The Eight School Districts and Their University AffiliatesWe selected eight school districts from a pool of 15 Wallacefunded sites that received funding and resources to support their leadership preparation efforts for three or more years. The districts ranged in size from 34 schools to more than 650. All had significant school improvement needs, according to their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. They varied in their leadership needs, based on growth or decline in student population, principal retirement and turnover, and the pressure of under-performing schools. Seven of the eight districts formed an affiliation with one or more local universities for their grant-funded leadership preparation efforts leading to certification (see table below).
School districts, their enrollment, AYP status, and primary university affiliates for leader preparation
|
School District |
Number of
Students |
Number of
Schools |
Meeting Federal AYP* |
Primary University Affiliate | |
Boston, Mass. | 56,168 | 143 | No | University of Massachusetts Boston | |
Chicago, Illinois | 380,787 | 655 | No | University of Illinois at Chicago | |
Fort Wayne, Indiana | 31,606 | 53 | No | --- | |
Jefferson County, Kentucky | 92,000 | 157 | No | University of Louisville initially, and later added Bellarmine and Spalding universities and Indiana University Southeast | |
Providence, Rhode Island | 23,344 | 52 | No | University of Rhode Island | |
Springfield, Illinois | 28,000 | 34 | No | Illinois State University | |
Springfield, Mass. | 25,233 | 55 | No
(for some schools) | University of Massachusetts Amherst | |
St. Louis, Missouri | 30,000 | 84 | No | University of Missouri–Columbia |
* AYP status of all schools and districts is for 2007–08. |