"Outside Money in School Board Elections" documents and analyzes the injection of external funding into local elections. Local school board contests have recently become flashpoints of national donor interest. Some observers see this engagement as a needed boost for complacent school districts while others view it as a threat to local…

In this book, the author uses his experiences as a parent, teacher, and school board member to explore what has gone wrong with education and how to make it right. He takes the reader inside classrooms, locker rooms, school board meetings, and parent-teacher conferences to discover how children are being educated--or, more often than not,…

Site-based management has failed to generate change significant enough to increase student learning even where principals, leadership teams, and faculties have had extensive Organizational Development training. The problem may lie in the nature of the workplace rather than in the reasonableness of the theory. This work presents a structure of…

This book presents the largest and most comprehensive look at the men and women leading the nation's public schools. This profile of the school superintendency offers a close examination of: (1) superintendents' personal characteristics, professional experience, and professional preparation and training; (2) superintendent/school board relations;…

This book explores the dynamics of power among racial groups in the local community as they struggle for the fulfillment of their unique and joint goals through public education. Case studies of two educational issues are analyzed in this book. One has to do with the hiring and firing of the first black superintendent of the Boston (Massachusetts)…

The leadership turnover in America's largest school districts has increased so rapidly that the average urban superintendent tenure is only about two years. In fact, many urban superintendents are hired knowing that they will either be terminated or forced to resign in a short period of time. This cycle has created a class of superintendents who…

"The Imperfect Union" recounts the experiences of "Killmer," Illinois, from 1975 to 1979 while the village of 900 persons sought to fight the closing of its elementary school by seceeding from the consolidated school district ("Unit 110") to which it belonged. "Unit 110" is represented as an imperfect…

This report documents how a family of elementary schools in Wards 11 and 12 of the Toronto Board of Education (Ontario, Canada) have carried out their plans for the antiracist education (ARE) mandated by the school board between 1991-92 and 1994-95. Results, based on a variety of data collection methods, reveal areas of accomplishment and…

This book presents an assessment of collective bargaining in education. During the 1970's, while student enrollment declined, organizations representing public school teachers grew. Both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers more than doubled their membership. Teacher contracts have expanded to include areas…