Reviews the centennial celebration of the Grand Forks, North Dakota, public schools, including background research into the school system's history, unusual findings, and a description of the dedication of a restored one-room schoolhouse. (JBM)

Although the District of Columbia school board requested additional study on student performance in schools where private firms currently have contracts, the superintendent explains his rationale for requesting private management for some 10 to 15 schools. (MLF)

Reviews a book by Theodore Sizer that aims to expose some educational delusions and to speculate on viable educational alternatives. Sizer asserts that the accepted purposes of education are honored only in the breach, and proposes that the unitary school be replaced by multiple schools for different kinds of learning. He contends that educational…

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)

Criticizes national education reports that call for a return to authoritarian schools in order to achieve excellence. Extolls the strengths and achievements for which magnet schools are responsible. (MD)

The Kentucky Education Reform Act overhauled the K-12 system of public education in the state. Finances, curriculum, and governance were radically changed. This article looks at the leaders putting the reforms in place, providing an inside look at what reform entails. (MLF)

According to William Spady's "Beyond Counterfeit Reforms," politically driven, mechanistic "reforms" box educators into smaller, limiting ways of thinking and running schools. Donald McAdams's book "Fighting to Save Our Urban Schools...and Winning!" shows the salubrious effects of high expectations and community…

Schools must stick to core issues--those concerned with teaching and learning and provision of material resources to maximize intellectual and personal growth. They must develop a fluid change model and a vision promoting abolition of violence, humanitarian standards, and global justice. Schools should also adopt a developmental learning cycle.…

Argues that school boards must focus on improving academic achievement within the context of budget cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision that educational vouchers are constitutional. Recommends affirmative school-board action such as developing school-community partnerships. (PKP)