Education

Barr and Attuned have partnered over the last five years to assist New England districts through systems-level strategic support and coaching. To support that ongoing work we were inspired to learn from districts nationally that have notable growth in student outcomes.

Written by Jess Rose, Alyssa Whitehead-Bust

We, at Barr and Attuned Education Partners, believe that meaningful, systemic change within schools is deepened and bolstered by the support of central office leaders.

Since 2016, Barr’s Education program has supported extensive work directly with high schools to plan, design, and implement a transformed high school experience. Though research clearly points to teacher and school leader practice as key levers of student outcomes, we’ve become increasingly convinced that in most contexts, teachers and leaders thrive when central office supports enable them to. Based on the lessons of this work we have increasingly embraced the reality that schools, particularly those in traditional district settings, exist in the context of their district and in relation with their central office. As a result, Barr and Attuned have partnered over the last five years to deepen support to districts through systems-level strategic support and coaching.

Our organizations have observed that central offices are rarely neutral – the way they operate either actively enables or stifles equity and growth within schools; often simultaneously in different ways. We believe it is possible and necessary for a district to transform its schools in meaningful ways that results in drastic shifts in the school experiences and ultimately more equitable outcomes for students. System-level leadership has the potential to enable, support, and sustain school-level transformation.

Seeking to better understand how system-level leaders in different contexts shepherded coherent change in their schools, Barr and Attuned partnered to advance our collective learning. Our hope is that the key findings affirm work in school systems that is already underway, as well as inspire reflection on leadership competencies, priorities, and systems to more meaningfully support schools to implement equitable and excellent experiences that result in strong outcomes for all students.

Attuned interviewed Superintendents and Chief Academic Officers from four districts with different contexts – but all with notable growth in student outcomes – including Ector County ISD in Texas, Indianapolis Public Schools in Indiana, School District of University City in Missouri, and Lincoln Parish in Louisiana. There were three overarching patterns across the four districts that were common indicators of the leaders’ ability to foster change in their schools. Each of the district leaders:

The case studies included in the report System-Level Conditions that Enable, Support & Sustain School Transformation detail how these three evergreen practices emerged in each leaders’ work and influenced their district-specific choices. These case studies align with our own experiences in illustrating the critical role central office leaders can have in catalyzing transformation.

We invite school and district leaders, school committee members, policy makers, and technical assistance providers who coach and support schools and districts to read the report and join us for a virtual webinar to unpack findings on Tuesday, February 4th from 3:30-4:45pm. This participatory workshop will provide opportunities to:

During the session we’ll hone in on five important areas of reflection that highlighted at the end of the report:

To register for the workshop, click here! We are eager to engage in conversation with those interested in developing their district’s instructional leadership, coherence, and progress. Ultimately, we believe these leaders play a pivotal role in systemic change in our schools in order for them to become learning environments worthy of our young people.

authors and contributors:

Jess Rose poses for a headshot. She has silver hair, wears bright red lipstick, and smiles warmly.