In response to a proposal request from the state, Achieve reviewed the draft of Maryland's Pre-K-8 Voluntary State Curriculum (VSC) in Science (dated May 2004). This preliminary report summarizes their findings and also reflects the discussion that followed their presentation to representatives of the Maryland State Department of Education on…

The author helped St. Andrew's Scots School, in Buenos Aires, formulate a statement of values that did justice to the school's "Scottish" past, its multicultural present, and its future. All school and community segments were encouraged to participate. Participants found unanimity in the Golden Rule, embodied in moral values such as…

Women and minorities are still underrepresented in the superintendency. Search consultants can tackle discrimination by helping a school board consider desirable administrator competencies and personality traits and by advancing outstanding "nontraditional" candidates. Candidates should take consultants' advice about networking, resume…

The governance of Canadian schools is undergoing change. Provincial ministries of education are pursuing contradictory policy initiatives: local school boards are being consolidated to become more "efficient," and individual schools are developing school councils to become more "democratic." This paper applies Jurgen Habermas's…

Analyzes an urban Ohio school board's decision regarding potential employment of a business firm instead of a traditional superintendent, highlighting the board's selection process and the nature of board/community interactions. The study used an interview guide format with five board members. The board chose not to hire a Minnesota-based firm for…

This survey of 39 state boards of education and state schools for the hearing impaired found that policies regarding HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) vary in comprehensiveness from brief paragraphs to detailed instructions. Many policies were judged to provide insufficient guidance for the residential…

Throughout the 20th Century, medicine and law set the professional standards by which all other professions came to be measured. Teaching fell short of the mark because teachers were not perceived as having much control over their professional lives. For example, the professions of medicine and law developed standards boards or associations to…

The Chicago (Illinois) School Reform Act was signed into law in 1988 and the Reform School Board of Trustees was appointed in July 1995. There have been several reports of teachers' opinions about the Reform Act, but the opinions of teachers about the Reform School Board have not been studied. Almost half of teachers have reported at least some…

The 1992 Washington State Legislature gave the State Board of Education (SBE), in conjunction with the Governor's Council on Education Reform and Funding (GCERF), responsibility for completing a review of certification policies to develop an outcome-based certification system for teachers. To accomplish this task, the SBE/GCERF Professional…

Case studies, interviews, letters, and nationwide questionnaire responses from hundreds of administrators constitute the data for this report. The first chapter discusses the meaning of and the reasons for staff development; the effect of staff development on school and community; the increasing role of teachers, principals, and school boards; the…

Three Washington state agencies, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Council for Postsecondary Education, and the State Board of Education, cooperated in gathering data on the potential impact of the Council's off-campus plan for the inservice training of kindergarten through grade 12 certified personnel. The study evolved…

This report summarizes the findings of a national study of how desegregated school districts use staff development to prepare for desegregation. Data were collected in a series of field visits to sixteen desegregated school districts varying in size, ethnic composition, and geographic location. Three aspects of staff development were studied: the…

Describes the Richmond (Virginia) City School Board's six-year plan for improving its educational system. Describes the goal-setting process, outlines the goals, and provides a brief description and background of the strategies to be used to achieve these goals. Financial implications also are examined. (CT)

Examines the implications for educational labor relations in the recommendations from "A Nation at Risk." Reviews Michigan's and Wisconsin's employment relations acts and the National Labor Relations Act. (MD)

Derailed superintendencies are a colossal waste of talent and resources. Major causes include interpersonal-relationship problems, conflict with district staff, micromanagement, and failure to make strategic decisions during transitional times. Superintendents should establish rapport with principals, build trust throughout the organization, and…