We distinguish a simple reform plan from a more completely thought- out strategy along the lines laid out in Fixing Urban Schools. A citywide strategy is an integrated approach to incentives for school performance, investments in school capabilities, and freedom for schools to change. Figure 4-1 illustrates the combination of incentives, investments, and freedom of action. A set of actions lacking even one of these three elements is not a Togi- cally complete strategy for school improvement. Similarly, a strategy in which one element is poorly developed or ill matched with the others is a weak one.
Strategy implies intention.
A locality that increases spending on some schools and creates a system of rewards and penalties for other schools will have two unrelated initiatives, not one strategy. Similarly, a locality that creates mixed signals for schools, declaring on one hand a plan to apply rewards and penalties for school performance but on the other hand offering assurances that every employee's job, salary, and work as- signment are secure would not have a strategy. Many of the cities had unrelated initiatives that dill not combine to work together on ad schools. I From Wishful Thinking to Reform Figure 4-1. Pilot schools were not included in the summary of Boston's initiative in chapter 2 because the superintendent and allied community leaders consider them irrelevant, not part of their reform strategy.