California's system of school finance is highly regulated and prescriptive. A large share of state funding is allocated through categorical programs, that is, programs whose funding is contingent upon districts using the money in a particular way or for a particular purpose. In 2008-09, the strings were taken off 40 of those programs, collectively…

Confusion among school leaders regarding how to interpret and implement special education legislation, and specific federal and state policies and mandates such as a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), in the least restrictive environment (LRE) at the school-site level has existed since the 1970s and continues to exist. This…

School leadership is significant for student learning, but increased workload and complexity are believed to be in part responsible for the difficulties internationally in managing succession, with experienced leaders leaving the profession prematurely and potential future leaders reluctant to take on the role. This article draws on a national…

The English education system has been radically transformed over the last two decades. Throughout this period, the New Right and New Labour government policies have embraced the rhetoric of empowering schools to become self-managing institutions. In the course of this transformation, school leadership and management have become exceptionally…

Using grid and group theory (Douglas 1982, 2011), the study described in this article examined the intersections of technology and school finance in four schools located in districts differing in size, wealth, and commitment to technology integration. In grid and group theory, grid refers to the degree to which policies and role prescriptions…

As an important cabinet-level position that reports directly to the superintendent and board of education, the school business official (SBO) often holds the second most powerful position in the district. Along with calls for fiscal and educational accountability, this elevated stature underscores the need for business officials to have leadership…

This research investigates state finance policies for public elementary and secondary education using survey methodology. The purpose is to update the existing knowledge base in the field as well as to provide a compendium of finance and policy options that are being used across the states to finance school for lawmakers, educators and others.…

This article is primarily methodological but has dual aims. First, it makes a case for Q methodology as an effective and so far little exploited means of capturing, comparing and contrasting individual perspectives on a specific question in the field of educational leadership. In common with other research approaches designed to uncover the…

In this article, the author presents his study of parent participation at an international school in Spain offering the British curriculum. He used quantitative methods and administered questionnaires to gather data that reflected the views of a large proportion of the school's parent community. He administered semi-structured interviews to gain a…

Asian Americans have had significant impacts on and within mainstream US society, and their great efforts and gifts in the name of charitable causes are no exception. This study aims to examine perceptions within American university development offices about Asian American giving to US higher education. The article begins with a literature review…

This report describes the results of a survey designed to provide descriptions of chief business officials (CBOs): their personal characteristics, their career paths, and their preparation. All chief business officials in California K-12 school districts and in offices of county superintendents of schools received questionnaires regarding the CBO…

Based on a survey of Association of School Business Officials members, this article focuses on 10 accounting system modules and how respondents felt about their system's operation and integration. Results showed solid continuity among general ledger, accounts payable, and payroll modules and discontinuities among fixed-asset and student accounting…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the "real" and "ideal" leadership behavior of school business managers as perceived by board members, superintendents, business managers, and principals-supervisors in 11 Ohio school districts. (Author/SJL)

Based on analysis of responses of business managers, superintendents, school board members, principals, and supervisors to the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire, the successful school business manager would exhibit high initiating structure and consideration when working with principals and supervisors in the school organization. (SB)

A sample of school business leaders was surveyed to document their experiences with and opinions about the Certificate for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Analyzes responses from 90 participating districts and 80 nonparticipating districts from a total of 36 states. (MLF))