The author recounts his experiences in the textbook adoption process during his tenure on the California State Board of Education from 1975 to 1981. The focus on legal criteria (such as the reflection of cultural or racial diversity or print and page size), he argues, too often overrides concern with quality of the books' contents. (GC)

This booklet is one of a series of reports addressing the most critical issues confronting state boards of education throughout the United States. Each report attempts to present a concise, informative review and analysis of the best and most current information available on one of these critical topics. This booklet focuses on improving…

As the chief elected officials of their cities, mayors have a rightful role in promoting the interests of public school students and parents who live there, as well as the interests of taxpayers who help fund the school district. Without a strong education system, mayors will find it more difficult to recruit new businesses, strengthen economic…

This paper examines the recent trend of mayoral influence over and control of education. In a number of major cities, governance has shifted to mayors in the hope that such changes would lead to improved school quality and student achievement, and less scandal in the school systems. Throughout the twentieth century, various reforms led to the…

The gradual shift to state control of schools has spawned unintentional results, including a negative impact on teacher autonomy and professionalism. Although states' major role should be establishing a core curriculum, local flexibility is essential for adapting school policies to varied needs and utilizing staff abilities. Local school boards…

In trying to insulate school boards from city politics and political parties, early reformers severed board connections with other service providers. Today, worsening conditions for children and their families require "undoing" these reforms and transforming the board's role. Playing a smaller role in some executive, judicial, and…

Article talks about who makes curriculum decisions and the problems involved. Discusses the different pressure groups and organizations that have influence in the area of curriculum decisions. (ML)

Literature on public school curriculum development since 1950 is reviewed to determine who is determining curriculum policy-making. There is an increasingly political approach to curriculum questions on the part of the general public. (Author/VW)

This paper outlines the complexity of the politics of education and the difficulty of dealing with 19,000 districts and fifty States, each of which is relatively unique. A case is made for increased research efforts in this field. (LLR)

A restructuring of federal, state, and local relations is ceding considerably more control of education to the states. State mandates are now far more common than technical assistance and focus increasingly on the core of instructional policy, leading to a standardizing effect as local discretion declines. (DCS)

This analysis of the changing balance in who controls the schools contends that local authorities have been slowly losing authority to the states. Moreover, within the local districts, the central offices are assuming more control in such matters as curriculum content and state testing programs. The paper begins with an overview of recent…

This document examines various efforts to reform education by institutions of higher education, by states and local school systems, and by the federal government. It charges that many K-12 reform policies are moving secondary and postsecondary education in disparate directions. Problems identified include a lack of authentic measures for student…

This case study is part of a broader research project examining state policies and governance structures that span K-12 and postsecondary education. Oregon has been a leader in K-16 reform through its development of the Proficiency-based Admission Standards System (PASS), which articulated postsecondary expectations and linked them with K-12…