Concentrate greater resources on a smaller number of schools selected partly for implementation capacity¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

A lesson drawn from the Challenge's experience: "it may be more effective to concentrate greater amounts of resources on a relatively small number of schools that are selected in part for their capacity to implement the particular reform at hand." The report argues it is less effective to distribute small amounts among a very large number of schools selected with less discrimination, as the Challenge did with about 210 schools and per-school funding of only about 1.2 percent of elementary operating budgets at its peak.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Selection criteria that assess schools' capacity to implement the particular reform
• Sustained funding levels large enough to matter relative to school budgets

Constraints¶

• Drawn from one large-scale decentralized reform initiative in Chicago; the report frames it as a lesson, not a tested design

Target Learners¶

• elementary school students in urban public schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• school improvement supporting student learning

Related Strategies¶

• Align resources with coherent improvement goals and engage constructively with the school system

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Smylie, M. A., Wenzel, S. A., with Allensworth, E., Fendt, C., Hallman, S., Luppescu, S., & Nagaoka, J. (2003). The Chicago Annenberg Challenge: Successes, Failures, and Lessons for the Future. Consortium on Chicago School Research. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED