Instructional Leadership for Systemic Change: The Story of San Diego's Reform.

Instructional Leadership for Systemic Change: The Story of San Diego's Reform is based on research conducted by the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy and led by Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University. It is the story of how Alan Bersin, the superintendent, and Anthony Alvarado, the chancellor for instruction, initiated and carried out systemic reforms in San Diego starting in 1998.

Bersin and Alvarado adopted an immediate "jolt" approach rather than an incremental change process. They started by providing extensive professional development for principals and teachers to create a culture of shared norms of practice.

Two years into the reform the school board passed a policy package called the "Blueprint for Student Success in a Standards Based System." This reallocated funds, redesigned the central office and supported a customer-focused organization with quality instruction and student educational support as its first priority.

Bersin and Alvarado were careful not to let directives from the outside sidetrack their efforts. The authors discuss how difficult it was to stay the course in the midst of major budget cuts and share how they juggled resources to hold firm to the "Blueprint for Student Success."

(Instructional Leadership for Systemic Change: The Story of San Diego's Reform by Linda Darling-Hammond, Aray M. Hightower, Jennifer L. Husbands, Jeannette R. Lafors, Viki M. Young and Carl Christopher, Rowman and Littlefield Education, Lanham, Md., 2005, 212 pp. with index, $26.95 softcover)

Robin R. Dexter Assistant Professor of Educational Administration, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.