The "Program Administration Scale" (PAS) is designed to reliably measure and improve the leadership and management practices of center-based programs--the only instrument of its kind to focus exclusively on organization-wide administrative issues. In the third edition, the authors share updated information supporting the reliability and…

The "statewide system of support," a feature of Congress's 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provided an organizational framework for a "managerial" approach to school improvement that was accelerated in No Child Left Behind (2001). When Congress temporarily flooded states with economic…

The aim of this paper is to develop a model that addresses and bridges the gap between quality management and student experience. The model incorporates the most commonly occurring systems, namely: quality control; quality assurance; quality audit; quality assessment; quality enhancement; and quality management. The paper highlights the key…

This report discusses the necessity of expanding school improvement policy and practice in order to meet the growing challenges related to reducing the achievement and opportunity gaps. Specifically, it highlights that student/learning supports are marginalized in current policy and that addressing the matter requires moving from a two to a three…

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is the Department of Defense component charged with providing high-quality education for military-connected students domestically and overseas. DoDEA operates 160 schools in eight districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, and two territories and enrolls more than 66,000 students,…

Five years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, student achievement levels are in free fall. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results released in late January 2025, fewer than one-third of students nationwide scored at proficiency levels in reading and math. Achievement gaps by race, income, and other…

While Learning Analytics (LA) have gained momentum in higher education, there are still few examples of application in the school sector. Even fewer cases are reported of systematic, organizational adoption to drive the support of student learning trajectories that includes teachers, pastoral leaders, and academic managers. This paper presents one…

This is the Executive Summary for the report, "Transforming Central Office Practices for Equity, Coherence, and Continuous Improvement: Chicago Public Schools under the Leadership of Dr. Janice K. Jackson." This case study explores the strategic plan of Janice Jackson, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, along with the central office…

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is the Department of Defense component charged with providing high-quality education for military-connected students domestically and overseas. DoDEA operates 160 schools in eleven countries, two territories, and seven states and serves over 70,000 students. The Blueprint for Continuous…

To support systemic thinking about school improvement, the Center on School Turnaround at WestEd developed a framework to assist states, districts, and schools in leading and managing rapid improvement efforts. The framework, which is presented in this article, has four domains that have proved central to rapid, significant improvement: (1)…

In recent years, Jordan has made considerable progress in education and has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the quality of provision for all learners within its borders, including refugees. Effective teacher management, aimed at building teachers' status, skills, motivation, wellbeing and retention, is a key policy lever that can…

This brief provides California policymakers with recommendations on how to improve access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE) for all children. It is based on a report that examines the ECE practices in 10 counties that vary by region, population density, and child care affordability. The report upon which this brief is based describes…

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is the Department of Defense (DoD) agency charged with providing high quality education for military-connected students both domestically and overseas. DoDEA operates 164 schools located in eleven countries, two territories, and seven states and serves more than 72,000 students. The Blueprint…

While they're often overlooked in education policy debates, district central office staff can play critical role in improving schools. In this interview, Meredith Honig, professor of Education Policy, Organizations, and Leadership at the University of Washington and founder of the District Leadership Lab, explains what her research and experience…

People who emphasize teaching quality and the central importance of teachers are right to do so. Where some go wrong is in thinking that teacher quality is an innate characteristic. The effectiveness of a teacher is not some inherent competence, as the phrase "teacher quality" suggests. Teacher effectiveness is contextual. Why has the…