How Districts Can Create the Conditions for Sustainable Change

Reflections from Leaders at District of Columbia Public Schools


By Ximena Portilla, Michael Lamb, Kevin Thaddeus Brown, Jr.

The U.S. education system finds itself at a moment in history when district leaders are expected to address questions of student and educator well-being as they never have before, weighing decisions related to how to provide in-person instruction safely, how to support students’ and educators’ social and emotional well-being in the context of stress and adversity experienced outside of school, and how to keep students psychologically and emotionally safe from bias and discrimination at school. A previous brief summarized the experiences and recommendations of a practitioner and several district leaders who are working to reexamine their districts’ systems, structures, and policies to ensure they support the well-being and learning of all students. This accompanying brief provides those leaders’ thoughts in their own words.

Document Details

Publication Type
Brief
Date
October 2021
Portilla, Ximena, Michael Lamb, and Kevin Thaddeus Brown, Jr.. 2021. “How Districts Can Create the Conditions for Sustainable Change.” New York: MDRC.