My work with the New Jersey Network of Superintendents (NJNS) also documents the role that technical, human, and social capital play in district-wide efforts to improve instruction and address issues of equity in the US. Larry Leverett, President of the Panasonic Foundation and a former superintendent, launched the Network in order to create a professional learning community that would support superintendents’ efforts to focus on instruction and improve learning for all students. Each year since 2009, 10-15 superintendents have participated in monthly Network meetings that often include instructional rounds visits and classroom observations in participating districts. Working with my colleagues Rachel Roegman and David Allen, I have documented the development of the network. Key publications from that work include:
A discussion of the systemic approaches several districts are taking to addressing “high leverage equity goals”
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Hatch, T. Roegman, R., & Allen, D. (2019). Creating equitable outcomes in a segregated state. Phi Delta Kappan, 100 (5), p. 19-24.
A description of how a superintendent and the Network can have a positive impact on classroom instruction across a district
- Hatch, T. & Kliegman, R. (2012). Out of isolation: Superintendents band together to improve equity and instruction in their districts. JSD, 33(6), 37-41.
An overview and detailed example of the evolution of a theory of action and how it can drive system-wide change
- Hatch, T. (2016). Using a personal theory of action as a basis for district improvement. New York City, NY: NCREST.
An examination of the role of administrator social networks in instructional rounds and in the development of initiatives to improve instruction and address issues of equity
- Hatch, T., Hill, K., & Roegman, R. (2016). Investigating the role of instructional rounds in the development of social networks and district-wide improvement. American Educational Research Journal, 53 (4), 1022-1053
Thomas Hatch 