An ASCD Study Guide for Leading High-Performance School Systems: Lessons from the World's Best

Most of the questions contained in this study guide are ones you can think about on your own, but you might consider pairing with a colleague or forming a study group with others who have read, or are reading, Leading High-Performance School Systems.

Chapter 1. Systems That Work, Systems That Don't, and No Systems at All

1. Does Harriet Minor remind you of a teacher in your district? What about her story resonates with your experience? What differs?
2. Are the reform efforts in your district systemic, or are they "random acts of intervention?"
3. In what ways does the system make it difficult for teachers to work effectively? What could be done differently?
4. What types of incentives does your system create for teachers? What are the results?
5. What types of supports does your system provide for teachers? What are the results?

Chapter 2. The Architecture of High-Performing Education Systems: An Overview

1. Is the stability in American students' test performance a positive sign in light of changing demographics and economics, or is it a worrying sign because other countries have managed to improve their performance?
2. Have you questioned international comparisons of education systems in the past? Which facts that debunked the myths of international comparisons were surprising to you? Why?
3. Do the nine building blocks of high-performance education systems sound reasonable? Which do you consider the most important?
4. Would you add any building blocks to the list? Would you take any away?

Chapter 3. It Begins with a Vision That Becomes a Plan

1. How has technology and artificial intelligence affected the workforce in your community?
2. Has your district adjusted its learning goals for students to reflect the changing economy? If so, in what ways?
3. Is a planning process like that of Shanghai possible in your district? What would you have to do to get it started?

Chapter 4. Powerful, Coherent Instructional Systems—Wrapped in Credentials that Make Sense

1. Do your district's goals for students emphasize so-called "21st century skills" (e.g., problem-solving, collaboration, leadership)? Are these goals for all students or for a select few? Why (if only for a select few)?
2. What would it take to create a high standard that all students are expected to meet, even if it takes some students longer to do so?
3. What do your local community colleges expect students to know and be able to do in order to succeed? Do the standards for students match those expectations? If not, how can they be changed to reflect them?
4. Do the standards include goals for students' values and character as well as academic learning? What can you do to create a consensus about values and character?
5. Do your standards include examples of student work that meets the standard? What can you do to curate those examples? Have you developed curriculum frameworks to guide teachers in developing an instructional program to enable students to meet the standard? How can you create a curriculum framework? What would a syllabus based on a clear curriculum framework look like?

Chapter 5. A Surplus of Highly Qualified Teachers? Surely You're Joking

1. What is the academic level of the teachers in your district? How can that be raised?
2. How rigorous are the teacher-preparation institutions in your area? What are the standards for entry? What does the program cover? Are your teachers well prepared? If not, what does the district do to bring the teachers up to speed?
3. How can you and other district leaders in your area persuade teacher-preparation institutions to change their programs to match your needs?

Chapter 6. Reorganizing Schools Around Highly Qualified Professional Teachers

1. How is time used in your schools? How can you rearrange schedules to enable teachers to have time to work together to improve instruction?
2. What are the career tracks for teachers in your district? How can you create pathways to enable well-qualified teachers to gain increased responsibility and pay?
3. What opportunities do teachers in your district have to exercise leadership in their schools? How can you create more opportunities for teacher leadership?
4. What is the induction system for new teachers in your district? How can you strengthen it to ensure that teachers receive appropriate support?
5. What is professional development in your district? How can you restructure schools to enable expert teachers to lead professional development in their buildings?
6. How is poor performance addressed in your district? How can you provide support to teachers and schools that need assistance, rather than fire teachers or close schools (so as to avoid firing teachers or closing schools)?

Chapter 7. Equity: How to Close the Gap When the Bar Is Very High

1. What types of supports do children and families in your district receive? How does the level of support affect children's readiness for school?
2. How are funds distributed among schools in your district? How can you revise the funding system so that the students with the greatest needs receive the most funding?
3. How are teachers distributed among schools in your district? How can you create incentives or policies so that that most effective and well-qualified teachers teach in schools with students with the greatest needs?
4. How can you create incentives for capable individuals of color to teach in your district? How can teachers be prepared to teach a diverse student body?
5. What systems are in place to support struggling teachers? What systems are in place to support struggling schools? How can you make use of the expertise within the district to support struggling teachers and schools?
6. How can you strengthen the instructional system in your district so that students have clearer guidance about the type of work needed to meet standards?

Chapter 8. Leading the Revolution: From the Bottom, the Middle, and the Top

1. What skills are the leaders in your system expected to have? What additional skills do they need to manage high-performing school systems?
2. How rigorous are the principal-preparation programs in your area? How would the program need to change in order to equip principals with the skills needed for high- performing school systems?

Leading High-Performance School Systems: Lessons from the World's Best was written by Marc Tucker. This 240-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #118055; ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-2700-5) is available from ASCD. Copyright © 2019 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) or buy the book from the ASCD Online Store.