When four school districts were merged by the State of California into one, large, urban district, the superintendent reached out to the Waters Center to reorganize district functions, and develop leadership's capacity to be systems thinkers. By focusing on a unified vision for the district, reducing the impact of silos on their work, and by developing a sense of shared responsibility for the success of students, administrators and district staff from academic and operational departments have found tremendous value in systems thinking.

After working with the district for almost a decade, school and district leaders have been promoted internally and have expanded their influence after being recruited by other local districts for leadership roles. Most importantly, student outcomes have improved, resulting in increased attendance, decreased suspensions, and increased academic proficiency.