As of 2022, more than 400 students serve as members of state boards of education or state advisory councils in 33 states. Over the last five years, eight states have added at least one student member on their board, a state student advisory council, or a combination of board membership and advisory council. Although the number of students engaged…

Over half of U.S. public school students are children and teens of color, yet only about 8 percent of their teachers and administrators are people of color. Convinced that teacher and leader diversity is an essential component of an equitable education for all students, state boards of education have adopted a variety of strategies to attract,…

Many school districts have recently revised, or tried to revise, their policies for assigning students to schools, because the legal and political status of racial and other kinds of diversity is uncertain, and the districts are facing fiscal austerity. This article presents case studies of politics and student assignment policy in three large…

An effective school requires an effective leader, but great principals rarely just happen. They are cultivated. This Wallace Perspective draws on a decade of foundation research and work in school leadership to show how urban school districts can play a major role in ensuring they have principals who can boost teaching and learning in troubled…

Policy changes in state higher education since the early 1980s are described. For each innovation, the problem and impetus for change are described, as well as the results. Contact persons and some publications are identified. While two states addressed both quality and flexibility in fiscal reform, 13 states had incremental reforms addressing…

Experiences of five states that have created incentives for the effective management of higher education or that have eliminated disincentives are examined. After considering the effect of state budgetary controls and regulations on college operations, methods used to determine levels of state support and to allocate state funds are addressed. In…

The paper presents an overview and analysis of the selection process of public college and university trustees and regents, examining the experiences of three states--Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Kentucky which use screening committees to assist governors in the selection of regents. The discussion also covers two statewide trustee orientation…