A growing number of urban districts across the country are pursuing a “portfolio strategy,” profoundly changing the role of the school district and its relationship to schools in order to bring about dramatically better outcomes...
The portfolio strategy is a problem-solving framework through which education and civic leaders develop a citywide system of high-quality, diverse, autonomous public schools.
It moves past the one-size-fits-all approach to education. Portfolio systems place educators directly in charge of their schools, empower parents to choose the right schools for their children, and focus school system leaders – such as in a district central office or school authorizer – on overseeing school success.
A growing number of urban districts across the country are pursuing a “portfolio strategy,” profoundly changing the role of the school district and its relationship to schools in order to bring about dramatically better outcomes...
This working paper reports on a meeting in which representatives from several states gathered for a candid discussion of the lessons learned from Louisiana’s dramatic school turnaround efforts.
In February 2011, the Center on Reinventing Public Education convened a conference to help districts implementing school choice under the U.S. Department of Education’s Voluntary Public School Choice program. This paper summarizes the two-day conversation...
Over the past two decades, some district leaders have asked urban universities to develop emergency strategies to rescue low-performing schools. How do universities and districts develop effective relationships that align with their missions?
This report focuses on the evidence to date on how students with special needs fare under choice, and promising new ideas that have yet to be tried.
In 2010, New York City’s Department of Education created the Innovation Zone to employ cutting edge technology to solve students’ most persistent learning problems. This study analyzes the iZone’s impact so far.
A look at New York City and Washington, D.C., this paper shows how portfolio—and perhaps traditional—districts can transform talent management from a bureaucratic staffing system into a core leadership function.
This paper, one of a series of papers designed to assist leaders in portfolio district reform efforts, argues that effective, strategic communications policies and practices are a key element of successful portfolio reform.
Leading districts are creating multiple pathways to graduation that might keep students from dropping out. Early results are promising.
Study on four urban school districts experimenting with new school designs and new ways of holding schools accountable for performance by implementing a “portfolio strategy.”
