Leadership gurus often put creating a "shared vision" at the top of their pyramid of what successful leaders do. These visions are best when they are an anchor or a North Star -- unwavering goals that the district works toward. Author Jon Saphier proposes this North Star for districts: Make every school an engine for continuous…

In the past decade, research-practice partnerships (RPPs) have grown in number and reputation. Stephanie Brown and Annie Allen describe the varied ways partnerships facilitate more sustained and productive relationships between researchers and practitioners. They share key findings from a comparative case study of three different types of RPPs…

School districts on the leading edge of the Birth through Third Grade movement have demonstrated unprecedented success raising the achievement of low-income students by developing coherent strategies focused on the early years of learning and development. These communities are not merely improving preschool. Rather, they are building aligned,…

To create and maintain continual improvement, school leaders must set goals, create strategies to reach the goals, and use checklists and rubrics in combination with regular communication between the district office and schools to ensure that everyone is staying on track. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

The application of an educational planning model designed for involving a representative sample of school patrons in decision making is described with reference to the case of Gilbert, Arizona. The article focuses on the first of the model's three phases: prioritizing goals, curriculum development, and program design and evaluation. (MJL)

Four small Connecticut school systems demographically different but similar in size have established a consortium to minimize the effects of declining enrollment by sharing their students, teachers, and resources. Despite such obstacles as scheduling and transportation costs, the consortium has generally proven successful. (JBM)

In response to the educational reform reports, Glendale Elementary School District (Arizona) administrators decided to reexamine existing programs and begin long-range planning. They submitted a list of recommendations (selected from reports) to a community/district staff and task force to prioritize, then assigned specific responsibilities to…

Describes basic concepts, learner-centered educational objectives, and interagency aspects of ES'70, a comprehensive nationwide R & D program applying the systems approach to the improvement of secondary education. (JK)

Emphasizes the development of an effective planning capability in the state. Describes the policy challenges posed by enrollment decline, then analyzes the content and process of Minnesota's response, focusing on legislative enactments aimed at improving school district planning. (IRT)