When not asking whether he will be fired, local reporters often cast Baltimore's school superintendent as a "miracle worker." The press might be overlooking the developing cooperation between schools and community organizations. Hunter is trying to unite a city with 156 proudly independent neighborhoods and a severely underfunded…

Eschewing Little Mermaid and Ninja Turtle costumes, students at a Washington Montessori school celebrate Halloween dressed as John Adams, Clara Barton, and other historical figures. U.S. Department of Education recently recognized eight schools for using interdisciplinary approaches, devoting adequate instructional time to history, and addressing…

Describes lifelong commitment of middle-school principal and major W.J. Jones to Coahoma, a small town in Mississippi Delta. Thanks to his efforts, town recently acquired a sewage system, blacktopped roads, and new housing (through Habitat for Humanity and World Vision). Although town elementary school fell victim to consolidation and children are…

The reversals (including two harrowing racial incidents) confronting Ben Canada on the way to becoming Atlanta's chief educator have strengthened his convictions. Despite numerous achievements, he was bounced from Jackson (Mississippi) Schools over a school-prayer fiasco. In Atlanta, he has dealt with a school closing situation and now faces…

Tupelo (Mississippi) Superintendent Mike Walters eschewed his former "happy bureaucrat" role for a facilitative role allowing teachers to reinvent curriculum and instruction. Inspired by Deming's continuous-improvement precept and aided by a $3.5 million grant from the area's Fortune-500 business community, this superintendent finds…

Describes a retiring superintendent's efforts to dismantle factory-style schooling and empower teachers. The Santa Fe (New Mexico) Schools' teacher/principal management teams have already instituted interdisciplinary teaching and ungraded, multi-age elementary classes. The latest project involved empowering teachers to select the next…

In two years, Cuban-born Superintendent Peter Negroni has worked tirelessly to make the Springfield (Massachusetts) Public Schools a showcase for innovation and school reform. In whirlwind fashion, he has built bridges to the city's business, religious, and social service communities, introduced school-based management to all 40 district schools,…

Although David Hornbeck became Philadelphia Schools' new superintendent in September 1994, critics are already saying the honeymoon is over. In a school system characterized by student absenteeism, high dropout rates, minimal community support, and declining resources, Hornbeck's reform agenda (Children Achieving) may receive inadequate support.…

A model of the new participatory-style school leader, San Jose (California) Unified Schools' superintendent Jim Baughman elicits a wide range of ideas and encourages broad-based participation to resolve district problems like imminent teacher strikes and an ever-worsening financial situation. His administrative cluster restructuring plan is…

Two years into her first superintendency, Detroit Superintendent Deborah McGriff has advanced an ambitious and controversial urban school reform package. The public school choice plan has been expanded, and 21 schools have adopted school-based-management plans despite union opposition. This fall, the district will abolish the general education…