Sanger Unified School District in California's Central Valley had been named one of the worst 98 school districts in California. It was not only one of the worst-performing districts in a state with 1,042 districts, but it also had been flagged as one of the first to be named a program improvement district under No Child Left Behind. In this…

School District 54 in Schaumburg, Illinois, always viewed itself as a great school district. Unfortunately, many parents and community members in the district, located on the outskirts of Chicago, thought of it as less than stellar. Student achievement had remained stagnant for several years. Staff members were becoming increasingly frustrated and…

Stories of five superintendents who are trying different approaches to reach the same organizationwide goal--learning communities in their school districts. Also a first-person perspective by Illinois Superintendent Thomas W. Many on his district's early steps to achieve this goal. (Contains 11 references.) (MLF)

Details a strategy for district improvement that establishes discernible parameters and then provides each school with the autonomy to chart its own course and lists four steps toward team engagement. Also former Principal Rebecca Burnette DuFour discusses how the central office can best promote learning communities. (MLF)

In the ongoing debate of the efficacy of top-down versus bottom-up strategies to improve school districts, top-down is clearly losing. Many district leaders are reluctant to champion improvement for fear of being labeled with the epithet "top-down leader," the unkindest cut of all. In this article, the author presents the change…

Those who expect consultants to solve problems for schools operating under the traditional model of fragmentation and teacher isolation will be disappointed. The key to using consultants effectively is developing systematic processes that engage staff in the work of a professional learning community as they consider the ideas presented to them.…