This article reports on how Seattle has joined the growing list of urban districts where policymakers are eyeing changes in school governance. A bill pending in the Washington state legislature, introduced late January 2007 by three lawmakers from the city, would permit citizens to petition to hold a local referendum on switching from the elected…

In rebuilding public schooling in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, education reformers have managed to hire energetic teachers, break ground on a few new school buildings, raise public confidence, and show progress on test scores. But fundamental questions remain as the 2007-08 academic year draws to a close, including how the city's…

A school leadership crisis that has dragged on since last fall is threatening Clayton County public school system to lose its accreditation. Loss of this accreditation could mean future Clayton County graduates would have trouble being accepted to college or would miss out on merit scholarships. Clayton County's members have feuded with each…

After months of deliberations and promises of dramatic change for Los Angeles' embattled schools, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa the week of April 17, 2006 called for California lawmakers to put his office in charge of running the day-to-day operations of the nation's second largest school district. In his first State of the City address, Mr.…

When the Clark County, Nevada, school board pledged to avoid micromanaging the district and focus on the big picture of improving student achievement, the move was a radical shift. For board members accustomed to dealing with what one described as "convoluted" policies that filled several 6-inch-thick books, the streamlined approach to…