“Improvement by Design takes a fascinating look at an approach to and a period of educational reform that has not been fully examined. By providing a powerful illustration of the weaknesses and turbulence that reformers continue to ignore at their peril and cogently arguing for the development of a much more sophisticated infrastructure to support teaching and learning, the book makes a valuable contribution to the literature.”

Thomas Hatch, Teachers College at Columbia University

“Are public schools irretrievably broken, as their critics claim, and charters the only solution? Over the past quarter century, and with no fanfare, several thousand schools have put in place strategies that promise to strengthen teaching and learning. In Improvement by Design, David Cohen and his colleagues masterfully show how two such approaches have succeeded in generating steady improvement in some of America’s most disadvantaged schools. It’s a tale that every would-be reformer needs to take to heart.”

David L. Kirp, author of Improbable Scholars

“Improvement by Design describes the efforts of three path-breaking organizations that sought to improve the quality of education in a large number of schools serving primarily children from low-income families. Most important, it explains the opportunity that the Common Core State Standards present to the country and the enormous changes in the organization of American schooling that are necessary to take advantage of this opportunity. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about improving the quality of education for American children.”

Richard J. Murnane, Harvard Graduate School of Education

“This book inspires hope by showing in detail how educators have created and sustained large networks of effective public schools serving the nation’s most disadvantaged children. At the same time, the authors clarify why school improvement is so arduous and so exceptional. In short, the most effective networks of schools have succeeded by doing what national, state, and local policy have failed to do: to provide systematic support for coherent curriculum, true teacher professional development, and reliably effective classroom instruction. The book thus enables us to envision a transformative American educational policy.”

Stephen W. Raudenbush, University of Chicago