Educational accountability must be applied as diligently to school boards as it is to superintendents, administrators, and teachers. Effective appraisal can take place only when performance is compared to objectives. The successful board demonstrates a commitment to providing public accountability in all phases of its operation. It must have the…

School board members refuse to honor the elusive line separating governance and management, policy and administration. Reviews the influence of women board members, accountability, and parental pressure on school boards. (MLF)

Every school board would be wise to agree on a set of beliefs about how lasting change is made and how board operations can foster desired changes. Decisions are best made through a search for solutions that will at least partly satisfy everyone. Consensus is the preferred strategy for making decisions. (MLF)

Two national reports, "Facing the Challenge" and "Governing Public Schools," recommend sweeping changes in the ways school boards are organized and operate. In practice, the state of Kentucky and the city of Chicago, Illinois, have embarked on radical experiments in school governance. Other areas, especially urban school…

Offers a practical review of commonsense principles that may assist a school business official in preparing for negotiations. Includes the role of the team, preparation for negotiations, process at the table, and settlement issues. (MLF)

This is the 16th publication in an annual series intended to provide New Jersey board members and administrators who are representing their district in negotiations with the latest information on legal developments affecting negotiations, practical advice on bargaining strategy and tactics, and a handy source of reference for important case law.…

This syllabus records the opinion of the Supreme Court and the concurring and dissenting opinions expressed by Supreme Court justices in this case. The opinion recorded upholds the charges brought in 1973 by students in the Columbus, Ohio school system that the Columbus Board of Education was causing and perpetuating racial segregation in the…

A state board of education has several major responsibilities regarding private schools. It should have an understanding of the legal constraints regarding its relationship with private schools. It should have information about the character of private schools nationwide and in their state. Research is needed regarding how private schools affect…

The article explores data from the 1979 Canadian survey of public participation in education, focusing on public confidence in education, membership in school board advisory groups, public influence in running schools, school board efforts to inform the public, and public opinion of today's schools compared to those of their day. (SB)

Public schools and school boards are under attack from the religious right. Cites the strategies of some of these organizations, including quotes from Robert Simonds, the leader of Citizens for Excellence in Education. Advises school boards to have explicit policies on the selection of textbooks and academic freedom; to involve parents; and to…

School boards often must try to hammer together a consensus on difficult issues. A Colorado school district handled the issue of sex education by using the tools of democracy. The school board's role was to broker the dialog, to clarify community values, and to provide a detailed challenge process for citizens who disagree with the board's…

After months of deliberations and promises of dramatic change for Los Angeles' embattled schools, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa the week of April 17, 2006 called for California lawmakers to put his office in charge of running the day-to-day operations of the nation's second largest school district. In his first State of the City address, Mr.…

The Safe Schools Reporting Act of 2005 requires that county boards of education and the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners report incidents of harassment or intimidation against students in public schools under the county board's and commission's jurisdiction. The reporting period for the third report encompasses the 2006-2007 school…

Local governance of education is based on recognizing and protecting the rights of minorities while attempting to meet the needs of all. Legally, various courts across the country have upheld the rights of school officials to make choices regarding curriculum textbooks, library books, and general subject matter. Board policy should include the…

Views about corporal punishment in schools are changing. Some seek a return to accountability, authority, and increased order in schools, while others seek to make schools a sanctuary from social violence, especially violence against children. Local school boards often are criticized as being too lenient or too severe, and more state legislatures…