Noting that a historical example of local control is valuable in assessing the results of greater community involvement in school affairs, this article focuses on the development of the decentralized Pittsburgh school system, which in the early 1900's was composed of 38 sub-district boards, each possessing authority to levy taxes and to appoint…

A critical review of the widespread acceptance of accountability, pointing out that accountability is plagued by difficulties with measuring learning, with lack of research evidence to show that it benefits students, and with few plans for formally evaluating these models on a pilot basis before plunging ahead. (Author/JM)