Harvard Graduate School of Education

The Case for District-Based Reform
Leading, Building, and Sustaining School Improvement

By Jonathan A. Supovitz

In 1999, under the superintendancy of retired Air Force major general John Fryer, the Duval County (Fla.) school system set out to improve every school in the district. Over the next five years, the district achieved stunning results that have drawn nationwide attention.

Supovitz uses the unfolding story of Duval County to develop a sophisticated and thoughtful analysis of the role of the school district in enacting large-scale reform. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and extensive first-hand observation, Supovitz chalks a vivid portrait. The Case for District-Based Reform weaves together seamlessly the account of leadership and change in one district with an investigation of the larger questions associated with this particular approach to school reform.

Praise:

“This is a wise and practical analysis of how school improvement works, at the school and district level. Supovitz shows us the successful practice of instructional leadership in a real setting with real problems and constraints. This is a basic source for anyone interested in large-scale school improvement.”
—Richard F. Elmore, Gregory Anrig Professor of Educational Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“The Case for District-Based Reform is a wonderful book. I have been working closely with leading school districts in the last decade and Supovitz captures all the key issues. Great, powerful insights, clearly expressed--Supovitz nails the problem and promise of the role of the district in bringing about meaningful, sustainable reform.”
—Michael Fullan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

“The Case for District-Based Reform is a must-read for leaders interested in sustaining long-term district success.”
—Arlene Ackerman, Professor of Practice, Teachers College, Columbia University, and former Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District

Highlights:

  • The Challenge for School Districts
  • Developing a Vision of Instructional Quality
  • Schools' and Teachers' Implementation of Reform
  • Districtwide Data Use
  • Sustainability and Organizational Learning
  • The Role of the School District in Instructional Improvement
  • The Twenty-First-Century School District

About the Author:

Jonathan A. Supovitz is an associate professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior researcher at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education.