For superintendents and district leaders ready to transform their central offices from bureaucratic barriers into powerful engines of educational equity and student success. Stop tinkering with surface-level reforms that maintain the status quo. In  From Tinkering to Transformation , renowned education researchers Meredith Honig and Lydia Rainey reveal how to fundamentally redesign your central office to drive equitable teaching and learning across every school in your district. Drawing from nearly two decades of rigorous research in districts ranging from 2,000 to 200,000 students, this groundbreaking guide provides the research-based roadmap that superintendents, central office administrators, and district leaders need to create lasting systemic change. Through compelling case studies, real-world examples, and proven performance data from ten diverse US school districts, you'll discover exactly how to transform key central office functions―from human resources and principal supervision to teaching and learning support―into equity-aligned systems that help every student thrive. Key Features and Takeaways:  Research-Proven Framework: Nearly 20 years of district research condensed into actionable design principles for central office transformation - Comprehensive Function Overhaul: Detailed guidance for transforming teaching and learning, human resources, principal supervision, operations, and superintendent cabinet operations  - Real District Case Studies: Ten diverse school districts showcase successful transformation strategies with performance data and measurable outcomes  - Equity-Centered Approach: Specific strategies to disrupt historical inequities and build systems that support racial justice and inclusive excellence  - Practical Implementation Tools: Step-by-step guidance to avoid common pitfalls and realize ambitious goals for fundamental systemic change   Transform your district's central office from an administrative burden into a strategic asset for educational equity. Order your copy today and join the districts already revolutionizing how they support teaching, learning, and student success. “ From Tinkering to Transformation  is a beautifully written book that is crystal clear about a new role for school districts that has so far escaped the attention of the most ardent reformers. The solution is nuanced and requires flipping the problem to determine what really drives transformation in learning. Honig and Rainey literarily and specifically help districts turn themselves inside-out, thereby providing a clear roadway and map to system change. Interesting to read, compelling to contemplate, and irresistible to the action oriented. Use this book now!” — Michael Fullan , professor emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto “It is one thing to talk about transformation. It is another to  do  it. This book is for every educator who wants to be part of making systems that disrupt current inequities rather than reinforce them. Honig and Rainey offer research-based, practical ideas for how to do the right and necessary work of making school systems places for all children to thrive.” — Elizabeth City , senior lecturer on education, Harvard Graduate School of Education “In  From Tinkering to Transformation , Honig and Rainey address many classic district missteps, such as the way time is often spent on nonstrategic initiatives and the lack of staff connection to a unifying vision. But they don’t leave us hanging. They share critical shifts needed to tackle years of deeply entrenched historical inequities. Honig and Rainey offer relevant, timely, and meaningful provocation and practicality asking us, ‘What would it mean to start from a blank page?’” — Nancy Gutierrez , president and CEO, The Leadership Academy Meredith I. Honig is professor of education policy, organizations, and leadership at the University of Washington, where she also founded and directs the District Leadership Design Lab. Lydia R. Rainey is a principal at the Center for Reinventing Public Education.