In this original qualitative study, we examined the processes employed by a school district that had made progress in closing achievement gaps in a post-No Child Left Behind context. The district served more than 26,000 students in an economically and ethnically diverse community. Secondary analysis of the findings uncovered a primary driver—effective, sustained district-level leadership—which drove two secondary drivers: district-developed and deployed systems and a culture of shared accountability. Results of this study suggest that these three drivers caused reported changes at the campus and classroom levels, which in turn contributed to the progress that the district made in closing achievement gaps.
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