Realization: The Change Imperative for Deepening District-Wide Reform

‘Sharratt and Fullan are an educational dream team! The combination of Sharratt’s keen observations from her battle-tested district leadership experience and Fullan’s astute perspectives on the essential challenges of systemic reform produce fresh insights into the most difficult, yet most central challenges facing local education reformers today. Together the authors generate important new knowledge of how to sustain and deepen districtwide instructional reform beyond the first generation’ - Jonathan Supovitz Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Senior Researcher, Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Districtwide performance improvement requires a focus on capacity building, empowering colleagues throughout the organization to move change forward. Written by an experienced administrator who accomplished districtwide improvement on the ground and an internationally recognized expert in large-scale education reform, this compelling book outlines a step-by-step approach to implementing lasting, positive change across an entire district. This resource examines 13 research-based parameters for improving teacher and student performance, including advice on optimizing existing resources, and then introduces a 14th parameter-Realization-that goes beyond capacity building at the school and district level to systemwide change at the state level. Readers will find: a wealth of school-specific strategies that support effective assessment and instructional practices to improve students’ fundamental academic skills; ‘Do’s’ and ‘don'ts’ from real districtwide school improvement programmes; and, guidance on implementing programme assessment and establishing accountability. Help your district advance from vision to action to realization of student achievement.