Pieces of the Puzzle Most importantly, these common themes seemed to work in tandem to produce an overall culture of reform in each of the three improving or high-performing districts. Each factor was critical, but it is unlikely that, taken in isolation, any one of these positive steps could have resulted in higher student achievement. Certainly, Cleveland shared some characteristics with the other three study districts, evidencing strong leadership and undergoing a substantial instructional overhaul during the study period. Yet the district lacked the combined force of all these other elements working together to promote instructional excellence, for it was the joint force of these reforms and how they locked together in Atlanta, Boston, and Charlotte that appeared to make all the difference in better student achievement.
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158 Council of the Great City Schools and the American Institutes for Research Council of the Great City Schools • American Institutes for Research • Fall 2011
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