Participating in a democracy is learned behavior. It takes years to develop the ability to understand the complexity of issues, to negotiate the challenges of political change and to act effectively on behalf of the common good. One doesn't simply acquire this knowledge and learn these skills through a senior elective civics course in high school.…

School district consolidation is a striking phenomenon. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 117,108 school districts provided elementary and secondary education in 1939-1940. By 2006-2007, the number of districts had dropped to 13,862, a decline of 88 percent. The rate of consolidation has slowed in recent years, but at…

The arts and music have been unintended victims of the No Child Left Behind Act. Several reports point to sharp reductions in student access to K-12 arts education, yet some school districts nationwide have managed to buck the trend. These districts, in communities rural through urban, are systemically embedding the arts at the core of teaching…

Legacy thinking is about a person--as an individual. How he interacts with others on a one-to-one basis every day. Someone with personal hopes, goals, desires and expectations. Thinking about one's legacy can help one better understand his strengths and weaknesses and help him steer his legacy in the right direction. In this article, the author…

Within America's school systems, sometime between kindergarten and secondary education, a wide variation appears among the achievement levels of different children. The learning gap between high-achieving high schoolers and dropouts is certainly no secret to educators. Huge sums of federal funds and foundation support have been injected into K-12…

The hunger for significance in life never ends. What changes in one's retirement is how one fills that need. For most school administrators, introspection and investigation into possibilities for post-retirement years begin prior to one's resignation; however, the intensity of thought, feeling, and deliberation moves to a much higher plane once…

Michael Hinojosa, general superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, is hiring 140 new arts teachers this year. It is the latest and perhaps most remarkable step in a 10-year effort by policymakers, educators and community leaders to ensure that every student in Dallas has access to quality arts learning experiences in and out of…

A 2004 College Board survey revealed that school districts around America wanted to offer Chinese, but finding qualified teachers was a problem, says Selena Cantor, director of Chinese Language and Culture Initiatives for the College Board. So last year, a new College Board program brought guest teachers from China to school districts in 31…

In this article, the author describes his work with a professional network in Connecticut. The Connecticut Superintendents Network is designed to be a community of practice among superintendents who are committed to sustained instructional improvement in their districts. Here, the Harvard University professor applies the medical rounds model to…

Describes executive coaching services provided by Leadership Coaching for School Change. Includes examples of the results of executive coaching. (PKP)

Describes how an executive coach nicknamed Mac helped a beginning principal develop her leadership skills. Also provides list of questions to ask oneself before hiring an executive coach. (PKP)

Female school psychologist and author briefly tells about her personal experience of being married to a superintendent. (PKP)

Introduces nine essays on spirituality in educational leadership. (PKP)

Argues for the use of knowledge-based decision-making in education. Provides several examples of knowledge-based decision-making from the medical profession. Asserts that knowledge-based decision-making in education, like medicine, is a combination of professional judgment and data. (PKP)

Introduces first-year experiences of six superintendents from a variety of school districts. (PKP)