Without heavy recruitment and development of strong school leaders of teacher learning and highly motivated teachers, no reform is likely to get very far. By the same token, minimizing unnecessary transfers of teachers and principals, so that strong school communities can develop, is a major contributor to improvement. A fourth theme is that low-performing students need extra time, help, and structure. And it must start early, not wait until children are several years behind. The Pew Network districts provide evidence that standards can be a powerful tool in the hands of strong leaders.
Standards can guide promising changes in curriculum and professional development.
Standards can also be used to maintain pressure on a system already highly invested in teacher learning and continuous improvement. The latter is the case in the one network district with consistent evidence of increasing achievement. This site began by focusing first on instruction and teacher learning, and only years later added the idea of standards and assessments. But as these seven districts know firsthand, there is nothing magic about standards in themselves. These sustained investments are the backbone of improvement.