Darling-Hammond, Wilhoit, and Pittenger (2014) addressed the need for states to align their accountability systems with new college- and career-ready learning standards. The authors recommended a new accountability paradigm that focuses on 1) meaningful learning, enabled by 2) professionally skilled and committed educators, and supported by 3)…

For all the national and even international debate about the state of American education, public schooling in the U.S. is still a local matter--and the school district remains its hub. As administrators know, there's nothing abstract about the process of getting millions of students into their seats, assuring they receive the instruction they're…

This article employs Bourdieu's concept of capital to understand how state officials and teacher educators in New Jersey used three different forms of capital--economic, social, and cultural--in their struggle to shape the undergraduate teacher preparation and the first state sponsored alternative route program to teacher certification. Based on…

Governors who put education at the center of their agendas and aspirations act in a long-standing tradition of American political leadership. Among those who did so are leaders who made an imprint on U.S. history both during their gubernatorial terms and afterwards. This paper describes how governors and gubernatorial aspirants can exercise…

The most important issue facing the people of the United States is education. National reports have defined the problem. The need for reform can no longer be questioned. A solution must be devised and New Jersey is reqdy to act. As Governor, the author offers several proposals for restoring the vigor of the state's schools. Each district will…

Volume 1 of a two-volume series, this case study tells the story of the events and decisions associated with the 1976 court-ordered shutdown of schools in New Jersey. It also analyzes the state educational decision-making structure. The school closing was undertaken because, according to the New Jersey Supreme Court, the state had not properly…