With districtwide standards, districts give schools a head start. Districts should not be shy either about using and publicizing the standards, so that teachers, parents, community members, and students know what is expected. In District 15, based in the Chicago suburb of Palatine, Ill., learner goals for each grade go home with parents and end up in the packets of local real estate agents. In Corpus Christi, Texas, each student's report card shows, along with grades, a record of how much progress the student has made in meeting the district's goals for that course or level. A short description of each goal is provided on the back of the card.
Districts have an important role in assessment, too, which parallels their role in standards.
In Texas, districts can give tests in grades not included in the statewide assessment, or they may get a mandate from the state to do so. When districts take a hand in accountability, experts stress, their attitude toward schools is crucial. Principals and teachers should feel they are pushing for improvement in partnership with district leaders. Many experts see staff development as the single most important key to lasting reform, and districts can be central to such programs. Richard F. Elmore, a professor in Harvard University's graduate school of education, gives the example of District 2 in New York City, where a number of schools with impoverished students are starting to achieve on a par with state averages.