Although a great deal of debate surrounds the level and allocation of resources to public schools, very little of this discussion addresses how schools might organize teaching resources more effectively at the school level. This paper describes case studies of five high performing public schools that have organized professional resources in…

Educational agencies accepting federal funds for special programs, particularly under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, are often required to prove maintenance of effort. That is, funds generated from state and local sources cannot be decreased and the slack taken up with the federal moneys. The Rand Corporation study reported…

This article evaluates the educational voucher system and how it may solve effectiveness and efficiency problems of the educational system through market accountability. Educational goals and state and community roles in reaching these goals are discussed. Comments by Richard J. Murnane and Edwin G. West are given. (DF)

This study examines eight exemplary pre- and in-service principal development programs. The programs were chosen both because they provide evidence of strong outcomes in preparing school leaders and because, in combination, they represent a variety of approaches with respect to their designs, policy contexts, and the nature of partnerships between…

Principals play a vital and multifaceted role in setting the direction for schools that are positive and productive workplaces for teachers and vibrant learning environments for children, but existing knowledge on the best ways to develop these effective leaders is insufficient. The need to identify and replicate effective pre- and inservice…

This paper offers highlights from the final report of Stanford's School Leadership Study, which should be available in January 2007. It discusses various policy and resource factors that enhance or impede the implementation of exemplary programs that develop and support principals. Among the research questions that guided this study were a set…

Proponents argue that the competition inherent in publicly funded tuition voucher programs will increase school quality and family choice, but voucher systems would be subject to the same forces that shape public schools. The efficiency and effectiveness of voucher plans must be assessed in light of those educational goals important to the…

Outlines disparities in educational access, proposing reforms for equalizing opportunities to learn and examining social and economic challenges; reducing achievement gaps; inequality and achievement; the influence of funding on achievement (particularly among African American students); what matters in teaching (e.g., access to quality teaching,…

Teacher education in the United States has been the subject of persistent and abiding concerns. Teacher educators have struggled for years to connect theory and practice, to place student teachers in classrooms that reflect state-of-the-art practice, and to construct program coursework that illuminates research on effective teaching in ways that…

This report attempts to remedy the neglect of educational equality in recent educational reports by discussing both the educational status of black Americans and recent policy trends as they affect black students. Following an overview, trends in income and employment, family characteristics, and the degree of social mobility are discussed as a…

The Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA) of 1981 is intended to provide opportunities for states and local governments to have more control of their educational programs and to deregulate the administration of federal programs. Introduced at a time when state funding and revenue systems are in flux and severely depleted, it presents…

During the 1990s, a new policy hypothesis focusing on the quality of teaching to provide a high-leverage means for improving student achievement began to gain currency. Based on interview, observation, survey, and record data collected at the state, district, and school levels over a five-year time period, the study offers a look at how the San…

Educators Linda Darling-Hammond and Diane Friedlaender share findings from their recent report highlighting five California high schools that have beaten the odds in supporting the success of low-income students of color. Animo Inglewood Charter High School, Stanley E. Foster Construction Tech Academy, June Jordan School for Equity, Leadership…

The extent of structural inequalities of students from racial and ethnic minorities in access to knowledge and resources is explored, and some of the sources of these inequalities are discussed. Some of the consequences of these inequalities for the nature and quality of education in the United States are considered. The isolation engendered by…