Education

Effort Launched to Develop District Leadership Talent

By Lesli A. Maxwell — June 11, 2008 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Two longtime education experts today launched a new organization to push for transforming how the nation’s largest school districts recruit, retain, develop, and evaluate the teaching and school leadership talent that the advocates argue is key to improving student achievement.

Called Strategic Management of Human Capital, the organization was created by Allan R. Odden, the director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and James A. Kelly, the founding president of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The two will co-direct what they are calling an “action project,” which will be run out of the CPRE office in Madison.

“This is the [human resources] side of education reform,” Mr. Odden, who is also a professor of educational leadership and policy analysis, said in an interview. “The goal is to improve student performance through redesigning and restructuring the way districts, particularly the large urbans, recruit for and manage teacher and principal talent.”

The project, which Mr. Odden and Mr. Kelly have spent the past year planning, will have several components. One is a 30-member task force of heavy-hitters such as Minnesota’s Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, District of Columbia Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, and high-level leaders from the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The task force will be charged with drawing attention to the importance of recruiting top talent into school districts and putting that strategy into practice in their own districts, agencies and organizations that work with schools.

“This will take a wide breadth of participation to move an issue like this forward,” said Mr. Kelly. “And we are not looking for some sort of superficial consensus on this issue. It’s an action project.”

The project also includes a Web site, where educators can engage in dialogue with one another and swap ideas. An inaugural conference for invited district leaders is scheduled for November. There, participants will learn from in-depth case studies on districts and organizations such as New Leaders for New Schools that are already using talent management strategies to improve instruction and boost academic achievement.

The project is supported by a $2 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation and a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which also provide support to Education Week.

Events

Budget & Finance Webinar School Finance in an Uncertain Age
Navigating the new school finance reality? Get key insights from the 2025 Allovue Education Finance Survey in partnership.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Student Achievement Webinar What Effective Tutoring Should Look Like—and Achieve
Join this webinar to learn how to sustain effective tutoring programs that help improve students' performance in reading and math.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz What Is Trump’s New AI Plan for K-12 Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of tasks assisted with AI.
Canva
Education Quiz ICYMI: Moms for Liberty Launched Its Own University And More
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Moms for Liberty annual convention in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Briefly Stated: April 16, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Quiz ICYMI: Do You Know What 'High-Quality Curriculum' Really Means?
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Image of curricula.
iStock/Getty