If big-city districts are looking to close budget gaps, shuttering schools may not be the best strategy. Closing schools does not save very much money in the context of an urban district's budget, and selling or leasing surplus school buildings tends to be difficult because they're often old and in struggling neighborhoods, a recent report from a…

The big clock in Dowan McNair-Lee's 8th grade classroom in the Stuart-Hobson Middle School is silent, but she can hear the minutes ticking away nonetheless. On this day, like any other, the clock is a constant reminder of how little time she has to prepare her students--for spring tests, and for high school and all that lies beyond it. The…

Educators from the United States flock to Edmonton, Alberta, a district in Canada where schools control 80% of the district's total budget. Education leaders from Chicago, Colorado, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Oakland, California, and the District of Columbia have all flocked to learn about Edmonton's experience with site-based management of…

The District of Columbia Mayor, Anthony A. Williams, is not alone among big-city mayors in extending a growing interest in public education to charter schools. This article discusses big-city mayors that have launched initiatives to form more of the independently run, but publicly financed schools. The notion of creating charter schools that…