Bobbi D'Alessandro, head of the school system in Cambridge, Massachusetts, recently hired a new principal to lead a serious effort to redesign only city high school. The need for reform was evident since the late 1980s, when the school statistics highlighted significant differences in academic achievement rates by race and income level. Reforms over the past decade have failed. One of the biggest problems in the redesign of the school managing complex constituencies working in the Cambridge school, including students, parents, teachers, teachers' union and the school committee. D'Alessandro was in the role of Chief of less than two years, and wonders how she can best create the conditions under which the new chief and redesign efforts will succeed. "Hide
by Linda A. Hill, Kristin C. Doughty, Ellen Pruyne Source: Harvard Business School 22 pages. Publication Date: July 17, 2001. Prod. #: 402002-PDF-ENG