A model guide for reconceiving the central office to help educational leaders build equity-aligned, research-based approaches to district reform. In From Tinkering to Transformation, Meredith Honig and Lydia Rainey call on superintendents and other district leaders to rethink the very premises that underlie the long-standing ways of working in their central offices. Based on the results of nearly two decades of research from districts of 2,000 to 200,000 students, Honig and Rainey pinpoint how central offices support equitable teaching and learning in schools through specific changes in key central office functions: teaching and learning, human resources, principal supervision, operations, and the superintendent's cabinet. Using lively case studies, detailed examples, and performance data from ten US school districts, Honig and Rainey deftly highlight how central offices must transform in order to support equitable teaching and learning in schools. They identify typical pitfalls district leaders may encounter, illustrate a guiding set of design principles that can be used to inform transformation efforts, and offer practical advice on how to realize the ambitious goals of fundamental systemic change for equity. This inspiring work shows how district leaders can move forward with revolutionary central office reforms that support equitable teaching and learning for every student.

In an educational context where school and district performance is of increasing focus, it’s essential for leaders at all levels of the educational system to focus on improving student performance. This volume zeros in on a promising set of strategies and practices for all leaders to motivate, support, and sustain learning in contemporary schools. Learning-Focused Leadership in Action explores what it means for educational leadership to be "learning-focused," what this looks like in practice at both the school and district level, and how such leadership changes can be set in motion. Drawing on extensive case study research in schools and districts that are making progress on learning improvement, this volume explores how leaders at all levels of the educational system can productively seek to improve the quality of learning opportunities and student performance, no matter how challenging the circumstances.

Supervising Principals for Instructional Leadership specifies the conditions that district leaders can create to help principal supervisors take a teaching and learning approach to their work. Based on their extensive research in district central offices, Meredith I. Honig and Lydia R. Rainey show how supervisors can most effectively support principals in becoming instructional leaders and developing the capacity to lead their own learning. "Supervising Principals for Instructional Leadership is a brilliant, inspiring, clear book that nails what it means to supervise school leaders for growth and helps the reader reimagine the role of the central office. Read this book, and use it immediately!" --Michael Fullan, professor emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto "What does it look and sound like to support principals to lead learning? Honig and Rainey share their research-and-practice-tested wisdom, which combines the imagination to break free of conventional supervision with clear examples of what to do and what not to do, and a bundle of tools to make it happen." --Elizabeth A. City, senior lecturer on education, Harvard Graduate School of Education "For too long the work of principal supervision has been a black box; Honig and Rainey open up that box and provide practical steps for system leaders to take to support principals so that instruction improves for every child in every school. Their systemic approach is a must-read for any public education leader." --Joshua P. Starr, chief executive officer, PDK International "This finely crafted book about a critical school improvement problem is guided by a strong theory, builds on an impressively rich body of evidence, and includes many practical illustrations of the guiding theory in action. District leaders aiming to improve instruction in their schools will find much of value to their efforts in this text." --Kenneth Leithwood, emeritus professor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto Meredith I. Honig is a professor of Education Policy, Organizations, and Leadership at the University of Washington, Seattle. Lydia R. Rainey is a research scientist at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the director of research for the District Leadership Design Lab.

This issue brief examines the role of central office administrators in the reinvention process and what research and experience matters for expanding student learning. The brief includes examples from central office reinvention efforts currently planned or under way in Atlanta Public Schools, New York City Public Schools, and Oakland Unified School District (California). These districts are highlighted because during the past several years, each of them has made significant investments in central office reinvention as an important educational improvement strategy; accordingly, these districts arguably provide examples of central office reinvention efforts that are fairly well along, at least in their conceptualization. These districts also represent a range of midsized to large urban contexts; therefore, their examples may resonate directly with leaders across different types of urban and suburban districts and relatively large rural districts. The brief concludes with key questions for education leaders to consider regarding the role of central office administrators in expanding learning districtwide. (Contains 1 endnote.) [This issue brief was administered by Learning Point Associates in partnership with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), under contract with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education. ].

School district leaders nationwide aspire to help their schools become vibrant places for learning--where students have meaningful academic opportunities "and" develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the ability to communicate effectively, and other deeper learning capacities that are essential to success in later life. Historically, though, school district central offices have been ill equipped to support such ambitious goals. This executive summary discusses the following: (1) deeper learning and its connection to central offices; (2) why the change to facilitate deeper learning is difficult for central offices; (3) how central offices can support systemwide deeper learning; and (4) recommendations for engaging central office staff members in redesigning their roles. [For the full report, see ED560756.].