This article shares the authors' personal stories that shed light on what to watch out for when the board takes up a performance review. The authors describe what they considered less-than-satisfying experiences with their board of education's process of performance assessment. They offered to do so with candor in hopes of helping their colleagues…

The author, who has retired as Scarsdale elementary principal, was asked by the superintendent Michael McGill if he was interested in leading Scarsdale's green initiative. Early on in Scarsdale, they referred to their work as the "green initiative." After agreeing to lead the initiative, he set out to learn more about greening at K-12…

The evaluation of a superintendent is often a stressful, unpleasant experience for both the superintendent and the members of the school board. Typical board trustees have little experience in evaluating CEOs. Worse yet, they are hamstrung by the limitations inherent to their roles. They lack the advantage of a day-to-day working relationship with…

Many administrators and teachers believe they already are doing inclusion. However, if one will look closely at the national statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, more than one million students are denied access to the general education curriculum and instruction, and many more have access in name only. In this article, the authors…

Aligning a school board policy manual with the faculty handbook would be an excellent application of systems thinking in support of school district mission and goals. This article talks about changing sound assessment practice in accordance with the school's proper policy. One obstacle to changing assessment practice is the prevailing belief that…

Discusses legal issues involved in conducting school board business over the Internet. (PKP)

Describes three lessons school districts have learned about the use of small groups to provide feedback from parents and other community members on major decisions involving education policy and practice: Encourage truly broad-based, large-scale participation; provide structure for small-group discussions; and ask participants to take action, not…

Assistant executive director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association argues that local school districts, not the state legislature, should develop policies to allow home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities. (PKP)

Two brief articles suggest sound evaluation procedures, one for administrators and the other for teachers. Both stress clearly stated, objective evaluation criteria. (JM)

In April 2005, the board of education in the Muhlenberg School District was forced to break one of their school policies after several parents complained about a book that has been included in the school's curriculum. The book, "The Buffalo Tree," by Adam Rapp has a passage detailing how an adolescent boy becomes sexually aroused in a communal…

The author of this article recently studied the impact of the Christian Right on school board politics in a Maryland school district. The six-year situation in Garrett County shows that religious conservatives do not necessarily govern by placing their personal religious views above all else. Governing with Christian Right board members might…

In this article, the author discusses the need of administrative support for board members. An effective board services office can help a lot in attracting and retaining community leaders. Board members need administrative support to help them manage events, records, communications, scheduling, correspondence and constituent service. In small to…

Discusses court decisions in relation to the Equal Access Act and provides two sample policies for schools to follow. One limits student activities, and the second allows noncurriculum-related student meetings. (MD)

Drivers' lack of concentration, distraction, and misjudgment are the major causes of all school bus accidents. Examples are provided of exemplary bus driver training and safety programs. (MLF)

For more than a decade, education reformers have admired the achievements of the Edmonton Public Schools in Canada, and school districts across the United States have attempted to replicate Edmonton's success with school-site decision making. However, most districts have stopped short of implementing one policy that is central to Edmonton's…