In this article, the author features Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School in Philadelphia, the only Philadelphia's charter high school that meets the adequate yearly progress testing benchmarks in 2003 as established by No Child Left Behind, and describes how the academy's headmaster and founder, Vuong Thuy, confronted criticisms from the…

This report provides a consolidated public record of the performance of Edison-run schools. Edison agrees to provide annually to each local partner comprehensive information about the operation and outcomes of its local partnership schools. Edison is also required by charter-school laws to report on its partnership schools. This report includes…

This report provides a review of literature published in the past 2 decades on the role and effectiveness of school boards. Though school boards are but one component of school district leadership--the superintendent and other district administrators and staff constituting the other main components--school boards are the focus of this review…

Sixteen pieces of legislation affecting public education in Georgia were passed by the General Assembly in the 1997 session. Eleven of the 16 are notable, and are discussed in this article. They include: (1) House Bill 567, the School Safety Act of 1997, which makes juvenile court records available to the schools and establishes alternative…

Though conventional public schools enroll the vast majority of difficult-to-educate students, many such students who are not accepted by public schools end up at private schools. This report describes the role of private institutions in educating these students, incorporating case studies and analyzing various institutional arrangements. Part 1…

Community schools were created in Ohio to provide additional educational options for children in low-performing schools and to develop innovative teaching and management techniques that may be transferable to traditional public schools. In 1997 the Ohio General Assembly required the Legislative Office of Education Oversight (LOEO) to evaluate the…

The purpose of this paper is to explore funding issues related to charter districts. It begins with definitions of charter school and charter district. It continues with a brief discussion of public-school finance and some of the policy issues associated with distributing state funds to school districts, allowing school districts to generate…

This paper explores what happens to the old central office when the familiar top-down structure of school governance is replaced by a charter-district system in which independent public schools operate on charters or contracts. For the most part, the paper examines districts that authorize and oversee a significant number of charter schools,…

This report documents a study that examined what school leaders actually do to effectively lead schools. It then presents what this implies for policy and leadership development. Data for the study were collected from interviews with principals, vice principals, and teachers from 21 public, private, charter, contract, and magnet schools in 4…

The Guidance Services and Research and Development Departments of the College Board coordinated an investigation of the results of a national high school survey. This survey, administered in 2000, follows a similar, large-scale survey of high schools in 1993 by the College Board. The current research report is designed to provide the reader with…

In addressing the problem of disproportionate placement of minority students with special education in charter schools, Fierros describes the commentaries of this issue's contributing scholars. The contributions expose a variety of topics to address the needs of inequities experienced by students with special needs. These topics include: the…

This article unpacks the decision to decharter a successful urban middle school serving African American students, especially focusing on parental choice in a school caught between two urban reform initiatives: charter schooling and state takeovers of urban districts. Originally chartered by a university, DeCharter became a "school of choice" in…

Educators must open their eyes to the intensity of the anti-public-school efforts by many politicians and business leaders. This book provides a defense against those who innocently attack schools with misinformation and those who disingenuously attack schools with disinformation. A total of 18 chapters address 18 criticisms most commonly leveled…

This document consists of the four 1998 issues of the "Journal of Educational Relations," published quarterly to promote student achievement through positive school-home-community relationships. Articles in the first issue include: "Policy Changes May Help Organizers of Charter Schools Meet Expectations" (Alex Medler); "Make Friends Before We Need…

The vast majority of Michigan's teachers work above and beyond their required work week; the average teacher works more than 45 hours per week. The time teachers spend outside regular school hours is often ignored by critics who deride the "short hours and long vacations" enjoyed by teachers. When discussing compensation policies and…