Afew weeks ago, I received a call from a superintendent in Illinois. His request was one I’ve heard before. He was preparing for a board meeting and wanted some help. “Can you provide me with research to support our decision to introduce early release Wednesdays in next year’s calendar?” I told him that, unfortunately, I did not have the definitive research study that he could cite at his board meeting. However, we were able to outline a plan that would allow him to comfortably defend the decision. Too frequently, we assume we need research to support a decision when we haven’t yet clarified for ourselves why we’re headed in a certain direction. I suggested that the superintendent begin building his case by clarifying for his