In Massachusetts; Washington D.C.; New York City; Chicago; Baltimore; Cleveland; and a host of other big cities, challenges to both elected and appointed local school boards have become commonplace in the last year. Discusses the situation in Chicago. (MLF)

This study examines tracking--the practice of grouping students into separate classes or courses based on their prior academic achievement--at the middle-school level, and the percentage of high-achieving students in tracked and untracked schools. It focuses on Massachusetts, a leader in "reforming" tracking, and the changes that have…

In this article, the authors present Edwin Diaz, superintendent of California's Gilroy Unified School District and discuss the common challenges and strategies among those education leaders who take on--and succeed at--the role of change agent and reformer. When Edwin Diaz became superintendent of California's Gilroy Unified School District in…

This booklet reports the results of a survey designed to identify attitudes and preconceptions of mathematics educators and other education professionals about mathematics reform. There are two sets of findings. The first set reports items of consensus where repondents almost unanimously agreed on key issues regardless of their organizational…

With the advent of the National Education Goals formulated by President Bush and the nation's governors, there is a new, nationwide environment for America's schools. Goals and objectives set at this new level imply a desire for involvement in national monitoring of local efforts to assess student, school, and district performance. Concerned about…

Research on understanding school effectiveness has identified several characteristics of effective schools. Some of them include instructional leadership by principals, collaborative planning by teachers, consistency among teachers, a clear purpose, high academic expectations, positive school climate, and systematic evaluation. Many schools are…

In educational research, explanatory models (such as the Iannaccone-Lutz model of school board change) are theoretical; they set concepts in relation one to another and are followed by verification-operational studies. They do not specify situational-operational indicators, so their prediction reliability may not be as good in one context as in…

Midwestern educators paint a hazy picture of the past 5 years of educational reform. While the general consensus is that great strides have been made by local schools and school districts, few agree that state governments' efforts to facilitate reform have been adequate. To meet the challenges of the future, the majority of midwestern educators…

Offers some suggestions for 16+ reform. (Editor)

Outlines how the "cult of efficiency" and the "cult of deficiency" emphasize weakness and have affected American education. Points out that a new "cult of proficiency" emphasizing strengths, not weaknesses, is needed. (MD)

This brief describes the challenges facing urban school boards, reviews the governance alternatives being tried in various cities, and highlights some related considerations. The challenges school boards face vary, but some themes are common across urban areas: (1) an ill-defined role can impair effectiveness; (2) competing political interests can…

There are approximately 1,500 independent schools in the United States, varying widely in philosophy, organization, and style. This paper addresses changes that have developed in and around independent schools and within their boards, discusses the implications of these changes for trustees, and examines the challenges confronting independent…

This publication follows up on a work begun in 1997 that reported a nationwide study of school board/superintendent collaboration for high student achievement. The current report addresses the requisite steps that local school boards, superintendents, state political and educational leaders, and university deans and faculty need to take to develop…

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) and the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) are pleased to present a copy of the fourth annual Jacqueline P. Danzberger Memorial Lecture, presented at NSBA's Annual Conference (March 2004). The lecturer, Mrs. Melinda French Gates, Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, asserted…

The author listed some of the reasons he believed were major factors in leading teachers from Windsor, Ontario, to withdraw their services. (Author/RK)