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

An external advisory panel provided feedback to refine the study scope and prioritize issues to investigate. Members included Michael Bell, assistant superintendent, School Choice and Parental Options, Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Jane Hannaway, director, Education Policy Center, The Urban Institute; Bryan Hassell, co-director, Public Impact; Frederick M. Hess, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute and executive editor, Education Next.

In addition to the advisory panel members, the following people reviewed and provided feedback on drafts of the guide: Judy Seltz, American Association of School Administrators; Monique Miller and Deborah McGriff, Black Alliance for Educational Options; Linda Brown, Building Excellent Schools; Checker Finn, Fordham Foundation; Vicki Murray, Goldwater Institute; Adam Kernan-Schloss, KSA-Plus Communications; Scott Spicer, National Governors Association; and Lance Izumi, Pacific Research Institute.

Staff in the Department who reviewed drafts include: Tom Corwin, MichaelPetrilli, Cynthia Dorfman, Stacy Kotzin, Meredith Miller, Christine Wolfe, Phil Rosenfelt, Kathleen Leos, John Gibbons, Jeff Sims, Carolyn Adams, Jacquelyn Zimmermann, and Margaret West Guenther.

This guide was written and designed by WestEd from a report developed by Edvance.

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.

Edvance, a nonprofit organization created by the American Productivity and Quality Center, is a resource for process and performance improvement with a focus on benchmarking, knowledge management, performance measurement, and quality improvement initiatives in education.

The five districts cooperating in the development of this guide and the report from which it is drawn were generous with both their time and attention to this project. We would like to thank the district superintendents and the many district staff members who were instrumental in coordinating and participating in the site visits that inform the report and this guide.