Download flier (pdf)
Information for registered participants
An institute on redesigning central offices to support new small schools and the conversions of comprehensive high schools intosmall schools or SLCs. This institute will provide an overview of research on central office redesign, present four cases on successful district/school collaborations, and work sessions on issues specific to district participants.
(Click on the links below to see biographies.)
• Charlotte Ciancio
• Steve Jubb
• Peter Ross
• Anthony Smith
(click on the above names to see bios)
The bulk of the institute will be spent supporting districts as they work on their specific challenges. In addition, speakers will share lessons learned from four districts: San Francisco Deputy Superintendent Tony Smith will talk about the work taking place in their district. Steve Jubb, former Executive Director of BayCES, will discuss reform work conducted by Oakland Unified School District with BayCES. SRN researcher Peter Ross will give an overview of national research and present the story of reform for Austin Independent School District. Charlotte Ciancio, Superintendent of Mapleton (CO) Public Schools, will speak on her district’s reform work. SRN’s forthcoming report, “District Office Support for High School Redesign: 10 Challenges” will serve as a foundation for the institute’s discussions.
Each of the presenters will address how district leaders in Austin, Oakland, and Mapleton grappled with the following 10 challenges as they sought to redesign their high schools:
1. Knowledge about school redesign
2. Management of change
3. Community engagement
4. Instructional quality
5. Professional learning
6. Leadership development
7. Accountability, autonomy, and choice
8. Staffing and budget
9. Collective bargaining
10. Sustainability
The institute is designed for superintendents, central office administrators, school board members, principals, teachers, and community members; and team participation is encouraged for teams of two or more members.
Thursday, May 1: 9 am to 4 pm
Friday, May 2: 9 am to 3 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Featured Speakers
~ Charlotte Ciancio, Superintendent, Mapleton, CO
~ Steve Jubb, Former Executive Director, Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools (BayCES)
~ Peter Ross, SRN LEADS Researcher
~ Tony Smith, Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Innovation, and Social Justice, San Francisco Unified School District
Proceedings
A briefing on the latest national research on central office support for high school redesign
1. Presentations on central office support for high school redesign in the following districts:
~ Austin, TX
~ Mapleton, CO
~ Oakland, CA
~ San Francisco, CA
2. Panel discussion between participants and speakers
3. Dedicated time for participant teams to work on challenges facing their central office
“[The institute] was terrific! I had key team members here and the shared experience will result in good things for kids.”
— Participant from previous Central Office Institute
"Oregon superintendents and central office administrators were most appreciative of the opportunity to learn about central office redesign and high school restructure taking place in Oakland and Austin. Seeing actually policy changes and student achievement data allowed them to take ideas for change back home to their districts."
— Karen Phillips, Oregon Small
Schools Initiative Director

© 2007-2010 SRN LEADS