Public school systems can adapt private sector strategies to make the most of their resources. The superintendent and the board should develop measurable objectives, agreed upon by the consumers and the producer, for delivering the product. Contracting with commercial companies can reduce costs while increasing services. (MLF)

To find out attitudes toward public participation at school board meetings, interviews were conducted with 22 board members and 20 average citizens, mainly from small to medium size districts in 16 states. Findings reveal that everyone agreed the public should have an opportunity to air opinions at meetings. Opinions vary about how boards should…

Many business groups favor selecting a school superintendent out of what they consider an enlightened corporate environment. However, a search consultant advises appointing a proven leader who possesses the intelligence, sensitivity, courage, and commitment to forge a vision for success and lead along the path to achieving that visions. (MLF)

Examines administration rules that a public school board should consider to help them navigate through school construction and renovation projects. Rules include those for establishing a forum for public input, identifying project management experts, and requiring a document turnover and familiarization plan. (GR)

By accepting two appeals on the voluntary use of race in assigning students to public schools, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely decide the constitutionality of widespread practices that school districts use to promote diversity. And the decision could affect schools in unforeseen ways. In both cases, parents of white children have challenged…

Education leaders throughout California are playing a key role in creating healthy school environments for the 6 million students in the state's public schools. Recognizing the strong connection between health and learning, they have made significant changes to the nutrition environment in their schools. This article looks at how these…

How can a community ensure that its public schools reflect local values and beliefs about education? The complexities involved in the reform of existing public schools, or the creation of a new system of schooling, have caused some researchers to explore new methodological avenues to change (Banathy, 1991; Duffy, Rogerson, & Blick, 2000;…

All groups, from teachers to administrators to colleges and all other groups, tend to protect their own interests. Students, however, cannot form powerful groups to protect their own intersts, and therefore, the state should have a role as advocate for children as consumers of education. Most states delegate the responsibility of providing an…

Public Agenda was asked by the Nebraska State Board of Education and the Nebraska Department of Education (referred to hereafter as the State Board and the NDE) to help design and implement a public engagement process that would allow a cross-section of the state's citizens to comment on the central ideas contained in the document "Equitable…

The relationship between the board of education of a public school system and the school superintendent is extremely important to the functioning and progress of the system. First-time Ohio superintendents were surveyed at the end of their first and second years about their perceptions of their relationships with their boards of education (N=58).…

This study presents survey data from school district administrators on the rules and regulations that govern non-school use of public school facilities as adopted by 165 Missouri Public School Districts. It compares whether districts having written policies governing non-school use of facilities differed from districts with no such policies…

Reports results of a survey of Oklahoma school board members' attitudes on a number of educational matters. Reveals positive attitudes towards vocational education, extracurricular activities, strong administrative authority, staff development, academic emphasis on basics, merit pay, administrative quality and current discipline; negative…

In a survey of a southeastern state's 91 school districts, 83% of superintendents and 77% of school board chairs responded. There was no significant difference in their opinions of the management of local incentive programs. Both agreed that merit pay should be used, but neither thought it enhanced quality of education. In ranking criteria for…

Recommendations for multicultural education include (1) revision of state board policies; (2) data collection on diversity; (3) teacher education accreditation linked to multicultural infusion; (4) multicultural representation on boards and faculties; (5) multicultural criteria for material adoption; and (6) student assessments grounded in…

The president of the school board in Crockett, Texas, claims that the programs employing affective education and values clarification approaches have actually increased the behaviors they were designed to prevent. Admonishes school board members to listen to and investigate the concerns of parents. (MLF)