FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Barbara McKenna
831.460.9933;
650.725.8600;
STANFORD — From June 19-23, 150 school district superintendents, principals, board members, teacher leaders and other administrators from around the country will converge at Stanford University to push forward their districtwide redesign and high school reform efforts. Tapping the resources of Stanford University's School of Education and Graduate School of Business faculty and — experts in their own right — the participants themselves, these school leaders will work through a carefully scaffolded agenda to focus in on their specific issues and to apply best practices from business and education to move those issues forward.
The leaders come from nine school districts across the country and are members of a unique program that applies business and education research findings to school district reform. The program, hosted through the School Redesign Network at Stanford University is called Leadership, Equity, and Accountability for Districts and Schools (SRN LEADS).
This summer session (titled Executive Program for Educational Leaders (EPEL)) is just one part of the SRN LEADS program, which brings in cohorts for three years in order to support effective and sustainable change to improve achievement for all students. Launched in January 2007 with an inaugural cohort of nine districts (see list, below), the program also hosts meetings, site visits, residencies and institutes, and web-based learning for district leaders.
The summer session was preceded by a planning meeting in January and subsequent site visits to each district by Stanford staff. This session will lead participants through a five-day scaffolded experience in which districts identify major obstacles to implementing reform and develop a 100-day plan to address those obstacles.
Through this event many good stories will emerge concerning district reform, leadership development, the ongoing tension between accountability and creativity, and, especially, the good work being done by smart people to help all students succeed. Below is an agenda of lectures and activities planned for the week. These events are closed to the public, but members of the media are invited to attend. To arrange for attendance, please contact Barbara McKenna (831.460.9933; bmckenna@stanford.edu).
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SRN LEADS Cohort One (2007-09)
Austin Independent School District (TX)
Indianapolis Public Schools (IN)
Knox County Schools (TN)
Mapleton Public School District (CO)
Miami-Dade County Public Schools (FL)
Milwaukee Public Schools (WI)
New Haven Unified School District (CA)
North East Independent School District (TX)
San Diego Unified School District (CA)
SRN LEADS is headed by Director Linda Jean Carstens. Carstens has 30 years of district- and state-level administrator experience in California. She was formerly Senior Research Associate at WestEd, where she worked with several California districts in the area of systemic reform and second language, and co-provided the state's Title III technical assistance obligation to districts. Carstens also serves as a peer reviewer for state assessment and accountability systems for the U.S. Department of Education.
