Strong sponsorship is critical.
A team with strong support from the board of education and superintendent has a much better chance for success than the team that lacks support. Sponsorship within the district is especially effective when aligned with sponsorship at the state and national levels. The intense focus on early literacy is a good example. Several teams such as Gilroy and Morgan Hill have made significant progress teaching youngsters to read by combining state and district resources with the resources offered through Challenge 2000. Data collection, coordination, and analysis require extra resources.