This report attempts to present a balanced discussion of several key issues in the charter school movement. Its goal is to help school board members, especially those in urban districts, assess the record of charter schools so far, and understand the complexity of the issues involved. The first chapter presents a brief legislative history of the…

Education reform is taking a silent toll on school boards, says the president of the American Federation of Teachers. Cites laws in a number of states that weaken school boards' authority. Advocates a national debate about problems with school boards before changing the organizational structure. (MLF)

PROPOSALS BY THE NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR SCHOOL DECENTRALIZATION ARE REVIEWED. PROPELLED BY THE BOYCOTT OF I.S. 201, THE BOARD ULTIMATELY DEVELOPED SEVEN PROJECTS WHICH WOULD ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. THE PROPOSAL OFFERING THE GREATEST POSSIBILITY FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION WAS ONE WHICH SUGGESTED THE CREATION OF TWO…

The Scarsdale, New York, system for finding qualified school board members utilizes a representative search committee that looks for experienced hopefuls and provides a short list of candidates. Of primary importance for candidates is an extensive record of public service. (MLF)

School boards should review their policy manuals to keep them up-to-date with new laws and regulations and to make sure student and employee handbooks reflect current district policy. State and national school board associations offer model policies. (MLF)

The logical starting place for school boards to review and revise policies annually is a policy-analysis model that includes local criteria as well as state and national legal mandates. Offers 15 criteria for policy analysis, each framed in terms of a question to ask about the policy under study. (MLF)

Effective school boards pursue five key decision points or states of policy development: (1) identify issues; (2) set priorities; (3) analyze and study; (4) take action; and (5) follow through. Boards should think of these stages as both dynamic and interactive. (MLF)

In recent years, school board recall elections seem to be occurring with greater frequency. Board members from around the country describe their experiences with recall elections, discuss the possible reasons, and cite the personal and community costs. Offers survival tips from individuals who have been through the recall experience. (MLF)

The fundamental job of school board members is to view themselves as moral and cultural leaders and to transform the needs of groups to a higher and more noble framework. Lists the National School Boards Association's statement on the governance role of the local school board. (MLF)

The Clarksville/Montgomery County (Tennessee) Board of Education has created a school-board contract that defines how the members will work together. (MLF)

School board members have a desire to be on top of the issues, except in communicating with the community. Board members can discuss with the community school policies that define values. (MLF)

Historically, the Supreme Court responds to the majority of cases brought before it with a decision or commentary that directs one or both of the parties on what to do--whether reparations by judgment, delivery of specific property, incarceration, or cessation of doing something. In May 1954, when the school segregation cases of "Brown"…

Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson has laid down a bold challenge to the city's troubled public school system: improve or see your students migrate to the city's growing roster of impressive charter schools. This is no idle threat. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the mayor oversaw 16 charter schools serving 3,870 students. Peterson is currently the…

Because research on job characteristics as predictors of turnover is of debatable relevance to the study of school board turnover, the research reported here examines the impact of variables capable of capturing the political context. In a survey including data from 263 board members from 83 school districts in New York State, the dependent…

This historiographical case study of the Scottsdale School District in Arizona examined the degree to which school governance was democratic and tested the proposition that policy change at the district level occurs in response to community demands as evidenced by policymakers' Chapter 2 addresses three categories of administrative discipline…