Systemic Approach to School Reform
The Schlechty Center for Leadership in School Reform's uniqueness stems from its comprehensive and systemic approach to school reform. Everything we do, every activity we create, every relationship we build, every Network we support is aimed at improving the capacity of schools to provide a quality education to children. At the Schlechty Center, two separate but complementary frameworks provide the foundation for working with school districts and schools. The first offers 10 District Standards for leaders to assess and build system capacity so that the entire district is aligned and focused on the core purpose of schools.

Working on the Work
This leads to the second framework, Working on the Work (PDF, 106K), which calls on everyone to provide high-content, engaging work for students that results in students learning what schools, parents, and the community want them to learn to be considered well-educated. The school districts within the Schlechty Center Networks—urban, suburban, and rural—embrace these frameworks, a major shift in doing the business of schools.

The core business of schools is to provide students with high content engaging school work.

• Work that is challenging to students
• Work with which students persist when they experience difficulty
• Work from which students gain a sense of satisfaction

This results in students learning those things that the schools, parents, and community want them to learn to be considered well-educated. For this to occur, all district activity must be organized around students and the work that students do.

Leadership Development
Since its inception in 1987, the Schlechty Center has developed a track record of working with superintendents, school boards, principals, and other district leaders across the country. The Center's leadership development is based upon a theoretical framework that purports that the core business of schools is providing students with engaging work. Over the years, the Center has learned that leadership development must be linked with system development—not just an independent endeavor. If system and leadership development are not aligned, it is unlikely that the district will develop either leadership or system capacity. It is for this reason that the Schlechty Center's set of Leadership Capabilities (PDF, 52K), which provide leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead change, are directly related to the District Standards.