For decades, people questioned the sense of having two school districts, each with its own superintendent, central office and high school, operating in the same small town of The Dalles on the banks of the Columbia River in north-central Oregon. But election campaigns to consolidate repeatedly failed because each community had strong emotional…

Responding to Joe Nathan's praise of Minnesota's school choice programs in the same "Kappan" issue, this article cites teacher opinion poll deficiencies; mistaken correlations involving open enrollment, rural district cooperation, and enabling state legislation; and insufficient program implementation and evaluation data. The hidden…

When this research report was first conceived, the current economic crisis was only just on the verge of revealing its full extent. Economic crisis or no economic crisis, over the years funding for PK-12 education has been a constant struggle. While all schools continue to face difficulties, for various reasons rural schools have different and…

With the purpose of supplying information on school district reorganization to school districts in Minnesota, this report begins with an overview of reorganization, including a definition of terms, an investigation of the impetus for reorganization, and a discussion of the manner in which school district reorganization legislation is usually…

This report provides recommendations on models of governance for Minnesota state colleges and universities under the unified system of public higher education administration initiated in 1991. It also outlines the guiding principles behind the consolidation efforts. The report recommended that: (1) 10 technical and community colleges and campuses…

Relying on standardized tests to measure performance and determine accountability obscures the fact that only reciprocal rights and responsibilities can create authentic accountability. A student has the right to expect a teacher will begin on time with a well-prepared lesson, the necessary materials, and the skill to conduct a class. A teacher,…

The document discussed the political realities facing American Indian communities as these communities move toward Indian control of quality education. The experiences with the Pine Point school suggested the 2 major functions of an experimental community school were: (1) to show methods for improving education; and (2) to demonstrate how to put…

Through what seems to be a very wise adaptation of methods of support and administration to schools of different kinds and to schools working under varying conditions in different parts of the State, but still preserving a high degree of correlation and unity of purpose, and by a commendable degree of liberality in expenditures for education, the…