August 1, 2007

National symposium held on district improvement

The Education Alliance at Brown University and Brown University's Urban Education Policy Program recently co-sponsored a national symposium entitled Designing and Catalyzing Effective District Improvement: The Role of State Education Agencies. The 2007 Symposium was held in Newport, Rhode Island on July 30 through August 1, 2007 and was the second annual event held by The Education Alliance as part of our efforts to build leadership capacity and assist states and districts in developing aligned and cohesive systems of support for districts and schools.

The symposium provided a diverse group of education stakeholders with the opportunity to examine the following two questions:

• How can states and state education agencies effectively design, support, and catalyze district improvement efforts?
• Given that an increasing number of schools and districts are being identified for improvement and corrective action, how can state education agencies strategically differentiate and scale up intervention and support strategies?

Approximately 50 state and district leaders, researchers, and policy actors (representing 7 school districts from states across the East Coast and New England, 16 states, and 11 policy, research, and advocacy organizations) had the opportunity to examine these questions in relation to four primary themes: organizational coherence; effective intervention and support strategies; catalyzing conditions for district improvement; and the challenges related to resource allocation.

The intentional mix of state education leaders, district leaders, researchers, and policy actors was based on the premise that defining the "problem" and figuring out practical and innovative solutions requires (1) input from individuals with different perspectives and from multiple levels of the educational system and (2) the time and opportunity to think deeply and critically about the challenges to scaling up district- and school-improvement efforts. We thank all participants for their willingness to engage in candid and honest conversations both across and within different role groups.

The guiding theme of the symposium—exploring the role of state education agencies in supporting district improvement efforts—is driven by our experience working with states and districts as well as our recognition of the reality that many state education agencies are moving towards working more intensively with districts to build district capacity. The symposium provided a forum for different education stakeholders to engage in collaborative and meaningful discussion about the ongoing challenges faced by state education agencies in their efforts to support and catalyze district improvement, especially within the context of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

To build upon the excitement and energy generated during the symposium, The Education Alliance will continue to work with state education officials, district leaders and researchers to plan a series of related meetings and forums over the coming year. Organizations and individuals interested in learning more about this initiative, including our interactive web site and resource bank of research and capacity building tools for states and districts, are encouraged to please feel free to use the contact form to request more information or visit the CSR Support and Capacity Building Web site. Symposium proceedings and commissioned papers stemming from the symposium will be made available to the general public in September 2007. For additional information regarding the symposium program, please download the full program and related information, listed below.

Symposium Organizers

Adeline Becker
Executive Director, The Education Alliance at Brown University

Kenneth Wong
Professor of Education, Political Science, and Public Policy and
Director of the Urban Education Policy Program

Brett Lane
Project Director, CSR Support and Capacity Building Program
The Education Alliance at Brown University