The Transformation Gap: Why Motivated District Leaders Pursue Incremental Change
Saved in:
| Title: | The Transformation Gap: Why Motivated District Leaders Pursue Incremental Change |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chelsea Waite, Michael Berardino, Madeline Sims, Arizona State University (ASU), Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) |
| Source: | Center on Reinventing Public Education. 2026. |
| Availability: | Center on Reinventing Public Education. Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. H.B. Farmer Education Building, 1050 S Forest Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281. e-mail: crpe@uw.edu; Web site: https://crpe.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 57 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Barr Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | School Districts, Educational Change, High Schools, Career Pathways, Systems Approach, Superintendents, Administrator Attitudes, Public Education, Educational Improvement |
| Geographic Terms: | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Abstract: | School districts are struggling to create both equitable and fundamentally different outcomes for young people through incremental improvements. The alternative is transformational systems change, when school districts redefine their purpose and operations through a coherent strategy to ensure every school is a high-quality, empowering place for all students to thrive--but this remains rare. With support from the Barr Foundation, CRPE studied where and how school districts in New England are pursuing this kind of change. Drawing on a region-wide survey of 307 superintendents across all six New England states and 47 in-depth interviews, this report examines what district-level change efforts are underway, and what shapes leaders' decisions about which changes to pursue. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED682172 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | School districts are struggling to create both equitable and fundamentally different outcomes for young people through incremental improvements. The alternative is transformational systems change, when school districts redefine their purpose and operations through a coherent strategy to ensure every school is a high-quality, empowering place for all students to thrive--but this remains rare. With support from the Barr Foundation, CRPE studied where and how school districts in New England are pursuing this kind of change. Drawing on a region-wide survey of 307 superintendents across all six New England states and 47 in-depth interviews, this report examines what district-level change efforts are underway, and what shapes leaders' decisions about which changes to pursue. |
|---|
