Funded by grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Noyce Foundation, Practical Tools for District Transformation provides district leaders with frameworks, principles and specific techniques for evaluating opportunities for transformation and communicating clearly and effectively with stakeholders. In the Practical Tools series, ERS draws on more than a decade of experience to provide insights on common mistakes and smart action steps for improving resource use. District leaders can engage these strategies by downloading one of the in-depth guides and go further by taking the interactive online self-assessment built around each guide. Resources include:

• Seven Strategies for District Transformation—a guide outlining seven key strategies for districts to improve student performance at scale. Plus Resource Check, an online self-assessment tool that helps district leaders measure current resource use relative to best practices.
• Turnaround Schools: District Strategies for Success and Sustainability—a step-by-step guide providing a practical framework to help ensure that efforts focused on improving the worst performing schools lead to sustainable improvement for all students. Plus an online Turnaround Self-Assessment.
• School Funding Systems: Equity, Transparency, Flexibility—a step-by-step guide on how to achieve equity, transparency and flexibility in funding practices. Plus an online School System Funding Self-Assessment.
• The Teaching Job: Restructuring for Effectiveness—a step-by-step guide which offers practical direction for restructuring the teaching job tailored to your district’s situation.
  
• School Design: Leveraging Talent, Time, and Money—a step-by-step guide which practical direction for school districts to remedy specific resource misalignments that prevent the effective implementation of strategic school designs.

Preliminary work with districts using these guides is encouraging. Please take a look and let us know if you have any questions.