General Resources

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PORTFOLIO FOR DISTRICT REDESIGN

• Portfolio for District Redesign
  (October 2002)
  A set of frameworks, studies, and tools representing the culmination of the design and analysis phase of the School Communities that Work task force.
  Portfolio for District Redesign
  Endorsements
  Ed Week article [Requires EdWeek free login]
  Statement of Vartan Gregorian
  
  
  
• Annenberg Institute-sponsored poll on public attitudes towards urban education and urban school districts
  (October 2002)
  A poll, released in conjunction with the Portfolio for District Redesign, focused on public attitudes about equity and scale in urban school improvement.
  Press Release
  Summary of Findings

SCHOOL COMMUNITIES THAT WORK TASK FORCE

• School Communities that Work: A National Task Force on the Future of Urban Districts
  (January 2003)
  An overview of the work of the School Communities that Work initiative, 2000–2002.
  View PowerPoint presentation
  
  
  
• Audio Clips
  (October 2001)
  Task Force members reflect on the work of School Communities that Work. Listen to clips from Don McAdams, Deanna Burney and Ellen Guiney.
  Go to the audio clip menu page.
  
  
  
• School Reform Plans Should Include Urban School Districts
  By Warren Simmons and Marla Ucelli. (February 2001)
  An op-ed by the Annenberg Institute's executive director and its director for district redesign about the establishment of the School Communities that Work task force and the school district's role in reform.
  Brown University News Bureau
  
  
  
• Annenberg Task Force Will Take a Fresh Look at Districts
  By Lynn Olson (March 2000)
  An article about the esablishment of the School Communities that Work task force.
  Education Week on the Web [Requires EdWeek free login]

OTHER RESOURCES

• Assessing Patterns of Resource Distribution
  (November 2004)
  A free online tool that compares a district's budget allocations among schools with differing student populations, programs, and funding streams, using public data on spending and enrollment.
  Go to online tool
  
  
  
• School Districts and Educational Improvement Bibliography
  (updated March 2004)
  An annotated bibliography of research, 1988–2004.
  Online bibliography
  
  
  
• Envisioning a System for Investing in Youth
  (October 2003)
  A meeting of education reformers, new-school creators, and youth-development advocates jointly hosted by Jobs for the Future and the Annenberg Institute's School Communities that Work initiative.
  Meeting summary PDF [9 pages, 372KB]
  Participant list
  
  
  
• District Initiatives Matrix
  (updated January 2003)
  A matrix describing other initiatives across the country that focus on districts as the leverage point for change.
  Matrix
  
  
  
• Lessons Learned and Shared:
  A UK-US Seminar on Urban School Reform
  (October 2001)
  A seminar hosted by School Communities that Work on common urban school-improvement concerns in the United States and the United Kingdom. Participants included members of the School Communities that Work Core Group and a delegation of national and local British officials.
  Meeting summary