In the early 1980s, Missouri's director of early childhood education launched a novel parent education pilot project designed to increase children's kindergarten readiness and support family wellbeing by sending specially trained educators on monthly home visits to help parents foster their babies' early development. By 1985, when an evaluation touted strong results for the pilot, the Missouri legislature already had made the program-dubbed Parents as Teachers-a mandatory offering of school districts statewide. Soon after, the St. Louis-based Parents as Teachers National Center, formed to oversee the state program and respond to outside inquiries, became an independent nonprofit. From the start, the National Center staff built quality controls into program design and the training of parent educators while simultaneously embracing rapid growth; by 1999 Parents as Teachers programs served more than 500,000 children in the US and six foreign countries. But despite such quality control efforts, the flexibility and adaptability that aided fast replication left the National Center with no effective way to manage or monitor the more than 2,000 sites worldwide. As a result, the National Center was forced to take a hard look at its replication model, its oversight role, and at how the center could better monitor and improve program quality. HKS Case Number 1849.0

In the early 1980s, Missouri's director of early childhood education launched a novel parent education pilot project designed to increase children's kindergarten readiness and support family wellbeing by sending specially trained educators on monthly home visits to help parents foster their babies' early development. By 1985, when an evaluation touted strong results for the pilot, the Missouri legislature already had made the program-dubbed Parents as Teachers-a mandatory offering of school districts statewide. Soon after, the St. Louis-based Parents as Teachers National Center, formed to oversee the state program and respond to outside inquiries, became an independent nonprofit. From the start, the National Center staff built quality controls into program design and the training of parent educators while simultaneously embracing rapid growth; by 1999 Parents as Teachers programs served more than 500,000 children in the US and six foreign countries. But despite such quality control efforts, the flexibility and adaptability that aided fast replication left the National Center with no effective way to manage or monitor the more than 2,000 sites worldwide. As a result, the National Center was forced to take a hard look at its replication model, its oversight role, and at how the center could better monitor and improve program quality. HKS Case Number 1850.0

In November 1998, Jan Kasl, a successful architect and erstwhile city councilor, was his party's surprise choice for mayor of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. A virtual political unknown, Kasl was chosen for the post only after the presiding mayor was rejected by the other political parties in negotiations to form a coalition government. Given Kasl's inexperience and low profile, most observers assumed he would be a quiet figurehead, following in his predecessor's footsteps and toeing the party line. Kasl, however, had different ideas. While a relative newcomer to government, Kasl had long been frustrated by what he viewed as the opaqueness of city operations, and angered by suspected abuses by those in power. Soon after his appointment, Kasl vowed to do his best to open up municipal government and stop the conflicts of interest, lack of accountability, and questionable deals he believed had damaged the image and effectiveness of City Hall. To do so, though, he would have to figure out how to overcome significant institutional and political obstacles without causing a political backlash that could stymie all progress, or even force him from office. Is it better for a leader with a reform agenda to confront antagonists-and rely on public support to force change? Or would a behind-the-scenes, coalition-building strategy be the more pragmatic and effective? Or does successful reform borrow from both approaches? In addition to these leadership issues, this case provides a window into the political life of post-socialist Eastern Europe-the so-called "New Europe"-and provides a vehicle for analysis of the question of what is the best structure for local government in a newly-democratizing (and decentralizing) state. HKS Case Number 1798.0

In November 1998, Jan Kasl, a successful architect and erstwhile city councilor, was his party's surprise choice for mayor of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. A virtual political unknown, Kasl was chosen for the post only after the presiding mayor was rejected by the other political parties in negotiations to form a coalition government. Given Kasl's inexperience and low profile, most observers assumed he would be a quiet figurehead, following in his predecessor's footsteps and toeing the party line. Kasl, however, had different ideas. While a relative newcomer to government, Kasl had long been frustrated by what he viewed as the opaqueness of city operations, and angered by suspected abuses by those in power. Soon after his appointment, Kasl vowed to do his best to open up municipal government and stop the conflicts of interest, lack of accountability, and questionable deals he believed had damaged the image and effectiveness of City Hall. To do so, though, he would have to figure out how to overcome significant institutional and political obstacles without causing a political backlash that could stymie all progress, or even force him from office. Is it better for a leader with a reform agenda to confront antagonists-and rely on public support to force change? Or would a behind-the-scenes, coalition-building strategy be the more pragmatic and effective? Or does successful reform borrow from both approaches? In addition to these leadership issues, this case provides a window into the political life of post-socialist Eastern Europe-the so-called "New Europe"-and provides a vehicle for analysis of the question of what is the best structure for local government in a newly-democratizing (and decentralizing) state. HKS Case Number 1797.0

