Resources & Publications

Learning Resources Newsletter Other Reports and Articles

Technologies of Conversation

Protocols for Reflection

Literacy Practices

Social Structures

Organizational Learning and Change

Education Initiatives began publishing its quarterly newsletter, Review, in 2001. Issues published from 2004 to the present are archived below (PDF files).

  • Fall 2009: Rowland Unified School District's Literacy Network
  • Spring 2009: Designing for Organizational Transformation
  • Fall 2008: Rowland Unified School District and The Ball Foundation Collaborate To Increase Student Literacy Achievement
  • Fall-Winter 2007: One Teacher's Personal Journey of Transformation
  • Spring 2007: Beginning a Transformative Change Process
  • Fall 2006: Engagement Phase With New Partners Begins
  • Spring 2006: Ball Foundation Forms New Partnerships To Improve Literacy Achievement
  • Fall 2005: Learning From Evaluation
  • Spring 2005: Cultural Competence and Literacy, Teaching a Diverse Student Population
  • Winter 2004-2005: Cultural Competency in Schools, Excellence and Equity For All Children
  • Fall 2004: The Passing of a Visionary, G. Carl Ball, 1921-2004
  • Spring 2004: Partnership Learning Network Builds Community of Practice

Ball Foundation. (2010). Poised for change: Stories of personal and organizational transformation. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation

Gopalakrishnan, S. (2010). Embracing the "gift story": Organizational redesign in a time of crisis in public education. The OD Practitioner, 42(1), 4-9.

Ball Foundation. (2008). Sustaining literacy improvement for every student through whole systems change: the Ball Foundation Education Initiatives value proposition. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Ball Foundation. (2008). Evidence of the impact of the Ball Foundation partnerships on Springfield and Chula Vista school districts. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Ball Foundation. (2005). Testimonials from educators in Ball Foundation partner districts. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Corrigan, M. (2005). Graphic: The Ball approach, an adaptive process for change. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Gopalakrishnan, S. (2008). Implementing a Principle-based Approach to Transforming School Systems. Submitted to The OD Practitioner. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Grey, M. (2007). We'll leave the leadership light on for you. Glen Ellyn, IL: The Ball Foundation.

Resource Links

The following are links to people or organizations with whom Education Initiatives has worked. These have served as thought partners and/or influenced our work.

Consortium Reports

Using What We Have to Get the Schools We Need: A Productivity Focus for American Education

Consortium on Productivity in the Schools, The Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University

 In 1995, the foundation convened a group of scholars from various sectors to examine some of the issues facing public education in America. Their report identified subsystems in education and their relationship to one another. The report concluded that because the subsystems are all interconnected, piecemeal reforms of those subsystems will fail to create lasting and meaningful change.

20/20 Vision: A Strategy for Doubling Academic Achievement by the Year 2020

Consortium on Renewing Education, Peabody Center for Education Policy, Vanderbilt University

 In 1998, a follow-up report offered eight strategies to cut in half the percentage of students performing at the basic level or below on examinations, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, math, and science, within two decades.

School Design Collaborative Handbook

The School Design Collaborative (SDC) is a data-driven school improvement process that incorporates shared leadership and decision-making. Developed in 1992, SDC has been adopted by schools to develop their internal ability to affect positive changes resulting in increased student achievement and parental satisfaction. This model uses a team approach to address improvement opportunities at the school. The model also allows participants to have greater ownership of school issues and, in turn, promotes better communication, understanding, and support among all those with a stake in the school.

When the foundation initially developed the School Design Collaborative, an outside facilitator or consultant was intended to lead teams through the process. Hiring a consultant, however, is not a realistic option for all school communities and that many districts have adopted shared decision making models other than SDC. Teams with 5-7 members, whether facilitated by an outside consultant or self-facilitated, including teachers, parents, principals, and other stakeholders, can benefit from the School Design Collaborative, and that the process and the tools can help schools reach higher levels of student achievement.

You are invited to use the School Design Collaborative handbook as a guide toward increasing productivity and achievement in your school. In order for us to obtain feedback on the tools and process provided in the handbook, we ask you to register with the foundation by sending us an e-mail with your contact information, school district, and how you first learned about SDC. We will then provide you with a password that allows you to download the handbook from the link below.

SDC Handbook (PDF) - password protected