Notes in recent decades, child advocacy has failed to support a cohesive group of committed congressional representatives and to rally existing organizations to common causes. Suggests the proliferation of advocacy organizations for specialized programs was counterproductive and that future efforts should provide adequate funding for existing…

Notes school leaders have two jobs: creating and sustaining high-quality schools, and acting as a moral compass for community action in children's behalf. Suggests that since children head no political action committees, administrators must shed their manager image and devise solutions. Introduces six special essays by Robert Coles, Marian Wright…

Suggests that protecting children is humanity's moral litmus test and the overarching moral challenge in our world and nation, where millions of children's lives are ravaged by adult wars, neglect, abuse, and racial, ethnic, religious, and class divisions. Notes that what school leaders accomplish now (investing in child health, early childhood…

Describes a discussion on child advocacy that the author initiated among fifth graders. Children were surprised at being asked for their opinion on improving their educational situation. Their main problem was getting adults to listen. Advocacy, as one child affirmed, is a matter of making a case carefully, vividly, compellingly so that others…

Suggests three monumental social changes in U.S. history have moved us closer to a viable democracy: the Bill of Rights, the abolition of slavery, and woman's suffrage. Notes children face many types of poverty; a children's rights amendment would focus child advocacy efforts. Discusses the precedent of the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed by…

Local school districts are suffering from Washington's ongoing antipublic education rhetoric. Educators cannot write fat campaign checks, but they can effectively lobby members of Congress through the AASA Legislative Corps. Now is the time to turn activist and help shape public policy. Supporting the Children's Investment Trust is a good start.…

Congressional education committees will soon reconsider education laws about to expire. The most controversial task is reauthorizing the preschool grants program under the Education of the Handicapped Act. These committees will also restructure the Higher Education Act and the Office of Educational Research and consider a Children's Investment…

Despite greater job pressures, school system leaders can find their shining moments in advocating for children and their learning. As visionary leaders, superintendents must confront four challenges: local and state school-governance complexities, school funding for teachers and facilities, accountability for student performance, and…

The editors chose character education as the theme for this "School Administrator" special issue because it undergirds school leaders' true mission: creation of community, advocacy for children, and preservation of democracy through public education. Authors tackle numerous topics, from the need to recapture a sense of civic duty and…

Some members of Congress retain a Norman Rockwell image of the two-parent household. To make headway with these leaders, educators must get them into schools and neighborhoods to let them see firsthand the crying needs of children and the schools providing safe harbor for a few hours. Administrators should also share their visions of education's…

Collaborative organizations can fall prey to bureaucratic evasions and ethical pitfalls, such as self-protection, self-righteousness, and self-deception. Superintendents must actively work to improve children's conditions and embody ethical practices. They should demonstrate trust and openness, define what is ethical, examine agendas, share…

Discusses how the absence of equal resources for schools or adequate support for families must not prevent educators from eliminating the gross inequalities brought about by assigning our least-qualified teachers to the neediest students, tolerating shoddy practice, steering students to inferior curricular choices, and generally miseducating the…

Mary Jean LeTendre, director of U.S. Education Department's Office of Compensatory Education, wants to concentrate Chapter 1 dollars on the neediest students in the neediest schools. John F. Jennings, general counsel for the House Education and Labor Committee, predicts more public education funding, a continuing push for national standards and…

An urban school in Columbus, Ohio, had in place a program of surprisingly explicit training of young children for the modern marketplace. Starting in kindergarten, children in the school were asked to think about the jobs they might choose when they grew up. The posters that surrounded them made clear which kinds of jobs they were expected to…

The most significant finding of various commission reports is stakeholders' lack of involvement in the decisions affecting them. School board's major function is to develop processes that ensure stakeholder participation in developing and implementing a shared vision for education. Board should ensure that all competent administrators and teachers…