Chapter 10: Developing District-Intermediary Partnerships to Promote Instructional Improvement: Early Experiences and Lessons About the Institute for Learning¹

In the last decade, the responsibilities facing school district central offices have greatly increased to include not only fiscal and personnel duties, but also the management of a complex array of policies, facilitation of community engagement, oversight of school improvement, and provision of professional development. The current high-stakes accountability environment brought on by the federal No Child Left Behind legislation adds enormous pressure on districts to perform these roles well and to demonstrate success. The threat of sanctions for districts and schools failing to demonstrate improvement places even greater demands on central office administrators to provide teachers and administrators with the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to help all students meet high academic standards. The concurrent contextual conditions present in many urban settings—including severe budget deficits, the growing complexity of students’ social and academic needs, and the difficulties of attracting and retaining a well-qualified teaching force—heighten the challenges facing many urban districts.