Networks
Through years of working with districts and schools, the Schlechty Center has come to understand that significant long-term change in public education is best supported through the efforts of collaborative networks of committed school districts and school leaders. The Center's signature networks are the Standard-Bearer School District Network and the Superintendents Leadership Network.
The Standard-Bearer School District Network is a national network of public school districts that use the Schlechty Center's System Capacity Standards to assess district- and school-level capacity to support change. These districts have committed to using a systems approach to focus on engagement. The emphasis of all work is on transforming school districts from bureaucracies to learning organizations. Schlechty Center senior associates and the leaders of districts committed to this network have, together, refined the tools and processes initially conceived for the network in 1998. The result has been a comprehensive set of options for approaching the work that take into consideration the district context and support the work from the boardroom to the classroom.
The Superintendents Leadership Network was initiated in 1997 by the BellSouth Foundation to offer a high-profile response to the need in the Southeast for a focus on leadership development in the region's public school districts. The uniqueness of this network lay in its focus on district-level leadership; the network was launched with the understanding that strong school-site leadership, while essential for successful schools and high-achieving students, would last only as long as the school district could support, sustain, nurture, and continually develop that leadership. Thanks to support from Cisco, the SLN has evolved from a regional presence to a national one. Learning from other sectors is a major component of the work of the network. Institutes are held three times yearly, always in different cities and locales in order to take advantage of opportunities to learn from businesses, universities, and inspirational people in other sectors who have lessons to share about leading change and establishing systems to assure a change-oriented organization.
Of Interest
Networking for Principals
The Principals Academy provides participants with a deep understanding of fundamental concepts such as the nature of engagement and marketing change. Academy members have continuing opportunities to share and learn with principals who are serious about student and staff engagement. Membership also provides participants with tools, resources, and materials that can be used throughout their career. Read More >
From the Library
Inventing Better Schools
Phillip Schlechty argues that schools must change or become obsolete, and that central to this change is a radical rethinking of old rules, roles, and relationships. More from the Library »