Blueprint for School System Transformation

Frederick M. Hess is an educator, political scientist, and author who serves as director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His books include Cage-Busting Leadership, Education Unbound, and Spinning Wheels, and he writes the popular Education Week blog “Rick Hess Straight Up.” A former high school teacher, Hess currently teaches at Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania and serves as executive editor for the influential education journal Education Next. Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj is assistant professor of education policy and research and co-director of the Center for College Readiness at Seton Hall University. Her research on school choice, immigrant students, and educational equity has appeared in a variety of academic journals and popular media outlets, and a book based on her most recent study of high school choice in New York City will be published in Spring 2014.

Despite widespread recognition that school systems need to do profoundly better, those seeking improvement have been frustrated by the mediocre results of popular reforms. There is a lack of clear guidance on the steps needed to dramatically and effectively transform and educational ecosystem. Reformers need a playbook outlining clear strategies for rethinking outdated school system governance, resource allocation, quality control, talent management, and data use for the 21st century. In Blueprint for School System Transformation, a team of national experts addresses the major elements necessary for system redesign, describing in detail all the steps needed at the community, school, district and state level.

• Introduction Frederick M. Hess, Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, and Taryn HochleitnerChapter 1. New Schools and Innovative Delivery Michael B. Horn and Meg EvansChapter 2. Quality Control in a Local MarketplaceMichael J. PetrilliChapter 3. The Recovery School District ModelNeerav KingslandChapter 4. Practice Makes Perfect: Thinking Smarter About Professional DevelopmentDoug LemovChapter 5. Building a Better Pipeline: Thinking Smarter About Talent ManagementRanjit NairChapter 6. The Power is in the Purse Strings: Thinking Smarter About Resource AllocationJonathan Travers, Genevieve Green and Karen Hawley MilesChapter 7. Harnessing Data and Analytics 2.0Jon FullertonChapter 8. Leading Systemic ReformHeather ZavadskyConclusion: Putting the Pieces TogetherFrederick M. Hess, Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, and Taryn Hochleitner