| In the wake of the No Child Left Behind reforming American schools is no longer an option. Consequently many districts are implementing comprehensive reform designs for improving teaching and learning. Current research suggests that district led reform efforts are not always realized at the site and classroom levels. Moreover, district and site level instructional leaders are many times so overwhelmed with the implementation of new reforms that they rarely have time to monitor the extent of implementation or evaluate the effectiveness of the design. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of district-led reform designs is warranted.;The primary purpose of this study was to explore a successful district's design for improving teaching and learning. This study also intended to outline one school's efforts in facilitating the implementation of the district design. Furthermore, this study investigated the extent of reform design implementation at the school and classroom levels. The final purpose of the study was to analyze participants' perceptions about the effectiveness of the design.;The methodological approach for this case study included both qualitative and quantitative data. Specific selection criteria were used to select the district and the school which participated in the study. Participant selection was based on purposeful and random sampling. Eleven interviews were conducted and two surveys were administered at an elementary school in a large urban district.;Findings of this study revealed that the district design was viewed as a catalyst for enabling schools to meet district goals. The district's change strategy was a centralized incremental process in which good instruction was clearly defined. The school's single plan outlined specific action steps in the implementation of all six components of the design. Subsequently, the school successfully implemented five out of the six components of the design. Key factors such as coherence, leadership, professional development, support mechanisms, co-accountability, and collaboration contributed to the successful implementation of the district design. Findings revealed that the implementation of the district design had a positive impact on classroom instruction and student performance. |
