Forward Motion.

The article reports that leaders of the 10,000-student Gilroy Unified School District sought to create a collaborative environment in which teachers make corrections throughout the year. Meeting in "data teams," teachers compare notes and plan adjustments in their instruction. Superintendent Edwin Diaz, who has led the district since 2000, says he couldn't have given schools the flexibility they have now without first getting everyone on the same page. But he also doubts that sustained improvement would result if the central office continued to call most of the shots.