The Little School System That Could:

The Little School System That Could is a story about transformation. In 1995, equipped with not much more than a vision of the quality education that urban students deserved, Tom DeBolt, the new superintendent of the Manassas Park School System, set into motion a series of reforms that transformed the district. By 2005 every school was accredited, passing rates on state tests had doubled, and the school system was attracting national attention. Daniel L. Duke examines the district's ten-year turnaround, from four organizational perspectives and addresses the critical role of professional and political leadership in overcoming the challenges of low morale, scarce resources, changing demographics, and dysfunctional school-community relations.

Daniel L. Duke is Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Virginia.

List of Tables	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
Timeline
Introduction	p. 1
Understanding Systemic Change	p. 2
Doing Organizational History	p. 4
Why Is the Manassas Park Story Important?	p. 6
Organization of the Book	p. 7
The Birth of a School System	p. 9
A New City and a New School System	p. 10
A Plethora of Postpartum Problems	p. 13
Schooling in an Unsupportive Environment	p. 23
Cause for Hope	p. 27
An Improbable Choice for an Impossible Job	p. 31
The Cards DeBolt Was Dealt	p. 33
Delivering on the Promise	p. 39
Envisioning the New High School	p. 43
From Brainstorming to Bricks	p. 48
Raising Achievement in an Era of Accountability	p. 51
Excellence Begins Early	p. 55
Where Will It Be and Can We Afford It?	p. 56
Planning the New Elementary School	p. 59
What About Learning?	p. 66
A Foundation for Sustained Success	p. 73
It Takes More Than a Leader to Make a Leadership Team	p. 74
Charting a Course to Significance	p. 81
The Final Ingredient for Success	p. 92
A Maturing Culture of High Achievement	p. 99
Multiple Indications of Success	p. 100
Features of Manassas Park's New Organizational Culture	p. 107
A Future Full of Questions	p. 115
How Will Manassas Park Cope with Changing Demographics?	p. 116
Will Local Revenue for Education Continue to Be Adequate?	p. 119
How Long Will the Political Alliance Hold?	p. 121
Will Student Achievement Continue to Improve?	p. 123
What Will Happen When Tom DeBolt Leaves?	p. 125
Understanding the Process of School System Transformation	p. 127
The Power of Politics	p. 129
The Impact of Re-culturing	p. 131
The Necessity of Structure	p. 133
The Potential of People	p. 137
A Systematic Approach to Systemic Change	p. 140
The Significance of Manassas Park's Transformation	p. 143
School Systems Can Be Turned Around	p. 144
A Change Process Characterized by Accelerating Incrementalism	p. 146
School System Change Benefits from Local Adaptation	p. 149
Size Probably Matters	p. 150
Don't Underestimate the Importance of Improved Facilities	p. 151
The Necessity of Broad-based Community Support	p. 152
Transformation Starts at the Top	p. 153
Transforming a School System Can Transform a Community	p. 156
Notes	p. 159
References	p. 161
Index	p. 167
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Little School System That Could: Transforming a City School District

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials