The Learning Partners Program (LPP) is designed to promote interschool collaborative learning. Using the Framework for Great Schools as a lens, the program creates triads of schools by matching a host school with strong practices in a specific learning focus area (LFA) with two partner schools interested in strengthening their practices in that…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report findings from an exploratory study of New York's Children First Networks (CFNs); to examine what is known about the CFNs thus far, drawing on new empirical research, as well as document review and analysis of secondary sources. Design/methodology/approach: Organizational learning theory guided this…

One of a series of Education Resource Strategies (ERS) publications and tools, this paper explores important ways to organize and invest in Professional Growth & Support that strengthen teaching capacity and effectiveness at the system level. It draws on research, ERS experience with urban school systems nationwide, and detailed analyses of…

The College and Career Readiness Standards, referred to as the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) in New York City, are increasingly the focus of educational reform efforts across the United States. Each year for the past several years, the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) has created a set of focusing expectations for schools in…

As cities across the country and globe continue to generate new solutions to a wide variety of vexing problems, sharing information about what works and what doesn't has become more important than ever. Yet, outside of a few prominent policies, the vast majority of successful municipal experiments never reach a national audience or, for that…

During the 2007-08 school year, the New York City Department of Education launched the second phase of its ambitious and innovative initiative known as "Children First." Ultimately, this initiative aims to intensify the focus by all educators on student performance and in doing so to stimulate the development of evidence-based cultures…

Discusses school reform difficulties, profiling a suburban New York superintendent's struggle to forge an institutional mission via stakeholder surveys and strategic planning. Contrasts Seymour Sarason's pessimistic views about reform with Michael Fullan's school-renewal approach. Describes a Pennsylvania superintendent's successful employment of…