This case was written to help prepare central office leaders who are expected to design systems and lead toward instructional improvement in the context of both educational accountability and implementation of standards with increased rigor. The intent of this case study is to encourage educators to examine the complex and multiple challenges of policy design and implementation when policy goals are far from current practice. Educators studying this case should examine the costs and benefits of bridging and buffering across organizational levels and how to best craft coherence between goals, needs, and resources at the central office and school levels.