Disruptive changes sparked by education technology and other forces are on the radar of education analysts. Even a quick internet search reveals a whole host of articles and organizations focused on educational innovation. But how do educators currently working in schools and districts think about innovation? How much of a priority is it for them?…

Educators should be expanding their knowledge of where curriculum is going (or where it needs to go) to give students a chance at success in an increasingly challenging world and to demonstrate the value of public education. Education is moving toward differentiated instruction to meet the varied interests, needs, talents, and aspirations of…

Effective school business managers regularly assess themselves to ensure that they are "on top of their game" in the many facets of their jobs. One area they should not lose sight of, especially in the current economic situation, is their ability to communicate with their colleagues in the district. They may feel overwhelmed by the number of…

Each summer, ASBO International conducts an Eagle Institute leadership session in the Washington, D.C., area that provides a group of about 25 participants, including Eagle Award recipients, an opportunity to network with and learn from exemplary leaders inside and outside the field of school business management. Each year, the focus of the…

School business officials are best equipped to lead in funding operating and capital needs because they understand the need for a methodical means of funding ongoing costs over time and the benefits of planning for future financial needs rather than letting emergencies dictate spending priorities. A capital-financing plan makes it possible to…

How can CIOs and IT leaders prepare themselves for the challenge and opportunity of a more central role in strategic decision-making? First, they must make sure they understand the needs and expectations of other campus leaders. For example, they need to closely align with the vision of their presidents, and they need to ally with chief financial…

Many professions recognize the benefits of peer reviews to assess processes and operations because peers can more easily identify one another's inefficiencies and provide some kind of intervention. Generally, the goal of the peer review process is to verify whether the work satisfies the standards set by the industry. A number of states have begun…

Available data indicate that colleges and universities have experienced an unexpected rise in occupational fraud over the past two decades. In order to mitigate the risk of fraud, these institutions must be proactive and have strong internal controls and policies. The purpose of this study was to examine the current controls in place at Midwest…

At budget-crunching time, school administrators and business officials sometimes find themselves trimming the district's budget for teachers, textbooks, and technology in order to cover ballooning energy costs. Nearly one-third of the energy consumed in the average U.S. school is wasted. The country's least efficient schools use four times more…

These are challenging times for schools across the United States and Canada, and the ability of those providing the fiscal leadership of these multi-million dollar organizations has never been more critical. There is no better time to identify the specific skills and knowledge needed by those managing the business operations of schools today, and…

If one word can characterize what may be troubling about risk management in today's schools, it is "complacency." Complacency is a negative behavior that could entrap people into letting their guard down. In "The School Business Administrator," authors Kenneth Stevenson and Don Tharpe write: "A successful school business administrator has a…

The number of children (ages 3-21) in the United States designated as having a specific learning disability is over seven (7) million. Providing the programs, services and funding necessary to deliver appropriate programs and services to this special population is a challenge in virtually all school districts across the country. The role of school…

This publication lists "non-classified" personal services recommendations of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and "classified" positions recommended by the Office of Personnel Management, Department of Finance and Administration for public institutions of higher education for the 2011-13 biennium. The Office of…

Professional development has become so valuable that even Boston Public Schools has created its own in-house professional development institutions to develop management skills among staff. And the Association of School Business Officers International will launch a new certification program for school business officials next fall. It is designed in…

This publication lists non-classified personal services recommendations of the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the Fiscal Year 2010-11. Due to the implementation of the pay plan study, the Office of Personnel Management of the Department of Finance and Administration (OPM) did not make recommendations for classified positions.…