Portfolio School Districts Project
Portfolio Reform Efforts in Urban School Districts
This initiative will study a number of districts that have adopted the portfolio strategy, under which districts hold portfolios of schools, some operated by district employees in the traditional way and others based on new designs and run under new rules. A portfolio strategy allows public education leaders to customize the supply of learning options to their communities’ diverse needs. It increases school leaders’ control of funds and freedom of action, experiments with new forms of instruction, holds all schools accountable for student performance, and develops new sources of teachers and school leaders.
Under this initiative, we will distill lessons from districts that have led the way in adopting a portfolio strategy, so that leaders in other localities can build on their experience. We will study how local leaders formulated strategy, gained the authority necessary for dramatic change, reallocated funds, recruited teachers and school leaders with needed skills, and increased district capabilities for data analysis, performance-based oversight, new forms of assistance to schools, and creation of new schooling options.
We will conduct intensive case studies of strategy, implementation, and results in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and New Orleans. In the near future we will also initiate work in Denver and Los Angeles. The case studies will be based on interviews with key actors (including mayors, civic and education leaders, and critics) during 2009, observation of key decisionmaking events, and reviews of district records. We will also estimate consequences of these reforms for school performance and student outcomes.
Our results will help current leaders of existing and future portfolio districts learn from one another. Though some localities have made a great deal of progress, none can be said to have fully developed its portfolio model, or proven its benefits in terms of student results. Without ideas and exemplars, some might soon run into trouble as limitations of strategy or implementation become apparent. Our results can help guide mayors and district CEOs in the growing number of cities that are considering adopting portfolio strategies. We hope our results will also help accelerate the rate of innovation and improvement in big city public education, especially for low-income and minority children.
