This case is situated in a Midwestern urban school district, exploring problems faced by its superintendent and administrators as they work to implement the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Developed from a study examining the response of P-12 districts to legislative policy mandates, the case presents problems and challenges experienced by a district as it employs bureaucratic strategies to achieve NCLB-mandated outcomes. Emergent issues posed by the case study afford graduate students and educators an opportunity to use discussion questions and exercises to analyze how a P-12 district may build capacity, enabling a more effective response to educational reform mandates and student needs.
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Fuller, B., Wright, J., Gesicki, K., & Kang, E. ( 2007). Gauging growth: How to judge No Child Left Behind?Educational Researcher, 36, 268-278.
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Leithwood, K., Louis, K.S., Anderson, S., & Wahlstrom, K. ( 2004). How leadership influences student learning. New York: The Wallace Foundation.
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Leithwood, L., & Jantzi, D. ( 2008). Linking leadership to student learning: The contributions of leader efficacy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44, 496-528.
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Ravitch, D., & Chubb, J. ( 2009). The future of No Child Left Behind: End it? Or mend it? [Electronic version]. Education Next, 9, 1-10. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from http://educationnext.org/the-future-of-no-child-left-behind/
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Scherer, M. ( 2004). A call for powerful leaders: A conversation with Rod Paige. Educational Leadership, 61, 20-23.
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Spillane, J. P. & Diamond, J. B. (Eds.). (2007). Distributed leadership in practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
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U.S. Department of Education. (2009). Secretary Duncan says rewrite of No Child Left Behind should start now; reauthorization can’t wait. [Press release]. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/09/09242009.html
