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  • April 2002 (Revised September 2002)
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Transformation of Seattle Public Schools, 1995-2002

By: Stig Leschly
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:22
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Abstract

Investigates the reform of the Seattle Public Schools from 1995 to 2002. To initiate reform in 1995, the district hired John Stanford, an Army general, and Joseph Olchefske, an investment banker, as the district's superintendent and chief financial officer, respectively. Under the direction of Stanford and Olchefske, the district launched a long-term reform plan, the centerpieces of which were influenced by market theory and general management principles. The first priority of the reform plan was to decentralize the district's budgeting process. Decentralization, referred to locally as the Freedom Agenda, reduced the involvement of the district's central office in school-based activities and delegated to individual school principals increased flexibility in managing resources, hiring staff, and designing education programs. The aim of the Freedom Agenda was to equip principals and their leadership teams with the resources and authority they needed to implement educational programs tailored to individual student needs. A second phase of the reform, known in the district as the Performance Agenda, set academic standards for students and defined professional expectations for teachers and administrators. A primary goal of the Performance Agenda was to align teaching practices with clearly defined academic outcomes for students and to introduce performance-based practices into the management of teachers and staff.

Keywords

Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leading Change; Organizational Structure; Education; Business Strategy; Public Administration Industry; Education Industry; Seattle

Citation

Leschly, Stig. "Transformation of Seattle Public Schools, 1995-2002." Harvard Business School Case 802-197, April 2002. (Revised September 2002.)
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About The Author

Stig Leschly

Entrepreneurial Management
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