The development of this guide was initiated and directed by Nina S. Rees, assistant deputy secretary in the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Sharon Horn was project director.

An external advisory panel provided feedback to refine the study scope and prioritize issues to investigate. Members included Dick Flanary, National Association of Secondary School Administrators; Libia Gil, New American Schools; Betty Hale, Institute for Educational Leadership; Frederick Hess, American Enterprise Institute; Lynn Liao, Broad Foundation; Kent Peterson, University of Wisconsin at Madison; Terry Ryan, Fordham Institute; and Jon Schnur, New Leaders for New Schools.

Staff in the Department of Education who provided input and reviewed drafts include Susan Sclafani, Tom Corwin, Michael Petrilli, Meredith Miller, Phil Rosenfelt, John Gibbons, Jeff Sims, Pat Gore, Peggy Zelinko, and Jacquelyn Zimmermann.

This guide was written, designed, and based on a report by WestEd.

WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency committed to improving learning at all stages of life, both in school and out. WestEd has offices across the United States and also serves as one of the nation's 10 regional educational laboratories.

WestEd's partner in developing this series of research reports and innovation guides is Edvance. Created by the American Productivity and Quality Center, Edvance is a resource for process and performance improvement with a focus on benchmarking, knowledge management, performance measurement, and quality improvement initiatives in education.

The six programs cooperating in the development of this guide and the report from which it is drawn were generous with both their time and attention to the project. We would like to thank all those who were instrumental in coordinating and participating in the site visits that inform the report and this guide.