The Role of School Districts in Education Reform

Two distinct strands have emerged in U.S. education reform in recent
years. One strand has focused on reforming education at the school district
level, by aligning curriculum, instruction, and teacher professional
development across schools and grades within a district; improving
district-level management and governance; and enhancing districts’ capacity to
turn around low-performing schools and drive school improvement. A separate
reform strand has focused on building new institutions-such as charter schools,
nonprofit organizations, and education service providers-outside the district
system to provide additional educational options for youngsters and services to
schools, and on increasing autonomy for existing district schools.

Many education reform efforts, including the Obama
administration’s current Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation
initiatives, have simultaneously embraced both strands of education reform. But
are these two approaches to reforming education really compatible? Or will little-discussed
tensions between the two approaches undermine current reform efforts? Does one
strategy have greater promise to improve educational options for our nation’s
youngsters? And, as Congress begins working to reauthorize the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act, what does this mean for federal education policy?

Join New America for a lively conversation with two leading
education experts who represent very different approaches to school reform. Chester E. Finn, Jr., is
president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary
of Education, and the authors of numerous books and articles on education
reform, including, most recently Troublemaker: A Personal History of School
Reform Since Sputnik. Gordon MacInnes is a former New Jersey state senator
and Assistant Commissioner of Education, and the author, most recently, of In Plain Sight: Simple, Difficult Lessons
from New Jersey’s Effort to Close the Achievement Gap. He is currently a
fellow at The Century Foundation and a consultant to the Foundation for Child
Development.

Participants

Featured Speakers
Chester
E. Finn, Jr.
President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education

Gordon MacInnes
Fellow, The Century Foundation
Former New Jersey Assistant Commissioner of Education

Moderator
Sara Mead
Senior Research Fellow, New America Foundation