As a Harvard University freshman in 1992, Eric Dawson began working on a social service project known as Peace Games, a one-day festival to teach school-age children about peace and cooperation. Dawson, however, had bigger ideas for the program. Operating first within Harvard, and later through the independent nonprofit that he founded, Dawson transformed Peace Games from a simple celebration of community into a kindergarten-8th grade, year-long conflict-resolution curriculum that he hoped to implement in schools across the country. As challenging and as critical as the program design itself, however, was the need to create, fund, and manage an organization capable of carrying the project forward. This case tells the story of how Dawson developed Peace Games in the Boston area; established a Peace Games outpost beyond Massachusetts; and attempted to launch a major nationwide expansion deemed essential not only to reach significant numbers of children and communities, but to attract the funding the organization needed to survive. HKS Case Number 1795.0

As a Harvard University freshman in 1992, Eric Dawson began working on a social service project known as Peace Games, a one-day festival to teach school-age children about peace and cooperation. Dawson, however, had bigger ideas for the program. Operating first within Harvard, and later through the independent nonprofit that he founded, Dawson transformed Peace Games from a simple celebration of community into a kindergarten-8th grade, year-long conflict-resolution curriculum that he hoped to implement in schools across the country. As challenging and as critical as the program design itself, however, was the need to create, fund, and manage an organization capable of carrying the project forward. This case tells the story of how Dawson developed Peace Games in the Boston area; established a Peace Games outpost beyond Massachusetts; and attempted to launch a major nationwide expansion deemed essential not only to reach significant numbers of children and communities, but to attract the funding the organization needed to survive. HKS Case Number 1795.1

As a Harvard University freshman in 1992, Eric Dawson began working on a social service project known as Peace Games, a one-day festival to teach school-age children about peace and cooperation. Dawson, however, had bigger ideas for the program. Operating first within Harvard, and later through the independent nonprofit that he founded, Dawson transformed Peace Games from a simple celebration of community into a kindergarten-8th grade, year-long conflict-resolution curriculum that he hoped to implement in schools across the country. As challenging and as critical as the program design itself, however, was the need to create, fund, and manage an organization capable of carrying the project forward. This case tells the story of how Dawson developed Peace Games in the Boston area; established a Peace Games outpost beyond Massachusetts; and attempted to launch a major nationwide expansion deemed essential not only to reach significant numbers of children and communities, but to attract the funding the organization needed to survive. HKS Case Number 1796.0

In August, 2002, Melody Johnson, the deputy superintendent of the Providence, Rhode Island, School District, was hastily appointed acting superintendent, in the wake of the resignation of her predecessor and close colleague Diana Lam. Lam and Johnson together had been embarked, over the previous three years, on an ambitious reform plan to upgrade the low-performing system. Despite some indicators of improvement, however, Johnson knew that there remained significant resistance to the changes-as evidenced, in part, by a bitter contract dispute recently settled with the system's teachers. This case describes the challenge facing Melody Johnson as she sought to gain rank-and-file support for reform, in the immediate months after her appointment as superintendent in her own right. It focuses on specific steps that she considered to gain that support, without compromising reforms including, radically, a day in which classes would be cancelled so that she and others could address the teaching force as a whole. This public leadership case is designed to highlight the choices and techniques of "adaptive leadership", as described in the work of Kennedy School professor Ronald Heifetz, "Leadership Without Easy Answers" (Belknap Press, September 1994). See also case # 1690.0. HKS Case Number 1689.0

In August, 2002, Melody Johnson, the deputy superintendent of the Providence, Rhode Island, School District, was hastily appointed acting superintendent, in the wake of the resignation of her predecessor and close colleague Diana Lam. Lam and Johnson together had been embarked, over the previous three years, on an ambitious reform plan to upgrade the low-performing system. Despite some indicators of improvement, however, Johnson knew that there remained significant resistance to the changes-as evidenced, in part, by a bitter contract dispute recently settled with the system's teachers. This case describes the challenge facing Melody Johnson as she sought to gain rank-and-file support for reform, in the immediate months after her appointment as superintendent in her own right. It focuses on specific steps that she considered to gain that support, without compromising reforms including, radically, a day in which classes would be cancelled so that she and others could address the teaching force as a whole. HKS Case Number 1690.0