number of superintendents who are unfamiliar with these approaches.
