Citing longstanding educational deficiencies in the Jersey City Public School System, the New Jersey State Board of Education unanimously voted to take control of the district on October 4, 1989. This paper studies the first year of New Jersey's takeover policy for failing school districts. Data were collected through interviews, direct…

A 10-month investigation by the City of New York Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District found widespread corruption and mishandling of the 1993 Community School Board election. School board elections are at the heart of school decentralization, and should enable local communities to exercise control over their…

The Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board renegotiated reciprocity agreements with Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia in light of state legislation curbing and reducing tuition waiver reciprocity. Legislation in 1992 required state institutions to reduce the total amount of operating fee revenue waived by 6.6 percent and allowed…

During the Perth meeting of the Australian Education Council (AEC) on July 1-2, 1993, policy making power shifted from the AEC to the states and from Labor to non-Labor ministers. Labor ministerial power directed public education through much of the 1980s, when the rhetoric of national partnership was all-pervasive. At the July conference, the…

Colorado's Public School Finance Act of 1988 directed all public school districts to implement state goals for improving achievement, graduation, and attendance rates. Districts and individual schools were required to develop accountability committees involving parents, staff, students, and community members in planning and evaluating school and…

After discussing the demand for public accountability in Australian education, the first section of this paper treats the scope of accountability and details the responsibilities of a state minister of education, other key administrators, schools and teachers, and the national system itself. The second section examines what the public wants to…

This report provides analysis and preliminary recommendations on a mandate that requires and contributes to the development of physical education components in Illinois public schools. The report is presented in sections dealing with: (1) five areas of analysis and sources of information; (2) legal requirements and statutory authority for…

School board members, district superintendents, and building principals in 170 districts in 16 western states were surveyed to determine the role of school boards in school self-study evaluations. Analysis of the questionnaires resulted in the following conclusions: (1) board members seldom assisted in the evaluation process, especially in larger…

Iowa's educational system is defined by the strong working relationship between the local school districts and area education agencies. Local districts provide the instructional program and area education agencies provide support services. Area education agencies (AEAs) were created in order to provide equity in the provision of programs and…

The purpose of the "Massachusetts Board of Education 2004 Annual Report" is two-fold: (1) To document the state of public education in the Commonwealth, including data on students, schools, and school districts; and (2) To chronicle the major decisions and actions of the Massachusetts Board of Education from January through December…

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)…

Analyzes inspection results for 22 English and Welsh secondary schools to explore the nature of, and responses to, OFSTED (Offices for Standards in Education) inspectors' recommendations about using internal monitoring and evaluation to improve classroom practice. In their action plans, some schools respond with bureaucratic procedures, while…

Examines varied types of Ontario public and Catholic school board collaboration, focusing on the structural characteristics of interorganizational networks, such as age, size, organizational members, number and degree of shared activities, operational and governance mechanisms, and cost savings obtained. The primary motives behind the 43 coop and…

Proponents of charter schools hope to break the logjam that has stymied school reform. Some school districts issue charters to groups of interested teachers, parents, or community members and hold them accountable for administering a school and achieving specific student goals. However, charter schools may fail to deliver high-quality programs or…

The performance funding approach mandated by the Texas state legislature and devised by the higher education coordinating board to appropriate resources to colleges and universities is explained, and the responses of institutions to it are discussed. Focus is on problems encountered and lessons learned. (MSE)