In Sharp Focus
When the Clarksville, Tenn., schools raised expectations for learning, the central office played a leading role in standardizing practice and monitoring data.
Beth G. Unfried’s role as the principal of Kenwood Elementary School has changed dramatically in the past four years. The expectations in the 26,000-student Clarksville-Montgomery County district began to shift in July 2001, when Sandra L. Husk became the superintendent. On Husk’s first visit to the principal’s 830-student school here, Unfried says, “She started asking me these questions. Like, ‘What do you do when a child doesn’t learn?’ and ‘How do you know when a child is mastering these skills?’ ”
“When she left, I felt so lousy,” remembers Unfried, who found herself struggling to answer. “But today, I can say with confidence that I am the instructional leader of this building.”
Before that time, the principal says, “I was the facilities manager, and I was busy. I felt good about what I was doing. I was keeping the peace. Sometimes we made good test scores, sometimes we didn’t,...
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