Aurora Public Schools: Building a Culture of Trust

John Barry began his tenure as superintendent of Aurora Public Schools with a strategic entry plan and quickly focused on the vision of graduating every student with the choice to attend college without remediation. In this feature article, originally from the Spring 2010 issue of The District Management Journal, Barry shares how he used data, data teams, and data walls to not only raise student achievement, but to transform the district and create a culture of "trust, teamwork, and transparency." Barry's strategic plan, dubbed VISTA 2010 (Visionary Instruction Shaping theTransformation of Aurora Public Schools), focuses on 5 priority goals structered around 4 areas, People, Achievement, Community and Environment. Learn about the development, implementation, and results of this successful program.