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Going for the Gold: The Secret of Successful Schools

U.S. public school leaders increasingly agree about the elements that drive student results, such as a college preparatory curriculum and instructional coaching. Yet results on the ground vary dramatically and remain, in large part, disappointing. How can some schools sustain high graduation and college acceptance rates while others—with similar school designs, student demographics, and budget constraints—struggle with 50 percent drop-out rates?

The difference can be traced to school leaders' ability to focus their teams on the most important aspects of their school design and to “sweat the details” of execution. Using examples from YES Prep Public Schools, the Knowledge is Power Program, and Envision Schools, this article explores what’s needed to make a strong school design work in practice, including consistent resource allocation, processes that support the design’s intent, and leaders who don’t let immediate pressures—including administrative and operational issues—trump student learning.

To download the full article from the Education Next website, please click here.

This work by The Bridgespan Group is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at Bridgespan's Terms of Use page.